European Union

Conditions on the Dutch flagged Sea-Watch 3, an NGO boat with 32 rescued migrants onboard, continue to deteriorate - as EU states refuse to take them in. The youngest on board is a one-year old infant.

Just four months before the European Parliament elections, a Kantar Gallup poll published by Berlingske Tidende shows historic high Danish support for EU membership, with 66 percent wanting to remain compared to 54 percent before the Brexit referendum. While almost one-in-three (29 percent) wanted to leave the bloc in 2016 it is now only one-in-five (22 percent) who want Denmark out of the EU.

Hackers have posted online personal data from hundreds of German politicians, from MPs to MEPS, including credit card details, holiday pictures and mobile phone numbers, German media reported Friday. The data, published on a Twitter account, included addresses, chats between family members and copies of ID cards. All major German parties except for the far-right AfD are affected. The identity of the hackers were not known.

The EU should be "completely changed" by 2024 or Germany should consider leaving the bloc, the far-right Alternative for Germany's program for the European election sets out, Die Welt reported. It calls for the European Parliament to be reduced to 100 delegates, elected by national parliaments, scrapping European elections, and reintroducing national currencies. The AfD also wants to join parties in defending Europe from what they see as "Islamisation".

The mayors of three large Italian cities are refusing to obey a controversial anti-immigration law penned by far-right deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, condemning it as unconstitutional.

A leader of the 'Yellow Vest' movement was detained by police in Paris Wednesday, signalling a harder line from France's president Emmanuel Macron but sparking a wave of criticism. Eric Drouet, who already faces trial for carrying a wooden stick at a protest, was arrested for organising an unauthorised protest. He was released on Thursday. Economy minister Bruno Le Maire defended the arrest, saying rule of law must be respected.

Spain's far-right Vox party said it would pull its support for a People's Party (PP) and Ciudadanos coalition government in Andalusia, unless the parties agree to overturn domestic violence legislation which Vox said was pushed by "radical feminist associations", Euronews reported. A party spokesperson tweeted that Vox also wanted to cut grants to groups that support victims of domestic violence. Cuidadanos said it would continue to fight gender-based violence.

Almost 1,000 police officers from England and Scotland will be trained to deal with possible disorder in Northern Ireland in case a Brexit withdrawal agreement is not approved by the UK parliament and a hard border installed on the island of Ireland, the Guardian reported. British PM Theresa May has failed to win over the Democratic Unionist Party to back the deal, ahead of a crucial parliament vote in mid-January.

British university leaders warned on Friday (4 January) that leaving the EU without an official deal would be “one of the biggest threats our universities have ever faced.”

2019 is likely to prove the dawn of a 'Techno-ethics' in which consumers will expect their rights to be respected in the digital realm as they are in everyday life and legislators will oblige tech giants to play by the same rules as the wider industry.

The EU must address China’s growing ‘techno-authoritarian’ ambitions now, writes Bart Broer.

The European Commission expects Poland to submit its new law cutting tax on electricity for scrutiny to see if it complies with EU laws prohibiting illegal state aid to companies, a Commission spokeswoman said on Thursday (3 January).

Ireland will seek hundreds of millions of euros in aid from Brussels if Britain crashes out of the EU without a deal, the agriculture minister was quoted Thursday (3 January) as saying.

The number of migrants who died or went missing attempting to cross the Mediterranean fell by more than a quarter in 2018 compared to 2,262 in the previous year, the UN refugee agency said on Thursday (3 January).

Romania's EU Council presidency remains controversial. Bucharest has been under fire for months over its legal reforms, which are also heavily criticised within the country. Commission President Juncker also recently voiced doubts about Romania in an interview. Some commentators agree, others say the country shouldn't be prejudged.