European Union

EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager has blocked a merger between the train divisions of Siemens and Alstom. The producers of the ICE and TGV wanted to join forces to compete against their Chinese rivals and had the backing of the governments in Paris and Berlin. Are the Brussels competition watchdogs making the right decision?

The new European Chief Prosecutor is to take office in 2020. The leading candidate for the post is the former chief prosecutor of Romania's anti-corruption agency (DNA), Laura Codruța Kövesi. But Romania's justice minister apparently wants to prevent her appointment and has said he will inform his European colleagues about alleged abuses committed by Cövesi. In Romania this personal affair has taken on major dimensions for the government and for the people.

Russia's Ministry of Education has taken an economics textbook that has been used in upper secondary education for more than 20 years off its list of recommended books. The author was requested to make his book more patriotic: criticism of government decisions was inappropriate and the current economic policy was to be commended, he was told. Commentators say the state is interfering in matters that don't concern it.

400 agriculture-related EU stakeholders, convened by the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food), has mapped out a new governance architecture for food systems in a bid to create sustainable food systems under a ‘Common Food Policy’.

The European Commission received more than 500 contributions to a public consultation on draft ethical guidelines for the production of artificial intelligence, a spokesman told EUobserver. Most of the contributors responded in the name of a company or organisations. Some 52 of those that gave feedback were academics. The commission had extended the deadline by two weeks and the final document is expected by March.

Bogatu
Social security for migrant workers
Under EU law it is not necessary that a person pursue an activity as an employed person in a Member State in order to be entitled to family benefits in respect of his children living in another Member State

In late January, the EU Commissioner for Climate Action Miguel Arias Cañete delivered a speech as part of a Post-COP24 High Level Debate, in which he drew attention to the bloc’s 2030 climate and energy goals and the EU's role in the global fight against climate change.

British Labour party opposition leader, Jeremy Corbyn, in a letter to prime minister Theresa May has asked for five legally-binding commitments from the UK government in return for Labour's support for the Brexit deal. The demands include joining a customs union, close alignment to the single market, participation in EU agencies and access to the European Arrest Warrant and vital shared databases.

Macedonia is on its way to join Nato next year - despite a Russian push-back in the Western Balkans and beyond.

Cooperation between EU institutions and regional and local authorities is key to fight Euroscepticism, Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă said on Wednesday (6 February) while addressing the European Committee of the Regions. 

The rift between Italy and France appears to be widening after a meeting held between 'yellow vest' leadership and Italy's deputy prime minister Luigi Di Maio.