European Union

As tensions on the housing market have risen over the past decade, French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced some measures on Wednesday to relaunch construction and promote affordable housing. Demand for social housing has been on the rise in France...

Slovenia hosted on Wednesday (29 September) an informal meeting of EU non-proliferation and disarmament directors as part of the country's EU Council presidency, the Foreign Ministry said.

Driven by ambitious targets and a set of sharp regulatory tools, the Green Deal is about to redefine the European economy and policy. As to be expected from a transformation of that magnitude, developments do not always follow a straight...

The preliminary environmental impact assessment report for the Lithium Prospecting and Exploration Programme identified "some risks" in the eight potential areas in the north and centre of the country, but still recognised the opportunity this could have for the economy's decarbonisation.

The eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma is not only destroying some of the most fertile agricultural land in the Canary Islands, but is also threatening livestock essential for the survival of artisan dairies and farmers. EURACTIV’s partner EFE reported. 

EU ambassadors today approved €149.6 million of funding from the EU budget to support the most vulnerable of the approximately 3.7 million Syrian refugees in Turkey.

Written by Vivienne Halleux.

Europe hosts a rich diversity of wild pollinators, including over 2 000 species of bees, more than 480 species of butterflies, almost 1 000 species of hoverflies and thousands of other insect species. In the European Union (EU), 78 % of native flora and 84 % of crops are either partially or fully dependent on insects for pollination. Significant pollinator loss has been documented over time across the EU. According to the European Red List of Bees, around 9 % of all bee species are threatened in the EU. The EU grassland butterfly indicator has recorded a 39 % decline in grassland butterfly abundance since 1990. Studies in selected European countries have provided further examples of pollinator declines. Such loss entails risks for both societies and ecosystems.

EU legislation relevant to pollinator protection includes the Habitats Directive; the regulatory framework on pesticides; and the common agricultural policy (CAP). The EU rules governing the approval of pesticides require consideration of pesticide effects on honeybees. The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) is currently reviewing its 2013 guidance on the risk assessment of pesticides on bees, which was never formally adopted due to insufficient support from Member States. One key aspect of the review process is the setting of specific protection goals, defining the maximum acceptable level of harm to bees, on which EU ministers have recently agreed.

Assessments of action at EU level identified gaps in the key EU policies addressing the main threats to wild pollinators. Although progress has been made in the implementation of the EU pollinators initiative (EPI), adopted in 2018 to tackle the decline of wild pollinators, more needs to be done, in particular to address the loss of habitats in farming landscapes and the impacts of pesticides. The EU Biodiversity and the Farm to Fork strategies set out specific targets that can help advance pollinator conservation. Integrating them into the new CAP however remains a major challenge.

Pollinator protection is a key issue for the European Parliament, which made clear that the revision of the EFSA bee guidance document should ensure a level of protection at least equivalent to that laid down in 2013. Parliament also called for an urgent revision of the EU pollinators initiative, a ban on all neonicotinoid-based pesticides and the inclusion of EU-wide binding pesticide reduction targets in the upcoming revision of the directive on the sustainable use of pesticides.

Read the complete briefing on ‘Protecting pollinators in the EU‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Listen to policy podcast ‘Protecting pollinators in the EU’ on YouTube.

The definition of active users for core platform services is one of the main ways to identify a gatekeeper, but the services to be covered by this differ significantly in the texts submitted in the European Parliament and the Council,...

It is clear that the ongoing coronavirus crisis has offset sustainability efforts: thousands of personal protective equipment items are thrown away every day and the pandemic has increased poverty and inequality. Flemish communities have taken these setbacks head-on, bringing together individuals and local authorities to tackle disparities caused by the pandemic.

The author of this brief was present at the Thessaloniki 2003 summit, where EU leaders pledged to the Western Balkan countries that they would join the bloc when they are ready. It was a critical juncture. EU enlargement was on its...

The General Court of the EU annulled on Wednesday (29 September) two agreements between the EU and Morocco that applied to Western Sahara, a territory occupied by Morocco. The court ruled in favour of the Polisario Front, which had filed...

Waste generation across Europe and its treatment are two critical challenges that must be overcome in order to meet the ambitious EU climate goals. Non-recyclable waste and Waste-to-Energy deserve a thorough discussion.

While Romania struggled, even after it joined the EU, to find a formula to revive some of its villages facing poverty and depopulation, the commune of Ciugud has stood out by managing to combat rural decline in a smart way. EURACTIV Romania reports.

Lawmakers in the European Parliament voted on Tuesday (28 September) to remove support for fossil gas in EU funding rules for cross-border energy infrastructure known as the TEN-E regulation.

European youth should participate in political discussions, specifically on reforming democratic processes and not just on traditional topics like education, European Youth Forum President Silja Markkula told EURACTIV.

After the Bundestag elections the first exploratory talks have now begun between the potential governing parties. The question of who will be the next chancellor remains open. Commentators are nonetheless busily speculating on the consequences of the election for their own countries and Europe. Most don't expect many changes - but not all see this as a good thing.