Euractiv.com

A coalition of 11 EU countries has proposed to scrap national targets in the EU's proposal to halve the use and risk of pesticides by 2030, which could now work its way into the Council’s official position as part of inter-institutional talks. 

The EU’s cohesion policy accounts for the biggest chunk of its budget, yet it is distributed through back-door negotiations, far away from public attention. For transparency's sake, this needs to change – especially as new, less-developed countries will still join the bloc.

The 13th of October is the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, a day meant to promote a global culture of risk-awareness and disaster reduction. It is of critical importance as climate change-induced disasters are increasing.

Europe wants to boost the amount of carbon held in its nature, but farmers and foresters also need to make money from processes that help land capture more carbon. Carbon farming is seen as a way to bridge this gap,...

The European Parliament voted in plenary in favour of a negotiating mandate for a new Strategic Technologies in Europe Platform (STEP) on Tuesday (17 October) but lawmakers warned this must only be a first step towards a full-fledged sovereignty fund.

China's President Xi Jinping on Tuesday (17 October) met Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić in Beijing, calling the country an "ironclad friend" and urging stronger strategic coordination between them.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his closest ally among European Union leaders, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, on Tuesday (17 October) reaffirmed their commitment to bilateral ties amid international tensions over the war in Ukraine.

The most sought-after and missing drugs in the Bulgarian pharmacy network are those related to diabetes, which forced the authorities in Sofia to tighten control by introducing a mandatory electronic doctor's prescription starting on 16 October.

E-Fuels are a crucial technology to decarbonise transport. Unfortunately, they are being dragged into a lobby fight and misused as an argument to save the combustion engine.

The EU is holding its first-ever live military exercises (LIVEX) from the Rota naval base in Southern Spain this week, in what is also a test case for the bloc's recently established crisis response force.

The likelihood of a new pro-European government in Warsaw has brightened the prospects for the twin project of EU enlargement and reform, one of the experts behind the recent Franco-German enlargement report said, but warned change may still be a long way off.

Czechia is trying to secure innovative medicines for its patients by betting on cooperation with other countries through joint negotiations with manufacturers as the EU’s pharmaceutical package aiming to address the issue is still a long way off. 

Little by little, the Council, as the representative of the Member States, is abandoning the need for consensus to determine the EU's position in international organizations and, above all, abandoning the need to validate by decision the changes made "on the spot" by the Commission. If the urgency of crises justifies adjustments, they must remain exceptional.

EU countries on Monday (16 October) adopted a common stance for the United Nations' COP28 international climate conference, but had to agree softer language on the EU’s emissions reduction target and fossil fuel exit goal in order to reach a unanimous decision.

Belgian police on Tuesday (17 October) shot and wounded a 45-year-old Tunisian who killed two Swedish citizens in Brussels on Monday. RTBF later announced that he died from his wounds.  

A stand-off between France and Germany over the future competitiveness of their industries will be the central point of discussion when EU energy ministers meet in Luxembourg on Tuesday (17 October), EU diplomats said.

In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about Austria rejecting a new compromise on EU debt reform, Sumar presenting Palestine recognition as a condition to join the future Sánchez government, and so much more.

The Belgian federal prosecutor investigating the terrorist shooting on Monday (16 October) called on Brussels' residents to stay indoors until the threat was over, while France tightened its border with Belgium.

EU countries reached a common negotiating position on draft rules to reduce the carbon footprint of heavy-duty vehicles on Monday (16 October), following a long evening of contentious discussions.

After a week of confusing and contradictory messaging about the bloc’s position on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, EU leaders on Tuesday (17 October) are expected to rally around a clear stance. Tuesday’s virtual summit of EU leaders, taking place at...