Euobserver.com

With Russia's propaganda machine in full swing, we are seeing firsthand the devastating consequences of allowing free media to fall under government control.

Right of Reply: Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the European Union's press attaché, Sergey Kovalevskiy, responds to EUobserver.

The European Union adopted new rules, known as the Digital Markets Act, that promises to stop Big Tech from abusing its market powers.

The US will ship more liquified natural gas (LNG) to the EU under a plan that the two sides are expected to announce on Friday, EU commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday ahead of the EU summit, where European leaders hosted US president Joe Biden. Von der Leyen said the additional LNG from the US will help replace Russian gas and decrease Europe's dependence on Russia energy.

EU lawmakers and member states reached an agreement on Thursday over the Digital Market Act — a landmark piece of legislation setting stricter rules for online platforms such as Amazon, Apple, Google or Facebook. The new rules will apply to all online 'gatekeepers', including web browsers and virtual assistants, with a market cap of at least €75bn and more than 45,000 active users, according to the Financial Times.

Estonia wants the EU to set up an escrow account to capture part of the payments for Moscow's oil and gas and use it to rebuild Ukraine. But some EU countries said this could end up hitting Europeans harder.

EU heads of state are expected to agree on Friday to jointly buy natural gas, but it will not solve high gas prices.

Russia's plans to demand ruble payments for natural gas purchases from "unfriendly nations," unveiled on Wednesday, further escalated the battle of sanctions with Europe, but experts are divided on what Russia will gain from it.

The war waged in Ukraine by Russia's president Vladimir Putin "has backfired spectacularly," European Parliament president Roberta Metsola told reporters on Thursday ahead of meeting among EU leaders and US president Joe Biden in Brussels. "The democratic world today is stronger and more united and more relevant than what is was a month ago," she said.

EU leaders on Thursday re-elected Belgium's Charles Michel as president of the European Council for a second term of two and a half years, until 30 November 2024. He is the third full-time president — following Belgian compatriot Herman Van Rompuy and Poland's Donald Tusk — after the post was created in 2009 under the Lisbon treaty. Michel, a liberal, was first selected at a marathon EU summit in 2019.

EU home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson may end up in court in Luxembourg over a fresh case dealing with the EU's border guard agency Frontex.

Nato leaders have redoubled warnings for Russia not to use chemical weapons or worse in Ukraine. They also agreed to send 40,000 more troops to Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia.

Ukraine's deputy prime minister for European integration puts the urgent case for Kyiv's acceptance into the EU bloc.

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez demanded on Thursday a "particular response" to the energy crisis in the Iberian peninsula, which is almost disconnected from the rest of Europe. Its isolation in the context of skyrocketing prices hurt Spain and Portugal more than other countries, Sánchez said. Spain and Portugal have called for joint EU gas purchases and price caps but have not yet found enough allies to forge a deal.

The prime ministers of Finland and Latvia have spoken out against China's increasingly close ties with Russia as the EU intends to ratchet up sanctions against Moscow for having invaded Ukraine. "If China helps Russia, then the sanctions will not work as we want," said Finland's prime minister Sanna Marin in Brussels Thursday. Latvia's prime minister Krišjānis Kariņš made similar comments, noting China will have to choose sides.

If companies like Lukoil are banned from the European Parliament, then Brussels lobby groups should let them go, too, says Green lawmaker Daniel Freund.

If companies like Lukoil are banned from the European Parliament, then Brussels lobby groups should let them go, too, says Green lawmaker Daniel Freund.

The European Union has a responsibility to migrant refugees in Ukraine because of its pivotal role in setting up the detention facilities.

Environmentalists and energy experts have called on the EU to walk away from the Energy Charter Treaty, which they say threatens climate action.

Environmentalists and energy experts have called on the EU to walk away from the Energy Charter Treaty, which they say threatens climate action.