European Union

The Democrats are to blame for the shutdown and for illegal immigrants posing a threat to the US - at least that's what Trump's first televised address to the nation would have us believe. The US president once again called on the opposition to release 5.7 billion dollars for the construction of a border wall. The Democrats see the project as a waste of money. For journalists too, Trump is on the wrong track.

Andalusia is to be governed by a centre-right coalition with support from the far right. After its success in the regional elections in December the far-right party Vox has said it is willing to vote in favour of the formation of a governing coalition between the conservative Popular Party and the liberal Ciudadanos party. What consequences will the first pact in Spain with the far right since the Franco dictatorship have?

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras today in Athens. Relations between the two countries have been far from good in recent years, above all due to Germany's insistence on the austerity programme during the euro crisis, which hit the Greeks particularly hard. All water under the bridge now?

A European Court of Justice advocate general, in a non-binding opinion, decided in favour of Google in a case where French data authorities want the internet giant to ensure the 'right to be forgotten' is not geo-blocked. For instance, Google does not apply the 'right to be forgotten' in queries carried out in the United States. The dispute involves politicians, the Church of Scientology, and sexual assaults against minors.

Romania's first presidency of the EU Council kicks off in earnest on Thursday (10 January), with the entire Commission swooping on Bucharest for the traditional opening ceremony. But who are the people behind the presidency and who are the main figures in Bucharest setting the Council's agenda for the next six months?

Google
PDON
Advocate General Szpunar proposes that the Court should limit the scope of the de-referencing that search engine operators are required to carry out to the EU

G.C. and Others
PDON
Advocate General Szpunar proposes that the Court should hold that the operator of a search engine must, as a matter of course, accede to a request for the de-referencing of sensitive data

German chancellor Angela Merkel arrives in Greece on Thursday as Alexis Tsipras' government risks losing its parliamentary majority. His junior coalition parter, led by defence minister Panos Kammenos, threatens to pull support for a name-deal with neighbouring Macedonia which Germany and the EU hoped could foster stability in the Balkan region. On Friday, Merkel meets conservative opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis - who is also opposed to the deal with Macedonia.

Orthodox values, opposition to EU institutions, and friendship with Russia should form the backbone of a new Italian-Polish league, Italy's Matteo Salvini has said.

Following a vote in the UK parliament on Wednesday, UK prime minister Theresa May will be forced to produce a plan B within three days if she does not have her Brexit deal with Brussels accepted by parliament in a vote scheduled for Tuesday 15 January. While the Labour party pushes for a general election, others see an extension to the 29 March Brexit date becoming more likely.