European Union

In Germany, SPD party members have elected a new leadership. In a surprise outcome Saskia Esken and Norbert Walter-Borjans prevailed against Vice-Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Klara Geywitz. The two newcomers want to take the struggling party in a more leftist direction. Commentators are concerned, or in some cases delighted, at the prospect of this new course resulting in the collapse of the coalition government with the CDU and CSU.

The European Commission will present a revised ePrivacy proposal as part of the forthcoming Croatian Presidency of the EU, Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton announced on Tuesday (3 December), after previous talks failed to produce an agreement among member states.

Italian truckmaker Iveco on Monday (2 December) joined the alternative propulsion party as it unveiled its first electric vehicle, which it will build in partnership with US startup Nikola Motor Co.

The award ceremony for this year’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, conferred to Uyghur human rights activist Ilham Tohti, will be held on 18 December.

Source : © European Union, 2019 - EP

The award ceremony for this year’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, conferred to Uyghur human rights activist Ilham Tohti, will be held on 18 December.

Source : © European Union, 2019 - EP

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Austria is set to be the first EU country to ban glyphosate, having completed the EU’s single market notification procedure on Friday.

Lodged between China and Russia, Kazakhstan, a country with huge territory and a modest population, pursues a 'multi-vector' foreign policy, positively engaging with its big neighbours, but also with the US and the EU and the global community.

As the field of competitors for investing in Africa becomes more crowded, the EU will have to quickly improve its offer. The challenge for Ursula von der Leyen's new European Commission will be to turn the so-called ‘partnership of equals’ promised by her predecessor into something concrete.

Czech Republic v Parliament and Council
Industrial Policy
The Court of Justice dismisses the action of the Czech Republic against the directive reinforcing control of the acquisition and possession of firearms

Italy's former finance minister Domenico Siniscalco insists that sustainable finance is going from strength to strength and that it will hold the key to effectively combating climate change. He also believes that compatriot Paolo Gentiloni will play a crucial role.

The US government on Monday (2 November) said it may slap punitive duties of up to 100% on $2.4 billion in imports from France of Champagne, handbags, cheese and other products, after concluding that France's new digital services tax would harm US tech companies.

Turkey's veto of a Nato defence plan is just normal pre-summit games, Lithuania has said, as Western leaders meet in the UK.