European Union

EURACTIV gathered a first round of reactions to the European Commission's proposal to reform the EU's €373 billion regional funding programme as part of the bloc’s 2021-2027 budget. One thing is certain: the proposed cuts will be a major issue of dissent in the European Parliament.

Karl-Heinz Lambertz, president of the Committee of Regions, remains unconvinced that 'Brussels' should give back any powers to the member states.

Italy may hold repeat elections as early as July after the man asked to be prime minister failed to secure support from major political parties for even a stop-gap government, sources said on Tuesday (29 May), as markets tumbled on the growing political turmoil.

Georgia said on Tuesday (29 May) it had started procedures to sever diplomatic relations with Syria after Damascus recognised its breakaway regions as independent states, a move Tbilisi dubbed manipulation from Russia.

Digitalization holds huge potential for the citizens and the institutions of the EU. A modern and digital Europe will be built on reliable communication networks, secure data and digital trust.

Europe should engage in the Middle East by providing technical aid and promoting investment and programmes that enhance tolerance and peaceful coexistence, says Falah Mustafa Bakir. "If we don't address the needs of people on the ground, they will become asylum seekers at the doors of Europe," he said in an interview.

Over the past fifty years, the EU has done a stellar job in moving from a very fragmented national approach to animal disease control to a progressively more harmonised system of animal health measures, disease surveillance, diagnosis and control, writes Roxane Feller.  

The European Union's executive proposed on Tuesday (29 May) to spend more of the bloc's money on Italy and other southern states hit by the economic and migration crises, while giving less to the Visegrad Four countries refusing to accept refugees.

Since 2016, the EU is working on the reform of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS). Particularly tricky is the creation of a new Dublin IV agreement, clarifying which country is responsible for the asylum application of a person. EURACTIV Germany reports.

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In this section you will find videos of Federica Mogherini, EU HR for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, at the European Parliament.

Download this video here.

The EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström told MEPs on Tuesday (29 May) that the EU would activate “immediate" rebalancing measures if US President Donald Trump decides to impose quotas on the EU’s steel and aluminium exports as an alternative to the tariffs as of Friday (1 June).

Reasons for the cut not political, EU executive said, but based on growth in regions in Hungary, Poland, and further afield.

Markets will persuade Italians not to vote for the two populist parties that have tried and failed to form a government this month, the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) and the anti-migrant Euroskeptic League, the EU's budget Commissioner in an interview with Deutsche Welle.

Plenary - Strasbourg

Source : © European Union, 2018 - EP

Not all is well in the best of all possible worlds. Even less so in Europe 2018, which is increasingly trying to fend off the spectre of the not-too-distant refugee crisis.

Young EU citizens want to reclaim ownership of the European project and make it a force for good in the world. With culture and art, they could help cultivate an identity that would go deeper than legislation and regulation, writes Danuta Hübner.

The EU's top court ruled Tuesday (29 May) that animal slaughter without stunning can only occur in approved abattoirs, saying a ban on temporary slaughter houses does not violate Muslim religious freedom.

Azerbaijan inaugurated on Tuesday (29 May) a terminal that is planned to be the starting point of the first pipeline to transport gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe, bypassing Russia.

Kazakhstan is developing its digital technologies in many fields, such as the economy, agriculture or administration, and the Central Asian country also wants to become a pioneer in digital innovation, with the creation of technology hubs and parks.

The European Parliament approved Tuesday the final agreement on reform of the posted workers directive. Under the revised rules, EU workers will be able to work up to 12 months in another country - with possibility of a six-month extension in some cases - with the same salary as local workers for the same job. Lorry drivers are excluded from the rules, with specific rules to be adopted later.