Euractiv.com

“Hundreds” of Russian and Chinese spies have been planted in and around Brussels’ EU quarter, according to EU diplomats at the European External Action Service (EEAS).

Europe’s economic strategy should focus on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and Cohesion policy is key in getting there, socialist groups in the European Parliament and in the Committee of the Regions said in an appeal launched on Thursday (7 February).

Britain and Switzerland will sign an agreement on Monday (11 February) to continue trading on preferential terms after Brexit, the British trade department said, protecting a trade relationship worth 32 billion pounds (€36.5 billion).

Fully automated driving may be years away, but a new EU law being debated by legislators would mandate some semi-autonomous features in new cars, such as intelligent speed assistance. And the auto industry is worried about driver backlash.

Europe’s liberal party welcomed new members to its ranks on Saturday (9 February) as battle lines begin to be drawn ahead of May’s European elections. But a debate on potentially expelling a member party continues.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has rejected the idea of targeting a customs union with the European Union, pouring cold water on hopes from some that she could shift her Brexit policy to win over the opposition Labour Party.

Britain should be ready to use military force to support its global interests after Brexit, defence minister Gavin Williamson will say on Monday (11 February), adding that the boundaries between peace and war are becoming blurred.

EU member states will have to deal with the generational renewal of the EU farming sector “whether they like it or not,” young farmers say. And to do so, they first need to support a strong budget for the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), they argue.

Italy's populist leaders on Saturday (9 February) promised to replace top officials at the country's central bank, who they said must pay for failing to prevent a spate of banking scandals in which thousands lost their savings.

The EU farming sector is faced with an ageing population. In 2016 only 11% of farm managers in the EU were young farmers under the age of 40 years, according to Eurostat.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán launched his European elections campaign Sunday (10 February) calling for voters to defend "Christian" nations against immigration, which he said led to the "virus of terrorism".

When Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visits Hungary, Slovakia and Poland this week he wants to make up for a lack of US engagement that opened the door to more Chinese and Russian influence in central Europe, administration officials say.

Kosovo's leaders have got themselves in a serious political crisis. They need to re-set the clock and the agenda of talks with Serbia, write Leke Batalli and Perparim Kryeziu.

The Commission is a good example of transparency for other institutions, such as the Parliament and the Council, Frans Timmermans writes.

Despite being one of the most beautiful countries in the European Union, despite having talented and educated people, despite a favourable tax environment, Bulgaria is likely to stay as the poorest in the EU, and to continue losing its population, writes Blaga Thavard.

The EU needs to adapt its approach vis-à-vis the different partner countries in the Mediterranean, and pay more attention to his country, which he described as a “success story”, a Tunisian politician visiting Brussels told EURACTIV.

The European Union’s effort to rewrite two-decade old copyright rules to take into account online platforms such as Alphabet Inc’s Google moved a step forward on Friday (8 February) when a majority of member countries agreed on a common position for talks with lawmakers next week.

Almost as wearisome as the endless, and largely futile, trips by Theresa May and her minions to Brussels is the jumble of obscure, and sometimes, misleading jargon used to describe the Brexit process.

It’s getting increasingly clearer in the circles of Brussels that Manfred Weber is a pre-election “front man” Spitzenkandidat of the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), Syriza MEP and Vice-President of the EU Parliament Dimitris Papadimoulis said.  

Technological advances, in connectivity and automation, create new opportunities to eliminate or compensate for human error. Automated driving holds great potential to further improve road safety in the near future.