Europe Explained

Mogherini appeals for ceasefire in Libya

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini met on Monday morning in Brussels with Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al Sarraj. In her meeting Mogherini said the European Union expects…

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EU warns Romania it will act ‘without delay’ over ‘major’ rule of law concerns

Politico reports that the European Commission will “trigger the rule of law framework without delay” over “major concerns” about the state of rule of law in Romania, according to a…

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Emergency talks in Brussels about Iranian situation

Foreign ministers from France, Germany and the UK were to meet the EU in Brussels later on Monday to discuss Iran’s recent threat to breach commitments of the 2015 nuclear…

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Corporate Dispatch Europe Explained – The Week Ahead

A quick glance at the main forthcoming events in the European Union including EU Council, Commission and Parliament meetings and other EU-related conferences and events. Events for the week of…

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Analysis – Europe: The Road from Sibiu (FT)

At the end of a day of deliberations among EU leaders in the pittoresque Romanian town of Sibiu, Donald Tusk was clear about one thing: he wants the process of…

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Berlusconi wants EPP to form alliance with far right

Silvio Berlusconi has joined Hungary's Viktor Orban in calling on Europe's conservatives to form an alliance with the far right. Italy's ex-prime minister is running for a seat in this…

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EU leaders not agreeing on process to choose successor to Juncker

European leaders are split over the process for choosing the next president of the European Commission and face stormy negotiations on top jobs after this month’s EU elections. Emmanuel Macron,…

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EU warns Turkey about drilling off the coast of Cyprus

As several leaders voiced support for sanctions against Turkish companies, the European Union has warned Turkey about drilling off the coast of EU-member Cyprus. As tension escalates in the Mediterranean, the EU-27 at the…

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Fears Tories could come sixth in European elections

The Guardian reports that Conservative officials fear the party could come sixth in the upcoming European elections. Sources quoted by the Guardian said that internal data showed the party could…

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EU antitrust fines in the pipeline for seven banks

Reuters reports that Barclays, Citigroup, HSBC, JPMorgan, Royal Bank of Scotland, UBS and a small Japanese bank and three other banks are set to be fined by EU antitrust regulators…

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Malta’s President George Vella joins EU Presidents in joint call on citizens to vote in May elections

Twenty one EU heads of state, including Malta's President George Vella, issued a Joint Call for Europe and appealed on EU citizens to exercise their right to vote at the…

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Germans prefer living in Austria and the UK

The Germany's Federal Statistics Office released its annual report on the number of German citizens living abroad within the EU. According to the new report, almost 200,000 Germans have moved…

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Young people want more EU not less and greater say

According to the TUI Foundation’s European Youth Study climate issues are key among the youths in the European Union, and overall young people prefer more EU than less. Many young…

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Why we must not let Europe break apart – The Guardian

The following is taken from an opinion piece by Timothy Garton Ash and was published on The Guardian: "Set against that historical measuring rod, our Europe has done pretty well:…

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Europe Day – The Schumann Declaration

The Schuman Declaration was presented by French foreign minister Robert Schuman on 9 May 1950. It proposed the creation of a European Coal and Steel Community, whose members would pool…

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EU heads meet in Romania to chart bloc’s next steps

European Union leaders meet in Romania today to try chart a way forward after the historic setback of Brexit and to have their first go at picking people to…

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Eight European countries with ambitious strategy to tackle climate change

Eight European countries - France, Belgium, Denmark, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden - have called for an ambitious strategy to tackle climate change – and to spend a…

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Strength in unity: Commission makes recommendations for the EU’s next strategic agenda 2019-2024

Ahead of the meeting of EU27 leaders in Sibiu, Romania, tomorrow, the European Commission is setting out a number of policy recommendations for how Europe can shape its future in…

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Farage wants a seat at Brexit negotiating table

Nigel Farage will seek a place at the Brexit negotiating table if his nascent political party, the Brexit Party, comes out top in the European elections. He made the claim…

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Juncker regrets not having corrected Brexit campaign lies

The president of the EU commission has said he regrets not intervening in the UK’s Brexit referendum to correct “lies” about the bloc during the campaign. Speaking at a press…

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Global uncertainties weigh on European economy growth prospects

The recent slowdown in global growth and world trade, together with high uncertainty about trade policies, is weighing on prospects for Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in 2019 and 2020.…

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On this day in 1824, Ludvig Van Beethoven’s Ninth symphony was premiered

May 7th 1824 was the date of the first playing of the ninth symphony of Ludwig Van Beethoven and despite the musical difficulties, and problems in the sung parts, it was…

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EU set to revise down Eurozone growth forecasts

The Financial Times reports that economic forecasts from Brussels will are expected to highlight some of the difficulties EU countries face in terms of economic prospects. The European Commission is poised to…

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Marine Le Pen surpasses Macron’s party in EP election poll

In France, the party of far-right leader Marine Le Pen will top the upcoming European Parliament elections with 22 percent of the vote, just ahead of President Emmanuel Macron's REM…

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Corporate Dispatch Europe Explained – The Week Ahead

A quick glance at the main forthcoming events in the European Union including EU Council, Commission and Parliament meetings and other EU-related conferences and events. Events for the week of…

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Summit between Serbia and Kosovo highlights EU ‘diplomatic’ weakness

Macron visited the German capital this week to co-host a summit of Western Balkan leaders alongside Angela Merkel aimed at jumpstarting talks between Serbia and Kosovo. Frustrated by the EU’s…

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Eurozone inflation rate in April beats forecasts

Euro zone inflation surged beyond expectations during the month of April, bring slight relief for the European Central Bank (ECB). Much of the surge was likely related to seasonal effects…

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Smaller popular parties determining factor in MEP elections

While the Centre-right European People's Party (EPP) and centre-left Socialists and Democrats (S&D), the two biggest groups in the European Parliament, continue to be forecast as scooping up the most…

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European leaders to discuss future of Europe in “Together for Europe” summit in Warsaw on 15th anniversary of largest EU enlargement

"Europe must be a force of openness both internally and within the global context," Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said during his address to the Together for Europe summit held in Warsaw on…

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Warning that British MEPs in next EU parliament could create ‘messy’ situation

Jyrki Katainen, the European Commission Vice-President for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness, warned that the prospect of British candidates getting into the European Parliament and then leaving after Brexit could…

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Poland salutes Malta on the anniversary of it’s EU membership

On the 15th anniversary of the EU enlargement that amongst others saw Malta become a member State, the Polish National Foundation issued a cute video saluting Malta on this historic…

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Corporate Dispatch Europe Explained – The Agenda

A quick glance at the main forthcoming events in the European Union including EU Council, Commission and Parliament meetings and other EU-related conferences and events. Events for the week of…

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Turkey pushes EU for membership decision

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the EU needs to decide what's going to happen regarding Turkey's application for EU membership. The Turkish President suggested the EU should halt full EU…

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Juncker sceptical Poland will leave the EU

Out-going EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker Poland is unlikely to leave the European Union, even if the ruling euro sceptic Law and Justice (PiS) party wins re-election this year,…

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Analysis – Europe’s new ally is Japan

If he hadn't been speaking Japanese, Prime Minister Shinzō Abe could easily have been mistaken for an EU leader. Visiting Brussels on Thursday to meet Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and…

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Trade talks dominate as EU and Japan hold annual summit

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday at the 26th annual EU-Japan summit. DW reports that the leaders…

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Italy requests EU plan of action for new migrant wave from Libya

Italy's government has written to the European Union asking it to prepare a plan of action to address the risk of a new wave of migrants escaping from the armed…

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EPP leader Weber insists no EU membership for Turkey

Manfred Weber, the leader of the European People's Party (EPP), insisted that Turkey cannot become a member of the European Union, in an interview with Euronews. Weber, tipped to replace…

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EPP expected to remain the largest grouping after May elections… Farage’s Brexit Party to top EU elections in Britain

An alliance of pro-EU centre right, socialist and liberal parties would win an absolute majority in next month's European Parliament election, though eurosceptic groups will gain ground, a survey showed…

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The European Parliament approves strengthening of Frontex

The European Parliament adopted the proposal, piloted and negotiated by Maltese MEP Roberta Metsola, to reinforce the European Border and Coast Guard Agency with a standing corps of 10,000 border guards…

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EBA ends probe of Estonian, Danish regulators over Danske Bank

The European Banking Authority (EBA), the EU banking watchdog, terminated an investigation of financial regulators in Estonia and Denmark in relation to suspected money laundering activities by Danske Bank after…

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UK employees work the longest hours in the EU

The British work the longest hours in the EU, but are less productive than those in some other countries according to the Trades Union Congress (TUC), a federation of trade…

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Whistleblowers given EU-wide high level of protection

Whistleblowers across the European Union have won greater protection under landmark legislation aimed at encouraging reports of wrongdoing. This is the first time whistleblowers have been given EU-wide protection.…

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EU countries back copyright reform

EU member states have given the final approval for copyright reforms in a bid to overhaul its two-decade old copyright rules. The clearing of this final hurdle ensures artists…

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Corporate Dispatch Europe Explained – The Week Ahead 15-19 April 2019.

Good morning, A quick glance at the main forthcoming events in the European Union including EU Council, Commission and Parliament meetings and other EU-related conferences and events. Events for the…

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Poland accused of breaking EU law

Poland was accused of breaking EU law after it lowered the judges' retirement age and failed to uphold the independence of its Supreme Court. Poland's ruling Law and Justice (PiS)…

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UniCredit risks EU antitrust fine

UniCredit is one of eight European banks that risk being fined by the European Commission for allegedly breaching EU competition rules, the Italian lender has said. The company said in…

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Miriam Dalli makes it to Politico’s list of MEPs who mattered the most

As the European Parliamentary elections approach, Politico gives a look at the top 40 MEPs who mattered most during the last legislature between 2014 and 2019. The only Maltese MEP…

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EU parliament head Tajani says Europe split over Libya

Parliament President Antonio Tajani complained that France and Italy are divided over policy toward Libya despite the official position of EU unity stated by the bloc's foreign policy chief.…

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Merkel says possibility of a longer Brexit delay

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says the European Union may well decide on a longer Brexit delay than the one sought by the British government, but it would be flexible…

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ECB looking into Swedbank’s Estonian operations

The European Central Bank (ECB) is looking into Swedbank's Estonian operations, Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter reported on Wednesday, citing an undisclosed source. Sweden is not part of the eurozone but…

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Biggest EU Parliament groups recovering but expected to take big hits in EU election polls

Over the last two months, the two biggest groups in European Parliament — the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) and centre-left Socialists and Democrats (S&D) — have seen an upward…

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Brussels and Beijing find common ground… declare summit a success

EU and Chinese officials meeting in Brussels on Tuesday proclaimed their summit as a win-win. European Council President Donald Tusk declared a "breakthrough" on some of the EU's major trade…

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British government prepares groundwork to hold European elections

The British government has laid the groundwork that would enable it to participate in the European Parliament elections next month, should the UK still find itself in the EU by…

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One euro zone bank falls short of ECB capital requirements

An ECB presentation showed on Monday that one euro zone bank is falling short of the European Central Bank's capital requirements for 2019, meaning it will face restrictions on how…

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Salvini calls for Turkey’s EU application to be definitively rejected

Deputy Italian Prime Minister and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini on Monday called for Turkey's application to join the EU to be definitively rejected. Salvini, who is also leader of the…

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Corporate Dispatch Europe Explained – The Week Ahead 8-13 April 2019

A quick glance at the main forthcoming events in the European Union including EU Council, Commission and Parliament meetings and other EU-related conferences and events. Events for the week of…

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