European Affairs

Covid-19: fundamental rights must be upheld, warn MEPs

Crisis situations call for crisis measures and emergency measures have been put in place in member states to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. This has often resulted…

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Stefano Mallia elected President of European Employers Group

Stefano Mallia has been elected as the next President of the European Employers Group. Mallia obtained very strong support garnering 87% of the eligible votes. The post was also contested…

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Berlin and Paris outline plan for EU makeover

Germany and France have drawn up a blueprint for a two-year "Conference on the Future of Europe" aimed at overhauling nearly all aspects of how the EU functions, including possible…

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Brussels ViewPoint – European Commissioners: is it time for a system overhaul? – Denise Grech

The Brussels ViewPoint is written by Corporate Dispatch correspondent in Brussels, Denise Grech and was first published on The CorporateDispatch Week. There have been some who questioned whether the European Parliament’s committees are qualified enough to…

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Von der Leyen’s vision for the future: a push forward or a smokescreen? – Denise Grech

Summer is finally drawing to a close and the top bureaucrats from Europe are returning to their home base in Brussels. All eyes are on the whether the European Parliament…

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EU Council vote backs Romania’s Kovesi for European prosecutor job

COREPER, the executive body of the Council of the European Union, voted on September 19 in favour of Romanian Laura Codruta Kovesi’s candidacy for the position of chief prosecutor of…

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Juncker complains about von der Leyen nomination

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the process to appoint his successor, Germany's Ursula von der Leyen, was not transparent and marked an unwelcome break with the practice of choosing…

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From Spitzenkandidat to Splitting candidate… the intrigues and backroom politics

The Spitzenkandidat, or "lead candidate," created in 2014 seems all but dead. Under that system, pan-European political groups nominated lead candidates for the European Parliament election who were also their…

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Special meeting of the European Council to choose the candidates for EU top jobs

The leaders of the European Union are meeting Sunday for talks on nominations for the EU's top jobs at the Special European Council in Brussels, Belgium. The discussions were set…

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Corporate Dispatch Europe Explained – agendaEurope – The Week Ahead – 17th till 21st June

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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Six European leaders set to meet on Friday to discuss the future of European leadership roles

Six EU leaders charged by their political party families with leading the search for a new Commission president will meet in Brussels on Friday evening to discuss candidates over dinner,…

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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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Proposal so EU states scrutinise each other’s democratic track record

In an effort to beef up the EU’s defences against governments of member states flouting its key principles, Belgium and Germany have proposed that EU member states should be given…

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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. Main events for the week…

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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…

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EU warns ‘no solution’ in sight for Brexit deal

British Brexit negotiations to win changes to Theresa May’s Brexit deal are going badly, and the EU Commission warned that “no solution” is in sight. Talks Tuesday evening in Brussels broke…

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Macron calls for a revision of the Schengen system

French President Emmanuel Macron has made an impassioned defence of a new Europe in a newspaper column published in each of the 28 member states in which he laid out…

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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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Maltese MEP Miriam Dalli selected as one of the POLITICO’s 28 Europeans who will shape the EU

Maltese MEP Miriam Dalli has been selected as one of the 28 people who are worth watching in the year ahead in the way they are shaping the EU. The…

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Harmonised EU digital tax plans shelved

EU governments have abandoned hopes of agreeing a European digital services tax on internet giants by next month after talks were beset by opposition from member states led by the…

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Maroš Šefčovič pulls from race for Social Democrats’ Spitzenkandidat

European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič pulled out from the race to become the Social Democrats’ lead candidate for the EU elections in May next year. Šefčovič will back the…

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Wake up Europe!

In 1918, Europe emerged exhausted from a bloody war that took so many lives without addressing the tensions at the heart of the conflict. In 1939, a new conflict broke…

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EU Summit Reaction – Maltese MEP Miriam Dalli

The final agreement reached in the early hours of Friday morning falls short of an agreement on asylum rules. Once again, the EU has failed to agree to real solutions.…

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EU Summit – Angela Merkel Comments

In comments reported by Euronews, Angela Merkel said "Overall, after an intensive discussion on the most challenging theme for the European Union, namely migration, it is a good signal that…

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EU Summit : French President Macron’s comments

French President Emmanuel Macron told EuroNews that the deal showed "European cooperation" had prevailed over national interests: "Europe will have to live with migratory pressures for a long time. We must…

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Brexit negotiations cannot go on with divided British Cabinet – Juncker

The Guardian Brexit negotiations cannot go on with a divided British cabinet, Jean-Claude Juncker has said, as European leaders expressed concern that they do not know who is in charge. With major…

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EU Summit Agenda- Migration & Security

Migration Leaders will discuss migration policy. They are expected to underline the need for a comprehensive approach to migration and the importance of effective control at the EU's external borders. The heads of…

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European Summit dubbed as ‘Mother of all Summits’ will start today

The European Council will start on Thursday at 15.00 with the traditional exchange of views with the President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani. At the first working session the…

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Is it the end of ‘centre’ in Europe politics? (Long Read)

Paul Taylor, contributing editor at POLITICO writes: The second wheel is starting to fall off Europe’s political wagon. After the center left suffered a working-class revolt against globalization and austerity, the mainstream…

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#EUandMe – EU releases five films that make Europe more accessible to millenials

The European Union released five short films, directed by prominent European filmmakers, which demonstrate how the rights and benefits enjoyed in the EU improve people’s lives. The films aim to launch…

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Emmanuel Macron, Daphne Caruana Galizia, Edyta Kocyk, Boyan Slat, Krisztian Imre and Florin Badita given European Leadership Awards

Emmanuel Macron, Daphne Caruana Galizia, Edyta Kocyk, Boyan Slat, Krisztian Imre and Florin Badita were all recognised for their outstanding contribution to their respective fields during the European Leadership Awards…

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EU approves start of negotiations for free trade deal with Australia and New Zealand

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that European officials will land in Australia next month to begin negotiations on a free trade deal, after the EU’s governing council gave its long-awaited official authorisation on…

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Europe that protects: Clean air for all’ -European Commission outlines measures available to help Member States fight air pollution

The European Commission is providing national, regional and local actors with practical help to improve air quality in Europe, and stepping up its enforcement against 7 Member States who have…

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Tajani announces that Zuckerberg is to be grilled at European Parliament

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will face MEPs’ questions following the Cambridge Analytica scandal in the European Parliament, its president said on Wednesday. "The founder and CEO of Facebook has accepted…

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Juncker to meet Polish Prime Minister amid rule-of-law dispute between Poland and the EU

Poland’s prime minister and the European Commission chief will meet for talks on Wednesday amid a protracted rule-of-law dispute between Warsaw and Brussels, according to reports. Radio Poland, reports that the…

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Iran Nuclear Deal – US doesn’t exclude sanctions on European companies that do business with Iran

The US administration is prepared to impose sanctions on European companies that do business in Iran following his withdrawal of the US from the international nuclear deal. Trump’s most senior foreign policy aides…

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My Dream of A Truly EU Member State – Matthias Bartolo (16 Year old European Maltese)

The following are the views of Matthias Bartolo, a 16 year old Sixth Form Student attending St Martin’s College. Politics is a passion of his, along with being a football…

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Towards a stronger, more united Europe than ever. Dr. Elena Grech (Head of Maltese EC Representation)

The following reflections have been shared by Dr. Helena Grech, the Head of the Maltese EC Representation for Corporate Dispatch's special edition of Europe Explained on the occasion of Europe…

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The future of Europe is a choice – Federica Mogherini

The following is a message by High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the Commission. The future of the European Union is a…

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Today, Europe stands at a crossroad – Antonio Tajani (President European Parliament)

Insight and reflection by European Parliament President Antonio Tajani, for Corporate Dispatch. Europe’s story is one of freedom and citizen rights, of 70 years of benefits that were simply unimaginable…

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We are stronger together – Roberta Metsola (MEP)

Insights and reflections on the occasion of Europe Day provided by MEP Roberta Metsola for Corporate Dispatch. Today marks the 68th anniversary of the day in 1950 when Robert Schuman,…

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Moving Europe forward together – Miriam Dalli (MEP)

Insights and reflections provided by MEP Miriam Dalli for Corporate Dispatch on the occasion of Europe Day. The European Union we live in today is very different to the one…

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Europe Day

Today is Europe Day. Observed on May 9 each year, this day marks the presentation of the Schuman Declaration in 1950, which proposed and eventually led to the creation of a…

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Proposals at EU level to deal with unfair competition rules in the airline industry

Watered-down proposals to tackle unfair competition from foreign airlines seem to be accepted by European diplomats. Countries, such as France and Germany, and the European Parliament, have pushed for airlines’…

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EU Commission to unveil budget plan

The European Commission is expected to unveil its seven year budget plan today. According to reports on the Financial Times, Brussels is seeking to increase the seven-year EU budget to approximately…

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EU Commission proposes new rules to facilitate free movement of companies, safeguarding against unfair treatment of employees and tax evasion

The European Commission has proposed new rules aimed at facilitating the free movement of companies within the Union. This proposal seeks to harmonise rules on moving, merging and dividing companies…

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