European Union

Europe has Fermo shoes, Como silk, Bohemian crystal, Limoges porcelain, Toledo steel, Donegal tweed, Solingen cutlery - the list goes on. These products and the local artisans who craft them are an essential part of European history and identity.

The UN says reducing emissions isn’t enough to avoid the worst impacts of climate change – Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) will need to be part of the solution.

Liquid natural gas (LNG) is a necessary transitional fuel to decarbonise EU maritime activities as the available quantities of zero and low-carbon fuels is currently insufficient, the European Commission has said.

On 28 September 2021, the President of the Eurogroup, Paschal Donohoe, gave the keynote speech at the New Economics Foundation event on euro area budgetary strategy in view of Covid-19 and the upcoming economic governance review.

Ministers adopt conclusions aiming to strengthen the EU’s global role in research and innovation.

President of the Eurogroup, Paschal Donohoe, gave an introductory statement at the Inter-parliamentary Conference on Stability, Economic Coordination and Governance in the EU on the current economic situation, Recovery and Resilience Facility, own resources and tax policy.

The fund will support member states, regions and sectors worst affected by the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

Council adopts its position at first reading for the proposed CBCR directive.

Media advisory and press arrangements for the upcoming European Council of 21 and 22 October 2021.

Information about accreditation requirements for the 1-year badge (2021)

Lava from an erupting volcano in the Canary Islands has reached the ocean, volcanologists said, raising fear of toxic gases being released as the lava hits the sea water.

The European Union and China must continue engaging on a number of issues despite differences, the bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in a video call on Tuesday, according to an EU statement.

Welcome to EURACTIV’s Health Brief, your weekly update on all things healthcare in Europe.

Written by Marcin Szczepanski.

In December 2020, the European Commission proposed the creation of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC), to facilitate trade, expand investment, develop compatible standards, boost innovation and strengthen the partners’ technological and industrial leadership. The TTC also aims to ‘lead values-based digital transformation’. Meanwhile, trade between the EU and US continues and is as important as ever, manifested in the fact that, together, they form the largest bilateral economic relationship in the world, with the largest global data flows across the Atlantic. However, in recent years, transatlantic trade and technology policy relations have been marked by low levels of cooperation and a number of sources of tension. The 2021 change of administration in Washington nevertheless reinvigorated the relationship between the two.

The TTC was formally launched during the EU-US Summit on 15 June 2021. High-level politicians will guide the Council, while the groundwork will be carried out in ten working groups, comprised of experts from both partners. They will cover issues such as common standards, resilient supply chains, tech regulation, global trade challenges, climate and green tech as well as investment screening and export controls. The establishment of the TTC has been widely welcomed by stakeholders and the think-tank community as an important step towards bridging existing gaps and moving on with a forward-looking agenda, focused on strategic areas and new ways of cooperation. While there is a genuine will to work together on common challenges, some difficult issues such as unresolved issues from the past and different approaches to regulating digital markets persist, and it remains to be seen whether the TTC will lead to the creation of an ambitious joint policy that influences trade and technology worldwide. The first meeting is due to take place on 29 September 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Read the complete briefing on ‘EU-US Trade and Technology Council: New forum for transatlantic cooperation‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

• Total trade in goods and services between the EU, US and China (in € bn)
• EU-US goods trade value (€ bn)
• Importance of transatlantic economy on global stage: Selected indicators

The cards for the German Bundestag have been reshuffled, and the parties are preparing to launch the old mating ritual known as 'coalition talks'. Yet, with the new parliament facing an unprecedented degree of fragmentation, these talks are likely to be long and exhausting. Welcome to a Dutch-style German parliament.

The agency responsible for safeguarding the rights of EU citizens living in the United Kingdom has urged the Home Office to ensure that citizens who have applied late to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) must have their rights upheld by UK public bodies.

The increasing number of immunocompromised people exposed to COVID-disease combined with the raised risk of co-infections of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and respiratory pathogens creates a double whammy that cannot be overlooked.

The four main unionist parties in Northern Ireland have formed an alliance to scrap the Irish protocol, agreed by the EU and the UK to maintain a smooth flow of goods on the island, as the UK government steps up its attempts to renegotiate it.

Lawmakers in the European Parliament's environment committee urged EU countries on Monday (27 September) to step up their efforts to reduce emissions in sectors such as agriculture, buildings and transport, which are currently not covered by the bloc's emissions trading scheme.

Life Terra speaks to Wulf Böhmcker who is a 92-year-old forester. He has seen forests change over the years in Germany and expressed his concern. “We need to convince people to help and also to live more sensibly.” Want to...