European Union

Nationalism and a winner-take-all attitude are undermining the cohesion of Europe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday, two days after US President Donald Trump rejected globalism and touted 'America First' in a United Nations speech.

The Kremlin on Thursday (27 September) cast doubt on photographs that appeared to show a suspect in the Skripal poisoning case was a Russian intelligence officer, saying that "many people look alike."

Romania's constitutional court ruled Thursday (27 September) that gay couples should have the same family rights as heterosexuals, a judgment that runs counter to a referendum next month seeking to interdict gay marriage.

The EU energy watchdog urged a Bosnian regional parliament on Thursday (27 September) not to approve a government guarantee for a China Exim Bank loan that is designed to help power utility EPBiH add a new unit at its Tuzla coal-fired power plant.

This week, Jeremy Corbyn comes to town, MEP expenses ruling raises a frown, and MP lemon tweet is totally shot down.

The leader of Britain's main opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, said he had told the EU's Brexit chief Michel Barnier in talks on Thursday (27 September) that Britain's withdrawal must not disrupt trade across the Ireland-Northern Ireland border.

Former Eurogroup president and Dutch Finance minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem has ruled out a return to politics as a member of the progressive platform set up by French President Emmanuel Macron, although he supports the movement.

New EU rules on buildings and energy efficiency standards, adopted earlier this year, are “tough but fair” and will need to be implemented and enforced correctly, according to the architects of the legislation.

Italy's government on Thursday (27 September) targeted the budget deficit at 2.4% of gross domestic product for the next three years, defying Brussels and marking a victory for party chiefs over economy minister Giovanni Tria, an unaffiliated technocrat.

The Italian state broadcaster, Rai, has appointed a Eurosceptic journalist with a history of publicising fake news as its new president.

This week in Geneva, the Human Rights Council is expected to take a position on the follow-up to a draft Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other Persons Working in Rural Areas. Five years after the start of the negotiations, we are at a turning point, argues a group of European academics.

European businesses are rightfully concerned about keeping control of their data in the cloud. The proposed European regulation on access to electronic evidence by law enforcement (e-Evidence regulation) is an important step in the right direction, writes Kim Gagné.  

Addressing the UN General Assembly on behalf of the European Union, President Tusk supported multilateral action in a number of areas: trade, security, climate change and human rights.

A group of 19 countries officially launched the Carbon Neutrality Coalition in New York on Thursday (27 September), just weeks before the European Commission is expected to publish a document outlining policy scenarios to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.

The UK's opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn met with Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier on Thursday in Brussels but insisted he was "not negotiating" on any future possible Brexit deal. "We are obviously not negotiating, we are not in government" he told reporters, stressing Labour would vote in parliament against any deal with Brussels obtained by prime minister Theresa May if it did not meet Labour's 'six tests'.

Written by Tarja Laaninen,

© Sergey Ryzhov / Fotolia

Eight EU Member States have launched, or are about to launch, national mandatory labelling schemes for certain food products, mainly for milk and milk used in dairy products, but also meat used in processed foods.

The regulatory basis for these national measures is the Regulation on the provision of food information to consumers, which allows Member States to adopt additional national measures concerning the mandatory labelling of foodstuffs, as long as these are justified by reasons specifically defined in the regulation.

The European Parliament has been supporting origin labelling in several resolutions. Consumer organisations have advocated it as well, while many industry stakeholders have highlighted the practical difficulties and costs it would bring. The European Commission has reiterated its position, based on its reports exploring the issue, that voluntary origin labelling is the best option at European level.

Read the complete briefing on ‘Mandatory origin-labelling schemes in Member States‘ on the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

With their populations set to double by 2050, the Sahel countries – Niger, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina-Faso and Chad – have to develop their agricultural productivity to feed their populations. EURACTIV France reports.

Healthy, active lifestyles and good dietary habits start in childhood. Schools have an important role to play in influencing young people and guiding them to adopt behaviours that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

Talks on the successor to the Cotonou Agreement between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) community will start in earnest on Friday (28 September). Cotonou, it is fair to say, is not well-loved, particularly in Africa and Europe, the two main blocs.

The on-going transformation of the EU power industry is leading policymakers to re-evaluate the current design of electricity markets. Electricity generated from renewable sources has become one of the most important sources of electricity, paving the way for a transition towards a low-carbon energy system.