Euractiv.com

The European Union and South America's Mercosur bloc begin a fresh round of trade talks this week with renewed optimism that negotiators may be nearing an accord after almost two decades of talks.

Denmark and Russia had a diplomatic clash earlier this year over a report by the Russian public TV channel, NTV. EURACTIV.com looks into the issue as part of the “Fact or Fake” series, in partnership with France 24.

Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orbán produced a video message on Saturday (2 June) supporting the efforts of Macedonia’s main opposition party to block a solution to the long-standing name dispute with Greece. He praised its refusal to bend "under pressure from foreign powers".

Europe's underdeveloped power grid infrastructure means that a surplus of electricity cannot be traded across borders, wasting renewable energy in countries that produce more than they consume, write Jo Leinen and Werner Langen.

The European Commission presented its proposal for revised fishing rules last week (30 May). But while the proposals have good intentions, they provide no real guarantees of efficiency. EURACTIV’s partner Le Journal de l’Environnement reports.

Italy's new anti-establishment government will change the labour reform introduced by the previous administration, Labour and Industry Minister Luigi di Maio said.

The EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is good news for consumers. But its promise will only materialise if industry changes its mindset about data protection and if the law is supported by a strong compliance and enforcement culture, writes Ursula Pachl.

The EU's Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström warned at a press conference on Friday (1 June) that "the US is playing a dangerous game" and announced measures the EU will launch in "a matter of weeks" against US trade restrictions on steel and aluminium. But she admitted it was a "very difficult, dangerous situation".

Europeans, especially Spaniards and Italians, must be wrapping up this working week with a sense of dizziness.

Brexit Secretary David Davis is drawing up plans for a 10-mile area around the 310-mile border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, in the UK government’s latest bid to square the circle on its future customs relations with the EU and avoid a ‘hard border’.

The European Commission unveiled on Friday (1 June) its plans for the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy, triggering a strong reaction from EU farmers and the environmental community for cutting the budget, giving member states too much leeway and fudging environmental and climate issues.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, plagued by corruption scandals, lost a confidence vote in the Spanish parliament on Friday (1 June) and will be replaced by opposition leader Pedro Sánchez, a socialist who vowed to call elections soon.

The European Parliament calls for the accession of Romania, Croatia and Bulgaria to the passport-free Schengen area, which has suffered setbacks with the reintroduction of internal border checks since 2015. EURACTIV.fr reports.

The EU and China said on Friday (1 June) they would expand trade and investment cooperation amid the global trade dispute triggered by US tariffs. But as part of the efforts to address outstanding trade disputes, Europe will present a complaint before the World Trade Organisation against China’s intellectual property practices.

Romania’s security forces have mounted a series of raids to break up an alleged €25m illegal logging ring, in what is believed to be the largest operation of its kind yet seen in Europe. EURACTIV's partner The Guardian reports.

While Berlin has postponed for a third time the launch of the highly anticipated coal commission, a leaked document obtained by EURACTIV.com shows that the roadmap focuses more on the restructuring coal-dependent German regions than on reducing CO2.

It was another exciting week in Strasbourg. Not only did MEPs from across the political spectrum race to show righteous anger at Donald Trump, the president of new protectionism, but they saw the fall (and rise) of two EU governments in the space of a few days.

At the latest Education, Youth, Culture and Sports Council meeting, a number of European sports ministers expressed concern over the impact of commercial trends in elite sports on the integrity of the European sports model, based on solidarity. Kamil Novak explains what role the EU should play

A spike in unemployment numbers would give EU countries access to €30 billion of soft loans to maintain investment in times of economic turbulences, according to proposals unveiled by the European Commission on Thursday (31 May).

Emmanuel Macron told Donald Trump late Thursday that tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from the European Union were "illegal" and that the EU would respond in a "firm and proportionate manner", the Elysée Palace said.