EU institutions

EIB, Spain table new CMU proposals to eurozone finance chiefs
Est. 5minEurope’s companies and technologies should stay in Europe, and Europe should invest in them, Calviño said

Middle East crisis: Commission says EU remains ‘safe haven’ for refugees
Est. 6minEU officials want member states to ensure effective access to asylum at borders, deciding asylum applications based on individual assessments.

Commission to soon reply to member states’ request to postpone budget plan
Est. 2minThe European Commission will soon respond to the request of 20 member states, including Portugal, to postpone the deadline for submitting the medium-term structural budget plan until October, a source close to the process told Lusa on Thursday.

Committee of Regions chief says EU needs new, stronger cohesion policy
Est. 2minCohesion policy is essential for the competitiveness of the European Union and must not be seen as a "charity policy", the president of the European Committee of the Regions, Portugal's Vasco Cordeiro, warned on Monday.

The row over the European Commission’s lead scientific adviser on AI
Est. 3minNews over the European Commission looking for a lead scientific adviser for the AI internally was met with consternation across the political spectrum this week, but the Commission denies ever having promised otherwise.

Car industry pours cold water on von der Leyen’s ‘lead markets’ plans
Est. 5minIncreasing demand for green steel through minimum quotas for carmakers is not the right way to decarbonise steel production, carmakers said, while environmentalists consider the car industry to be “uniquely placed” to work as a lead market for green steel.

EU auditors criticise the response of health agencies to COVID
Est. 3minThe European Court of Auditors (ECA) has made a series of recommendations to the ECDC, the EMA and the European Commission to better prepare for future pandemics, set out in a critical report.

Von der Leyen’s speech: The topics that burn
Est. 6minUrsula von der Leyen’s speech on Thursday at European Parliament will be crucial to ensure the majority she needs to be reelected as Commission president, but to convince all pro-EU coalition lawmakers, she will have to address some key EU policy issues.

EPP optimistic but ‘takes nothing for granted’ on von der Leyen
Est. 6minThe centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) remains optimistic about its candidate Ursula von der Leyen reaching the necessary EU Parliament majority next week to get re-elected at the EU Commission’s helm; However, work is being done to convince the suspected deviants as “nothing can be taken for granted”.

Lagarde warns about respect for EU budgetary rules
Est. 3minEuropean Central Bank President Christine Lagarde told the ECB forum in Sintra on Tuesday that there is concern about the respect of budgetary rules in the European Union.

CoE committee chief: Need to boost social rights as ‘battered’ Europeans look right
Est. 6minEuropeans are still feeling the pinch from successive crises, which shapes their democratic engagement and risks more shifts towards authoritarian governance, the president of the Council of Europe’s Social Rights Committee told Euractiv in an interview.

Serbia and Kosovo talks collapse despite EU efforts
Est. 3minA European Union bid to breathe new life into stalled negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo fell through Wednesday (26 June), with Serbia's president and the Kosovo prime minister failing to meet as planned.

EU centre-right claims Costa is ‘too light’ on migration
Est. 5minThe backstage talks over the EU top jobs continue after an informal summit earlier this week did not seal a preliminary deal, with the centre-right raising additional questions against the Socialist pick.

EU leaders expected to agree to top job ‘package deal’ over dinner
Est. 7minAs EU leaders meet on Monday (17 June) evening to discuss the bloc's top institutional jobs after the European election, a quick 'political agreement' might be in the cards.

EU elections: Capitals affected more than EU Parliament
Est. 3minThe results of the EU elections have had a bigger impact on many EU countries than the European Parliament itself.

The top five national delegations in the next EU Parliament
Est. 5minThe top national delegations will reshape the Parliament's balance of powers while feeding new priorities into the legislative work, and with voting set to start on Thursday (6 June), Europe Elects' final projections for Euractiv lay out what could lie ahead.

Borrell’s stance on Israel, Hamas arrest warrants highlights EU member states’ divisions
Est. 6minThe ICC request to issue arrest warrants against Israel’s prime minister and foreign minister and two Hamas officials for a rap sheet of war crimes pitted once again the EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell against some member states.

EU Commission urges Skopje, Athens to stick to name-change deal
Est. 4minThe 2018 Prespa Agreement between Greece and North Macedonia must be implemented by “all parties” and in “good faith”, a European Commission spokesperson told Euractiv amid a new spat between Athens and Skopje threatening to revive a 25-year dispute.

European media under attack from politicians, Reporters Without Borders sounds the alarm
Est. 4minPoliticians are the main threat for media freedom in Europe with a third of member states being labelled as ‘problematic’ and even the ‘good’ and ‘satisfactory’ countries, seeing their scores drop, according to Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index 2024, published on Friday (3 May).

Borrell: EU working to avoid conflict that would “make people forget suffering in Gaza”
Est. 2minThe response to Iran's attack on Israel should not lead to a large-scale regional conflict that would make people forget about suffering in Gaza, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, said in an interview with Spanish TV Antena 3 on Sunday.

Jourová: US ‘calm’ about election manipulation threat
Est. 4minWhile efforts to combat disinformation and voter manipulation are in full swing in Europe ahead of the June 2024 EU elections, in the US, European Commission Vice-President Věra Jourová told Euractiv.cz that the authorities are “calm” about hybrid threats before November’s federal polls, with no apparent evidence they have any preparations in place.

EU Parliament once again raises ethics reform as Russia’s cash-for-influence scandal unfolds
Est. 4minWith two months until June’s EU election, the Parliament has gone into alert mode as pressure piles up to respond to a new cash-for-influence scandal rocking the institution, with new reforms back on the table.

Ball in EU court to reach agreement with Mercosur, Paraguayan official warns
Est. 3minIn the complex and protracted negotiations on the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, “the ball is in the court” of the 27 member states, Paraguay’s Industry and Trade Minister Javier Giménez told Euractiv’s partner EFE in an interview, pointing to Europe’s strict environmental rules as the main obstacle to a swift agreement.

Commissioner Didier Reynders shortlisted for Council of Europe top job
Est. 3minEU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders was shortlisted to become the next secretary general of the Council of Europe, the Committee of Ministers announced on Tuesday.