European Union

The EU needed to become the world's third-largest military superpower, the debacle in Afghanistan has shown, French defence minster Bruno Le Maire said at a business congress near Lake Como in Italy Saturday, Reuters reports. "Europe has to become the number three super-power besides China and the United States. Let's open our eyes, we're facing threats and we cannot rely anymore on the protection of the United States", he said.

The EU needed to agree "substantial and significant change" to post-Brexit Northern Ireland customs rules or face "cold mistrust" from the UK, its Brexit minister, David Frost, said Saturday, Reuters reports. "I want to be clear that any response which avoids serious engagement with those ideas, and aims at just dragging out the process, will in the end not work for us," he told the British-Irish Association, an intergovernmental body.

The pollution, emissions and clean-up costs of plastic produced in 2019 alone could be $3.7 trillion, according to a report released Monday (6 September) by wildlife charity WWF, warning of the environmental and economic burden of this "seemingly cheap" material.

Spain’s  socialist Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, has set the new goal of having 90% of the population fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible, but has not set a deadline for when the target should be met. EURACTIV’s partner EFE has reported.

Administrative barriers in at least 10 European countries are blocking access to Covid-19 vaccines for nearly four million undocumented migrants. Countries including Germany, Spain, Norway and Bulgaria require some form of ID, health card or a residency permit.

The right to seek asylum is a fundamental tenet of international law, and yet Iran and Pakistan have fortified their borders, leaving Afghans no escape. The EU should put pressure on Pakistan to allow refugees into the country.

One of the topics for the keynote speech will certainly be the Covid-19 recovery fund - with Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Spain, and Portugal having already received their pre-financing.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said they want to send a "joint European presence" to Kabul in order to help evacuate Europeans and other Afghan nationals to willing member states.

EU energy companies cannot use the controversial Energy Charter Treaty to sue member states and claim compensation for the impact of policy measures, the European Court of Justice ruled, casting doubts over a number of ongoing cases.

The Just Transition Fund was set up to help coal-reliant regions transition to a more sustainable and equitable future. But according to green pressure group WWF, none of the plans are fit for purpose.

The flat glass sector stands ready to play a crucial role in decarbonizing buildings, transport and energy.

Emmanuel Macron addresses IUCN World Conservation Congress, warning ‘there is no vaccine for a sick planet’. EURACTIV's media partner, The Guardian, reports.

Rising eurozone inflation provides the backdrop for the meeting of European Central Bank governors Thursday (9 September), with markets hoping for hints when policymakers might start easing their massive pandemic-era stimulus.

Germany's centre-left chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz wants to lead Europe's largest economy in a coalition government with the left-leaning Greens, though polls suggest he would need the support of a third party to reach a stable majority in parliament.

Le président du Conseil européen, Charles Michel, a participé au Congrès mondial de la nature de l’Union internationale pour la conservation de la nature (UICN), le 3 septembre 2021, à Marseille. La biodiversité était au cœur des discussions du forum environnemental.

Weekly schedule of President Charles Michel 6 – 10 September 2021.

Main agenda items, approximate timing, public sessions and press opportunities.

The EU COVID certificate is “entirely secure”,  the European Commission has stressed after reports of false health passes in France being used to circumvent the country’s COVID measures.

EU member states on Friday (3 September) laid out their conditions for stepping up engagement with the Taliban, agreeing to establish a joint European–Kabul civilian presence.

The agreement between the EU and UK-Swedish drug-maker AstraZeneca, which has agreed to deliver 200 million doses of its promised vaccine by March 2022, brings to a close one of the messiest and politically charged disputes of the COVID pandemic.