Euractiv.com

Clouds are gathering over Europe - from a war of attrition in its backyard to the rising prices and energy shortages unseen in decades - and the continent is bracing for a long, hard winter.

After a slow year, the EU's free trade agenda is picking up speed under the Czech EU Council presidency. Nevertheless, more momentum still seems to be on the unilateral trade measures currently being negotiated in the bloc.

Pilots at German flagship carrier Lufthansa voted on Sunday (31 July) by a margin of 97.6% in favour of industrial action, threatening further disruption during the busy summer travel season.

The leaders of the European Parliament's main parties on Saturday (30 July) condemned Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for "openly racist" comments he made about racial mixing.

Ukraine's president urged civilians on 30 July to evacuate the Donetsk region, scene of fierce clashes with the Russian military, as Kyiv called on the Red Cross and UN to gain access to its soldiers being held by Moscow's forces.

The Ukrainian military said on 30 July it had killed scores of Russian soldiers and destroyed two ammunition dumps in fighting in the Kherson region, the focus of Kyiv's counter-offensive in the south.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on 29 July held a telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and pressed the Kremlin to accept the US proposal to secure the release of two Americans detained in Russia.

High temperatures across Europe this month have unleashed a prolonged marine heatwave in the Mediterranean Sea that could ravage ecosystems and kill off several species in the coming weeks, scientists have warned.

What is the EU's minimum wage directive about? Our economy editor János Allenbach-Ammann explains how the directive aims to increase minimum wages and collective bargaining across the EU.

In most years, once we hit August, government and politics get put on hold for a month. Not so in 2022, as Ukraine remains under concerted Russian attack with no end in sight. In the meantime, a diplomatic battle is actively being waged.  

While co-decision mechanisms in Ukrainian municipalities have been suspended due to the war, participatory tools could still help support and integrate Ukrainian displaced people, according to experts.

A Spanish prosecutor is seeking a prison term of eight years for Colombian superstar Shakira over a 14.5 million-euro tax fraud case, a prosecutor's office document showed on Friday (29 July).

German federal and state agriculture ministers have likely cleared the way for the implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) at country-level, but remain divided on easing environmental requirements.

Dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war appeared to have been killed in a missile strike on Friday (29 July), with Moscow and Kyiv accusing each other of carrying out the attack.

As the Russian invasion in Ukraine drags on and the economic outlook for Ukraine worsens, the financial needs of the Ukrainian state become more acute.

Left-wing MPs and Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire came to heated debate in the French National Assembly over a reduction in nuclear power production during the vote on the rectifying finance bill.

A cybersecurity agenda, a start-up strategy, and the presentation of a future digital strategy could give the impression that Germany is taking leaps on digital issues but critics point to a serious lack of coordination between several involved ministries.

This year is expected to bring a major agricultural milestone for the next round of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP): the adoption of the first CAP national strategic plans. Through these plans, member states will set out an individualised action...

France has been paying Monaco some €100 million per year in VAT rebates since 1963 despite being a known tax haven, the world's second-richest country in GDP per capita, and one in three residents being millionaires.

Russia has tasked mercenaries to hold sections of the frontline in Ukraine in a sign it is running short of combat infantry, Britain's Ministry of Defence said on Friday (29 July), as Kyiv steps up a counter-offensive in the south.