European Union

Malta's PM already enjoys the kind of one-man rule Hungary and Poland are trying to build, but can the EU afford another political confrontation in sensitive times?

Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election on social media was more widespread than previously thought and included attempts to divide Americans by race and extreme ideology, said reports by private experts released on Monday (17 December) by US senators from both parties.

For the European People's Party, it is clear that we must stand by our principles and defend the rule of law, Manfred Weber, the head of the EPP group in the European Parliament, told EURACTIV Poland, insisting that the EPP is not turning a blind eye on Hungary's Viktor Orban.

Last spring marked 40 years since Czechoslovakian astronaut Vladimir Remek's flight to space and this year marks another anniversary. In November, the Czech Republic celebrated ten years since joining the European Space Agency (ESA). EURACTIV Czech Republic's media partner Aktuálně.cz reports.

Twitter shares fell almost 7 percent on Monday after the company said it was investigating unusual traffic that might be from state-sponsored hackers and, in what appeared to be an unrelated issue, a security firm said hackers used the platform to try to steal user data.

Unprecedented protests against Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban's "illiberal" style mark a rare united front of opposition parties, amid new violence against opposition MPs.

Stakeholders gather today to exchange on the future use of Level(s), a European voluntary reporting framework to improve the sustainability of buildings.  Level(s) could be the basis for a future European construction-sector policy, where energy regulations could be extended to cover other environmental and social criteria.

UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn on Monday evening proposed a motion of no confidence in prime minister Theresa May over her handling of Brexit. However, it was not a motion against the government, making the move symbolic rather than a bid for new elections. Smaller opposition parties, including the Scottish National Party, have urged Corbyn to support a full-on motion of no confidence, with Brexit 101 days away.

The EU's Court of Justice confirmed on Monday an earlier order to suspend a Polish law on the retirement age of the country's Supreme Court judges, pending a ruling. Under the bill, Polish judges over 65 were forced to retire unless they received consent from Poland's president. Monday's decision confirmed "the urgency of the interim measures". Also on Monday, Poland's president signed a bill which reinstated those forced-out judges.

France will introduce a new tax on 1 January 2019 which will hit big tech companies Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon, it announced on Monday. The move means that France no longer wants to wait for an EU-wide taxing initiative, which hit a roadblock from four member states earlier this month. Economy minister Bruno Le Maire said the French tax was expected to raise around €500m in 2019.

Negotiators from the European Parliament, national governments, and the European Commission decided on Monday a compromise by which cars should emit 37.5 percent less CO2 in 2030, compared to 2021. Vans should emit 31 percent less. Austrian environment minister Elisabeth Kostinger called it a "great success for climate protection in Europe", but NGO Transport & Environment called the compromise "progress but it's not fast enough to hit our climate goals".

The United States said Monday (17 December) it was no longer seeking to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad but renewed warnings it would not fund reconstruction unless the regime is "fundamentally different."

Poland on Monday (17 December) bowed to a ruling by the EU’s top court ordering it to suspend a law that had lowered the retirement age of its Supreme Court judges amid concerns about judicial independence. The European Court of Justice (ECJ)...

Democratic Republic of Congo goes to the polls this week in elections which could see the country emerge from 17 years of conflict-ridden rule under controversial President Joseph Kabila.

The reduction of gender disparities in the workplace continues to progress slowly, with the current rate suggesting that it would take 202 years to reach economic parity between men and women, according to a study from the World Economic Forum.

Sometimes in chess, a sacrifice brings victory. Theresa May should pay heed to the example of Slovakia's premier, Iveta Radicova, who sacrificed her job in order to get difficult euro bailout legislation through the Bratislava parliament.