European Union

Electric vehicles have come on in leaps and bounds since Commission Vive-President Maroš Šefčovič launched the Energy Union back in 2015. Now, he's expecting the integration of renewables and the redesign of the electricity market to boost the EV revolution even further.

The EU Green Week—taking place this week under the theme ‘Greener Cities for a Greener Europe’—offers a perfect opportunity to reflect on how cities can become more sustainable, smart and resilient. And on the role copper plays in all this, writes Bernard Respaut, Chief Executive of the European Copper Institute.

Measles cases continue to increase in a number of EU/EEA countries according to the most recent measles data collected by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) through epidemic intelligence and published in the Communicable Diseases Threats Report (CDTR) today (22 May).

EU trade ministers on Tuesday (22 May) gave the go-ahead to the EU Commission's plans to split investment and free trade agreements in the future, following a ruling by the European Court of Justice in March saying that investment and dispute settlement arrangements cannot be established without member states' consent. This opens the door for future investment deals to be ratified the EU's 38 national and regional parliaments.

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The partnership between the EU and The Gambia is guided by the principles and objectives found in the Cotonou Agreement, which governs the relationship between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. The Agreement covers areas such as political dialogue, trade and development cooperation.

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EU trade ministers on Tuesday approved the negotiating directives for free trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand. EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom will travel to the two countries in the coming weeks to start formal talks. "These agreements will be negotiated in the greatest transparency," European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker promised, asking member states to "uphold this high level of transparency."

Food waste processed via anaerobic digestion can significantly improve nutrient recovery in the soil, and the process may have significant use in sustainable agriculture and in fighting climate change, David Newmann, president of the World Biogas Association, told EURACTIV.com in an interview

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EU Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Trade meet on 22 May 2018 in Brussels.

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EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Development meet on 22 May 2018 in Brussels.

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The European Commission has suggested the United States suspend social media giant Facebook from a data-transfer sharing pact with the EU if it breached privacy laws.

In the decade 2007 to 2017, the EU ran a growing trade deficit with China reaching €176bn in 2017, according to new figures from Eurostat. In 2017, 20 percent of EU imports came from China, the largest share of any country, while only 11 percent of EU exports were to China. The EU's largest export market (20 percent) is the US.

A group of 154 German economists warn in a joint article The euro should not lead into the liability union in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that plans to transform the European Stability Mechanism to a permanent European Monetary Fund to weather economic shocks "pose great risks for European citizens". The proposals of French president Macron and EU Commission president Juncker would also deprive the German Bundestag of control, they said.

The Swedish government is preparing to distribute a 20-page pamphlet next week If Crisis or War Comes to all 4.8 million households, informing people on what to do in case of war. The Swedes are advised to stock non-perishable food, water bottles, warm clothing and sleeping bags. The initiative comes as Sweden debates Nato membership and ahead of general elections in September.

Leaders of Italy's far-right League and the 5-Star Movement have proposed a law professor at Florence University, Giuseppe Conte, as the country's new prime minister. Conte is not an MP and is unknown in politics, but has served as a 5-Star Movement adviser. The two parties need to reach an agreement on their prime ministerial candidate with Italy's president Sergio Mattarella before seeking approval from parliament for their coalition government.

Transport is one of the EU’s few sectors where emissions are actually growing. Brussels believes that electric vehicle uptake is one of the main solutions to halt this trend but what steps are being taken to decarbonise our roads?

EU ministers today (22 May) will refine a last-ditch bid to persuade US President Donald Trump to back off stiff tariffs on metals imports from Europe and win the bloc a similar break as handed China.

Six beneficiaries of a €35m defence research grant were also part of the EU expert group that called for more public money in for the military. 'This raises serious concerns about a conflict of interests,' says campaigner Bram Vranken.

All eyes are on Italy as the far-right League and rebellious Five Star Movement close in on power, ringing alarm bells in Brussels as the country inches towards becoming the first EU founding member to have a euro-sceptic government.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday (20 May) addressed thousands of expatriate Turks in Sarajevo at his only election rally outside Turkey after other European countries banned such events.

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev used the first day of an official trip to Moscow on Monday (21 May) to try and resurrect plans for a pipeline that would bring gas directly from Russia to Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, after it was cancelled in 2014.