Euobserver.com

The European Court of Justice ruled on Tuesday against a planned toll on German motorways for non-residents despite an earlier opinion from the court's advocate general had deemed the toll as fair, since foreigners are not subject to German motor vehicle tax. German transport minister Andreas Scheuer had wanted the levy to take effect in October 2020 and already invested heavily in technology to run the scheme.

French people have emerged as the most sceptical in the world about the safety of vaccines, with 33 percent disagreeing that vaccines are safe and 19 percent believing they are not effective, according to Gallup's first Global Monitor survey. Western Europe is the most sceptical region in the world when it comes to the perceived safety of vaccinations, with one-in-five (22 percent) disagreeing that vaccines are safe.

Facebook plans to introduce its own form of currency, Libra, revealed on Tuesday, was met with scepticism in Europe. French finance minister, Bruno Le Maire, demanded that it would be scrutinised by G7 central banks, and said it was "out of the question that it becomes a sovereign currency". German conservative MEP, Markus Ferber, called on the EU commission to start working on a regulatory framework to govern virtual currencies.

Spanish MEP and newly-elected group leader for the Socialists and Democrats group in the European Parliament, Iratxe Garcia, said Tuesday she will push for Dutch commissioner Frans Timmermans to head the next EU commission. "Timmermans is the best candidate for the European Commission and we will support him," she told journalists after the vote, adding that she sought to open negotiations with other pro-EU groups in the parliament.

The EU commission tells Switzerland that clarifications to the draft deal are possible - but not renegotiations. The message is clear to 'Brexit' Britain as well: the Swiss model is over, there are no special agreements.

The General Court of the European Union in Luxembourg will next month hold a public hearing on the refusal by Frontex, the EU's border agency, to release documents concerning its border control and surveillance operation known as Triton.

Environmental NGOs immediately denounce member states' draft plans as a "climate fail", while EU commissioners refrained from "naming-and-shaming".

Romanian ex-prime minister and former EU commissioner Dacian Ciolos has emerged as frontrunner in the race to lead the new liberal alliance in the European Parliament, according to sources in the group. Ciolos's USR-PLUS is the third-largest delegation in the Renew Europe group, with eight MEPs. His bid received a boost after the largest delegation, France, backed him. The vote will take place on Wednesday morning.

France has urged Iran to step back from nuclear threats - but declined to back US claims Tehran recently attacked two oil tankers, echoing a broader EU approach.

France, Germany and Spain on Monday signed a deal to develop a sixth-generation European fighter jet and air combat system, known as the Future Combat Air System (FCAS). The deal is part of a wider plan to reduce military dependency on the United States. Dassault Aviation and Airbus are set to build the jets, which will replace the Rafale and Eurofighters.

A panel of lawmakers in Poland on Monday grilled European Council president Donald Tusk over affairs during his stint as the country's prime minister from 2007-2014. The questions varied from issues dealing with tax evasion and the a 2010 plane crash that killed president Lech Kaczynski. Critics say the event was largely an attempt by the ruling right-wing Law and Justice party to discredit Tusk and his political allies.

Matteo Salvini, Italy's far-right deputy prime minister, on Monday in Washington DC said his country is "the first, most credible, most solid interlocutor of the US in the European Union." Salvini said Italy and the US under president Donald Trump share many views when it comes to foreign policy. "I'm here to open a channel that may be huge, and of extremely great interest for both," Salvini told reporters.

EU countries have said Sudan's military junta was to blame for killings and mass rapes of pro-democracy protesters on 3 June. "The responsibility lies with the Transitional Military Council as the authority in charge of protecting the population," the bloc's foreign ministers said Monday in Luxembourg. They urged attackers to be brought to justice, while praising those protesters "who bravely demanded a new path for their country".

EU states will threaten to freeze talks on an upgraded customs union with Turkey if it does not stop drilling for gas in disputed waters near Cyprus, according to draft conclusions of a General Affairs Council on Tuesday seen by the Bloomberg news agency. The EU "stands ready to respond appropriately and in full solidarity with Cyprus," the draft text said, following defiant Turkish statements over the weekend.

Now is the time to be bold in our approach and for leaders to take a positive and decisive stance in welcoming refugees.

With the current Socialist & Democrats group leader, Germany's Udo Bullman pulling out of the race, Spanish MEP Iratxe Garcia is likely to become the next leader of the second biggest group in the European Parliament.

The EU commission will discuss on Tuesday a deal over its future relationship with Switzerland, but is not expected to make a proposal on extending the Swiss stock exchange's access to the EU market, which expires at the end of June. "At this stage, we do not anticipate decisions will be taken, but a lot can change," a commission spokeswoman said. The two sides held inconclusive talks last week.

Austrian far-right ex-leader Heinz-Christian Strache, who quit as vice-chancellor over a video showing him offering to fix state contracts to someone who posed as a Russian oligarch, said Monday he would not take up a European Parliament seat. He stepped down as the Freedom Party's leader last month after German media published the secretly filmed 2017 footage. Strache got enough preferential votes to get a seat in the parliament.

EU countries are pondering the future of the Iran nuclear non-proliferation deal in light of US accusations that Iran was behind recent attacks on oil tankers in the Persian Gulf. Dutch foreign minister Stef Blok said in Brussels Monday the EU "should stick to the deal" even if it was proved Iran attacked the ships. The Czech and Slovak ministers agreed, but Estonia said the nuclear deal could be affected.

Turkey could face EU sanctions over gas drilling in Cyprus, Greece and others have warned, prompting mockery by Turkey's president.