Euobserver.com

The European Commission is taking Poland to the European Court of Justice for undermining the principle of judicial independence. The country introduced a new disciplinary regime for Polish judges, which the commission says "does not ensure the necessary guarantees to protect judges from political control." The decision comes ahead of an election on Sunday, which the ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party is expected to win.

The two largest political groups in the European Parliament, the centre-right EPP and centre-left S&D, have demanded the next EU budget, for 2021-2027, is financed through new own resources. The current budget is primarily financed through a levy on member states' gross national income (GNI). The European Commission's new own resource proposals includes a tax on plastics, carbon emissions and a rate applied to the common consolidated corporate tax base.

The EU has told Turkey to stop its attack on Syria, but Trump seems to be less worried about the 12,000 Isis fighters walking free, saying "they will be escaping to Europe".

The EU has told Turkey to stop its attack on Syria. US president Donald Trump seems to be less worried about the 12,000 ISIS fighters walking free, saying "they will be escaping to Europe".

Jewish leaders have raised alarm on the climate of hate in Europe after an antisemitic killing in Germany on Wednesday.

Brexit puts the reunification of Ireland centre stage.

Romania's socialist government faces a vote of no-confidence on Thursday in what could make its European Commission nominee, former interior minister Dan Nica, into a lame duck candidate. The commission chief, Ursula von der Leyen, has not yet said if she accepted Nica after MEPs rejected Romania's first candidate. She has also kept silent on Hungary's second nominee and the French one is to hold a second hearing on Thursday.

UK prime minister Boris Johnson will meet Irish premier Leo Varadkar on Thursday in a last-ditch attempt to overcome the key Brexit hurdle on Northern Ireland. The UK wants Northern Ireland to leave the EU's customs union and retain an open border, which is difficult for the EU to accept. The two will discuss how Northern Ireland voters could give their consent. Technical talks in Brussels will continue on Friday.

Germany has warned of a repeat of the chaotic influx of asylum seekers in 2015 that caught the EU unprepared. Greece and Cyprus have warned of increased migrant arrivals from neighbouring Turkey as the EU interior ministers meet. "If there is no common European asylum policy, there is a danger that uncontrolled immigration will once again take place, throughout Europe," German minister Horst Seehofer said.

The EU on Wednesday warned of increased cyber attacks by state-backed entities and non-EU actors, Reuters reported. An EU report on cybersecurity threats to 5G networks said that it was crucial to assess the risks posed by telecoms equipment suppliers with a significant market share in the bloc. The report does not name any country or company, but experts have earlier pointed to China and Huawei Technologies as potential threats.

Fossil fuel subsidies should end and there is "no future in coal", the EU's would-be green commissioner, Frans Timmermans, has said in his pledge to make the EU carob neutral.

Only seven out of 28 EU states have so far supported a draft plan to disembark and relocate migrants rescued in the central Mediterranean, following a meeting in Luxembourg.

With 553 votes against 14, the Italian parliament has overwhelmingly agreed on reducing the number of parliamentary seats. The house of representatives' seats would drop from 630 to 400, the senate from 315 to 200 to cut costs. The seat reduction was one of the major campaign pledges of the Five Star Movement, which is in a coalition government with the Democratic Party. The constitutional change still needs a referendum.

Eight European countries have signed a letter to the future climate commissioner Frans Timmermans calling him to raise the objective to reduce emissions from 40 percent to 55 percent by 2030, Deutsche Welle reports. The countries are France, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Latvia, and Luxembourg. They ask "the European green deal to drive the in-depth transformation and bold measures needed across all sectors of the economy."

Senior EU diplomats told The Guardian that it is probable the EU will extend the deadline for a deal on Brexit until June. After the call between German chancellor Angela Merkel and UK prime minister Boris Johnson it seems that a deal on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is impossible before 31 October. The European Parliament already indicated it would support a Brexit extension.

Rule-violating digital firms should only be broken up as a last resort and fines were a better way to keep them in line, the EU's "tax lady", Margrethe Vestager, told MEPs.

The US announcement to give free reign to a Turkish offensive into Northern Syria has consequences for migration to Europe as well.

Russia's military intelligence, the GRU, operates a secret cell, called Unit 29155, tasked with subversion and assassination operations in Europe, the New York Times reports, citing Western and Russian security officials. The Moscow-based unit, commanded by general Andrei Averyanov, contains veterans from Russia's Chechen wars and was behind recent destabilisation efforts in Moldova, an attempted coup in Montenegro, and attempted assassinations in Bulgaria and the UK, the report adds.

Anti-torture witnesses told Germany but not the EU about abuse on a forced return flight to Afghanistan last year, posing questions on Europe's human rights safeguards.

The EU is facing similar challenges. Like the Habsburgs, it must work out ways to navigate an increasingly messy geo-political map and stand firm without the advantage of military predominance.