European Union

Laura Codruţa Kövesi, the former chief prosecutor of Romania’s anti-corruption agency (DNA), is ranked first among three candidates shortlisted for the position of the first-ever chief prosecutor of the European Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO).

Advocate General Nils Wahl of the Court of Justice of the EU said on Wednesday that Germany's controversial road tax is not discriminatory, as Austria has argued. German motorists get tax relief equivalent the road tax, which foreigners do not, but Wahl said that these two groups are not comparable. Austria's claim was "premised on a fundamental misunderstanding of the concept of 'discrimination'," the court said in a statement.

Austria v Germany
Citizenship of the Union
Advocate General Wahl proposes that the Court of Justice should dismiss Austria’s action against the new German motorway charge

The European Commission is "reluctant" to sit with the tobacco industry at the same table to discuss novel tobacco products such as e-cigarettes, a high-ranking EU official has said.

The EU substantially watered down its recent warning on golden passport schemes, an investigation has shown.

President Donald Trump vowed in his State of the Union speech on Tuesday (5 February) to build a border wall, which is a source of a deep partisan divide, and said Democratic attempts at “ridiculous partisan investigations” could damage US prosperity.

Addressing the Industry Days conference on Tuesday (5 February), European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker highlighted the importance of ensuring that the EU stays at the forefront of developments in economy and society, if it is to lead the way in the global industrial marketplace.

Italy's deputy prime minister, Luigi Di Maio of the anti-establishemnt Five Star Movement, on Tuesday in Paris met with 'yellow vest' protest leader, Christophe Chalencon, and European Parliament candidates on the yellow vest list headed by Ingrid Levavasseur. "The wind of change has crossed the Alps," Di Maio tweeted. Yellow vest protestors also joined ranks with a major union, CGT, in nationwide French protests on Tuesday.

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker on Tuesday defended in a speech at the EU Industry Days the block's competition policies saying "we will never play politics or play favourites". He spoke ahead of an expected rejection on Wednesday of a high-profile rail merger between Germany's Siemens and France's Alstom, meant to compete with Chinese rival CRRC. French ministers have already called for reforms of EU competition rules.

The European Commission has backed carbon capture and storage (CCS) as a one of the seven key technologies to enable deep decarbonisation of Europe’s economy by mid-century. But it’s still tangled in bureaucracy when it comes to funding.

The Danish parliament's approval of participation in wars in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq was based on inadequate and tailored information from the then government, lead by liberal prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, according to an investigation by researchers at University of Copenhagen published on Tuesday. The current liberal government lead by Lars Loekke Rasmussen closed an official investigation into the matter in 2016.

The former chief prosecutor of Romania's anti-corruption agency, Laura Codruta Koevesi, has been ranked first in the selection procedure to head the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), the Guardian reported. Koevesi investigated ministers, mayors and members of parliament, before Romania's justice minister dismissed her in July 2018. Twenty EU countries agreed in 2017 to set up EPPO to fight large-scale cross-border financial crime. It is set to open next year.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras stressed Tuesday (5 February) they planned to resolve disputes between their two countries through dialogue.

Prime Minister Theresa May will travel to Brussels on Thursday (7 February) to tell European Union leaders they must accept legally binding changes to the Irish border arrangements of Britain’s divorce deal or face the prospect of a disorderly no-deal Brexit.

Russia will race to develop two new land-based missile launch systems before 2021 to respond to Washington’s planned exit from a landmark nuclear arms control pact, it said on Tuesday (5 February).

On 25 October 2018, the European Parliament adopted a new legislative framework for veterinary medicinal products and medicated feed, which are a step forward in preventing the rise in antibiotic resistance.

The Romanian presidency and the European Parliament reach a preliminary agreement on a simplified framework for financial derivatives to reduce costs and enhance transparency and access to clearing.

President Tusk received the letters of credentials from two new ambassadors to the European Union.

The Romanian presidency of the Council and the European Parliament reach a preliminary agreement on removing existing barriers to the cross-border distribution of investment funds.

The United States sees the European Union as its top priority in a global effort to convince allies not to buy Huawei equipment for next-generation mobile networks, a US State Department Official said on Tuesday (5 February).