European Union

European Election: Key quotes from across the EU

Gains by the far-right in voting for the European Parliament on Sunday prompted a bruised French President Emmanuel Macron to call a snap national election and added uncertainty to Europe's…

Read More Here

Far-right advances in EU election

Gains by the far-right in voting for the European Parliament on Sunday prompted a bruised French President Emmanuel Macron to call a snap national election and added uncertainty to Europe's…

Read More Here

Election 2024: Seat projection for new European Parliament

Projection for the composition of the new Parliament based on provisional results in 23 countries and estimates and pre-electoral data for the remaining four (as of 00.17). The above projection…

Read More Here

European election 2024: How it works and who can vote?

Around 373 million citizens across the 27 member states of the European Union are eligible to vote on June 6-9 in elections to the European Parliament. Here is all you…

Read More Here

European election 2024: What are the political groups?

Voters in the 27 countries of the European Union will elect 720 lawmakers to the European Parliament for the next five years between June 6-9 and are expected to deliver…

Read More Here

Earth Records Hottest May On Record

May 2024 was the warmest May on record, marking the 12th consecutive month in which the global average temperature reached a record value for the corresponding month, according to data…

Read More Here

Netherlands to kick off four days of EU elections across 27 nations

The Netherlands is the only EU country to start its polling so early, followed by Ireland on Friday. The rest of the EU nations hold their elections over the weekend,…

Read More Here

EU struggles to counter Russian election disinformation

The European Union's disinformation-busting team last month debunked a Russian-language video on YouTube that said citizens were fleeing dictatorship in EU member Poland and seeking refuge in Belarus, a close…

Read More Here

Estonians cast first votes in European Parliament election

The first votes have been cast in the European Parliament election. The official election dates are June 6 to 9, with most countries going to the polls on Sunday (June…

Read More Here

Vatican to EU election voters: don’t dehumanise migrants

The Vatican's point man on migration and social justice on Monday urged EU citizens who might be tempted to vote for far-right parties in this week's European Parliament elections to…

Read More Here

Tighter ECB policy could push up bad debt levels – de Guindos

FRANKFURT, May 14 (Reuters) - European Central Bank interest rate hikes are in their final stretch, ECB Vice President Luis de Guindos told an Italian newspaper, while warning that higher…

Read More Here

Von der Leyen’s State of the Union speech expected to focus on energy, war in Ukraine

The European Parliament returns to Strasbourg with a packed plenary agenda next week, dominated by energy issues as Governments seek to find solutions to the spiraling costs which are heavily…

Read More Here

EU closes loophole allowing multimillion-euro arms sales to Russia

The European Union has closed a loophole that allowed EU governments to export weapons worth tens of millions of euros to Russia last year alone despite an embargo which took effect in 2014…

Read More Here

EP calls for embargo of Russian oil and gas

The European Parliament has called for an immediate full embargo on Russian imports of oil, coal, nuclear fuel and gas. In a resolution adopted this morning in Strasbourg, MEPs called…

Read More Here

EU to propose new sweeping sanctions against Russia worth billions of euros

The European Commission is to propose on Tuesday to EU nations new sweeping sanctions against Russia, which include a ban on imports of coal, rubber, chemicals and other products from…

Read More Here

EP agrees new rules of supervision of cryptocurrencies

MEPs agreed on draft rules on supervision, consumer protection and environmental sustainability of crypto-assets, including cryptocurrencies such as bitcoins. Tthe Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee adopted, with 31 votes to…

Read More Here

MEPs call for a ban on ‘golden passports’ and EU rules for ‘golden visas’

The draft legislative initiative report sets out an array of measures to address problems linked to ‘citizenship and residence by investment schemes’. The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home…

Read More Here

Large majority of Maltese want stronger role for European Parliament

A large majority of Maltese would like to see the European Parliament taking a stronger role in the future. Data by the latest Eurobarometer survey published today, has shown that…

Read More Here

Fossil fuel subsidies to face tighter EU scrutiny

The European Commission wants to increase scrutiny of whether countries are phasing out fossil fuel subsidies fast enough to meet climate goals, under EU rules due this year. EU countries spent 56 billion euros on fossil fuel subsidies in 2019, with 15 states spending more…

Read More Here

EP Socialists want to question Metsola, say some of her view points are unacceptable

The Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament will organise a hearing in the second week of January to question Roberta Metsola MEP, a candidate to chair the European Parliament…

Read More Here

Malta lags behind in R&D as only Romania fares worse in EU scoreboard

In 2020, the Member States of the EU spent around €311 billion on research & development (R&D). This is a decrease of €1 billion compared with 2019 (€312 billion). The…

Read More Here

Metsola formally submits nomination as EPP Group candidate for EP Presidency

PN MEP and European Parliament Vice President Roberta Metsola has submitted her nomination to become the centre-right EPP's candidate for the European Parliament Presidency. The Nationalist MEP is one of…

Read More Here

Maltese women’s take-up of mammograms falls short of EU average

Just over 60% of Maltese women aged between 50 and 69 years said they had received a mammogram (breast examination by X-ray) within the previous two years, according to the…

Read More Here

EU ‘will start collapsing’ unless it takes on Polish challenge – official

The European Union "will start collapsing" unless it challenges a ruling by Poland's top court that national legislation trumps European laws, a senior official with the bloc said on Monday. Poland's constitutional tribunal…

Read More Here

EU must do more on tax havens, says Von der Leyen, as MEPs pile pressure on blacklisting

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the Pandora Papers revelations are embarrassing for leaders who have pushed austerity. Speaking in Helsinki, she insisted that the European Union…

Read More Here

Europe next to suffer from CO2 shortage, industry chiefs warn

Carbon dioxide shortages could spread across Europe, business leaders have warned, striking a new blow to the Continent’s economic recovery from the pandemic. Soaring natural gas prices have forced fertiliser…

Read More Here

Supply fears lead EU vaccine industry to seek home comforts

European companies playing key supporting roles in COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing are working to move production and supply chains closer to their customers to guard against trade restrictions that have interrupted…

Read More Here

SOTEU Speech: MEPs join Von der Leyen in calls for a stronger EU voice in trade, economy and defence

Thank you for following this live blog. The President put the focus of her speech on Europe’s recovery from the coronavirus crisis and on what the European Union needs to…

Read More Here

12 EU countries to have recovery plans approved today

European finance ministers are set to adopt the recovery plans of 12 EU states on Tuesday, including those of Italy, Spain and France, paving the way for the first disbursements…

Read More Here

Delta variant to represent 90% of infections in EU by September, says EU disease agency

The European centre for disease control her warned that by the end of August the Delta strain will represent 90% of all SARS-CoV-2 viruses circulating in the EU, and that…

Read More Here

Top EU lawyer says Poland is pressuring lawyers illegally

Polish government pressure on lawyers is incompatible with EU law, an adviser to the European Union’s top court said in an opinion that follows earlier condemnation of Warsaw by the…

Read More Here

Google loosens its search engine grip on Android devices in Europe

Google has bowed to pressure from rivals and will let them compete for free to be the default search engines on Android devices in Europe, widening a pledge to EU…

Read More Here

Amazon wins court fight against $303 million EU tax order

Amazon on Thursday won its fight against an EU order to pay about 250 million euros ($303 million) in back taxes to Luxembourg as Europe's second highest court dealt a blow…

Read More Here

EU countries want emissons target to remain linked to wealth

European Union countries will ask the European Commission to keep national emissions targets linked to their levels of wealth as it crafts plans to overhaul EU climate policies, according to a draft document. The…

Read More Here

AstraZeneca reaches vaccine shipping milestone as EU sues again

AstraZeneca Plc has delivered 50 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to European Union countries, according to EU supply data, a milestone the company had originally been expected to hit in January. The…

Read More Here

EU negotiator Barnier spills Brexit secrets in new book

The EU's pointman on Brexit, Michel Barnier, releases a book Thursday recounting the insider track on Britain's acrimonious departure and teasing his ambition to become France's next president. Written with…

Read More Here

At least 12 EU countries confident of July vaccine target -EU’s Breton

At least 12 of the European Union's 27 member states have said they are confident of being able to vaccinate 70% of their adult population by mid-July, the EU executive's vaccine task…

Read More Here

European countries may have to mix COVID-19 shots amid AstraZeneca crisis

Several European countries are considering mixing up COVID-19 vaccines for citizens who received a first dose of AstraZeneca’s shot, an unprecedented move that highlights challenges for governments struggling to tame…

Read More Here

EU Council adopts new rules to strengthen administrative cooperation and include sales through digital platforms

The EU Council has adopted new rules to improve administrative cooperation in the field of taxation and address the challenges posed by the digital platform economy. A large and growing…

Read More Here

EU sets research and innovation priorities for a sustainable future

The European Commission has adopted the first strategic plan for Horizon Europe, the new EU research and innovation programme worth €95.5 billion in current prices. The strategic plan is a novelty…

Read More Here

AstraZeneca further cuts target for supply to EU in first quarter to 30 million vaccines: document

AstraZeneca cut its supply forecast of COVID-19 vaccine to the European Union in the first quarter to about 30 million doses, a third of its contractual obligations and a 25%…

Read More Here

Malta has lowest share of female Ministers, MPs

Malta ranked last in the European Union with regard to the share of female participation in the country's decision-making institution, with the lowest shares for both Cabinet and House representation.…

Read More Here

Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine developers question neutrality of EU regulator, want apology

The developers of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 on Tuesday questioned the neutrality of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) after an EMA official urged EU members to refrain from approving the…

Read More Here

16 EU countries, including Malta opt against ordering more Moderna vaccines

Malta has opted against topping up its orders for more Moderna vaccines, according to documents revealed by the Hungarian Government. The documents were released as the Hungarian Government sought to…

Read More Here

Euro zone in double-dip recession but optimism soared in Feb -PMI

The euro zone economy is almost certainly in a double-dip recession as pandemic-linked lockdowns continue to hammer the services industry, a survey showed on Wednesday, but hopes for a wider…

Read More Here

Gorbachev tells EU and Russia to ‘not be afraid of negotiations’

Moscow (dpa) - Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has expressed hope for an improvement in relations between Russia and the European Union, Russia's Interfax news agency reported on Saturday. Ties between the powers…

Read More Here

Four in five Oxford Covid jabs delivered to EU not yet used

Four out of five of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine doses delivered to EU countries are yet to be used, a Guardian investigation has found, as Angela Merkel admitted to an “acceptance…

Read More Here

ECB wants veto power on stablecoins in the euro zone

The European Central Bank wants veto power on the launch of stablecoins such as Facebook's Diem in the euro zone and a greater role in their supervision, it has told European Union lawmakers. Central…

Read More Here

EU to set up new European Partnerships and invest nearly €10 billion for the green and digital transition

The Commission proposed today to set up 10 new European Partnerships between the European Union, Member States and/or the industry. The goal is to speed up the transition towards a green, climate…

Read More Here

EU may impose more sanctions on Belarus, says Polish foreign minister

The European Union may impose further sanctions on Belarus after Minsk jailed two journalists for filming protests, Poland's state news agency PAP quoted Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau as saying…

Read More Here

Epic Games takes Apple fight to EU antitrust regulators

Fortnite creator Epic Games has taken its fight against Apple to European Union antitrust regulators after failing to make headway in a U.S. court in a dispute over the iPhone…

Read More Here

EU Agenda

16 February - Frans Timmermans holds a videoconference call with Mr Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Mr Josep Borrell participates via videoconference in the meeting…

Read More Here

EU to launch study programme for COVID-19 variants: von der Leyen

The European Union will this week kick off a new programme to study mutations in the COVID-19 virus, in a bid to prepare for the next generation of vaccines that…

Read More Here

MEPs call for tighter EU consumption and recycling rules

The European Parliament adopted comprehensive policy recommendations to achieve a carbon-neutral, sustainable, toxic-free and fully circular economy by 2050 at the latest. The report, adopted today with 574 votes in…

Read More Here

EU awaits U.S. trade chief for real tariff talks to start

The European Union has had positive, early contact with the Biden administration on trade, but will need to wait for a new U.S. trade representative to be in place for…

Read More Here

Four EU states urge EU to safeguard Johnson & Johnson vaccine supply

The leaders of Denmark, Austria, the Czech Republic and Greece have urged the European Commission to act quickly to secure supplies of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by U.S. drugmaker Johnson…

Read More Here

EU’s von der Leyen defends vaccine strategy

EU chief executive Ursula von der Leyen vigorously defended the European Commission's record on vaccines on Tuesday and described a proposal that would have set up border checks on the island of Ireland as the…

Read More Here