Euobserver.com

If Bosnia fails to hold general elections in October, it risked entering "a total legal and institutional vacuum in which the survival of the state would be brought into question," NGO Transparency International has warned, amid threats by Croats and Serbs to boycott the vote. "Massive robbery of state resources ... is getting ever more intensive. The country is on the verge of complete chaos," the NGO told Reuters.

The EU is keen to continue training the Libyan coastguard despite its well-known abuse of irregular migrants, a leaked report has shown.

The European Parliament's Scholl building in Brussels was purchased for almost €75m, despite its estimated market value hovering between €42m and €65m. The issue has led to calls for the institution to review its building strategy, developed before the pandemic.

Case-studies from a year of Polish women living without recourse to abortion, following the highly-controversial Constitutional Tribunal ruling last year. The law's chilling effect on medical personnel is real.

A rift of emotions runs through Europe. While eastern European states fear the return of Russian imperialism, the average western European seems to believe that Russia still pushes back against alleged American imperialism.

The European Court of Justice will rule on 16 February on the legality of the new mechanism linking EU funds to respect for the rule of law, which was challenged by Poland and Hungary last year. The tool has been threatened against Budapest and Warsaw where governments oversaw a decline in EU democratic standards. The court's adviser ruled last month that their challenges should be rejected.

Autonomous delivery operator Starship Technologies, based in San Fransisco, has received a €50m venture loan from the European Investment Bank - but the introduction to Europe's historic and narrow streets is so far marked by a lack of impact data.

The US has put 8,500 soldiers on high alert for deployment to eastern Europe if Russia invades Ukraine, while Nato is already sending more ships and fighter jets to the area, in what Russia denounced as an escalation of tensions, Reuters reported. The EU Commission also offered Kyiv a €1.2bn "macro-financial" aid package of emergency loans and grants on Monday to help its economy withstand a potential shock.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Monday received the credentials for the new US ambassador to the EU, Mark Gitenstein. "Our strong, long-standing transatlantic partnership is more important than ever, in these challenging times," tweeted von der Leyen. Gitenstein was nominated for the post last July by US president Joe Biden but was beset by Congressional confirmation delays.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday said Germany has become its largest donor, a position previously held by the United States. "As you all know, Germany has been an important friend and longstanding partner to WHO and in fact it is now WHO's largest donor," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The EU's top banks will face extra transparency on exposure to polluting industries from 2024 under new "indicators" the European Banking Authority said Monday. "We are pioneers here with templates and key performance indicators to ensure that when banks disclose something, they do it in a consistent way," the EU banking regulator's Pilar Gutierrez said, Reuters reports. The indicators will let investors see which banks invest in more green firms.

The Platform on Sustainable Finance, an advisory group to the EU Commission, has questioned the legality of including natural gas and nuclear into the so-called EU taxonomy, according to the group recommendations released on Monday. The expert group of 57 members and 11 observers called for the creation of an "amber" zone, to include more-polluting activities which are below the "do no significant harm" threshold.

Some 20 airlines and airports, including Air France and Lufthansa, on Monday demanded changes to the EU's climate plans, reports Reuters. They say the plans would make them less competitive compared with other non-European rivals. The climate plans seek to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030 compared with 1990 levels. The aviation sector accounts for some three-percent of global emissions.

Mali has ordered Danish soldiers in an international counter-terrorism force in the Sahel to get out of its territory amid EU concern over a Russian takeover in the country. "Mali notes with astonishment, the deployment on its territory of a contingent of Danish special forces within the Takuba force," its junta said Monday. The EU is currently preparing new Mali sanctions, while Russia has sent "several hundred" Kremlin-linked mercenaries there.

A new report found a group of 30 oil and gas facilities in the Permian Basin in the US emits 100,000 tonnes of methane per year - the equivalent climate pollution from half a million cars, Reuters reported. The region has become one of the most productive in the US due to fracking, and the EU has been an important market for its oil and liquified gas.

Europe is preparing to boost its naval presence in the north west Indian Ocean "to uphold freedom of navigation" in the world's trade jugular.

The EU auditors pointed out the limited number of manufacturers able to build and operate 5G infrastructure increases EU dependency on third countries - as well as privacy and security risks associated with interference by "hostile state actors."

The two sides issued a joint statement, a positive development in itself in the divisive Brexit talks, saying Monday's talks took place in a constructive atmosphere.

Two senior German ministers have criticised EU plans to label natural gas green if it includes 30 percent low-cabon gas or hydrogen by 2026.

The latest European Commission health report puts the pair of south-eastern EU accession states last in terms of the overall lifespan of their citizens. Romanians and Bulgarian now die even younger than before.