Euractiv.com

Human rights NGOs enthusiastically welcomed the European Parliament's approval to start punitive Article 7 proceedings against Hungary on Wednesday (12 September), after a vote that revealed deep divisions inside the biggest political family, the European People's Party.

Jean-Claude Juncker's last State of the Union speech before the next European elections turned into a stocktaking of his mandate and a platform for political groups to set up their priorities for the electoral campaign.

The European Parliament backed the controversial copyright bill on Wednesday (12 September), drawing cheers of jubilation and howls of disapproval from MEPs in the Strasbourg hemicycle.

Bulgaria and Croatia should join the EU's passport-free Schengen area immediately, EPP group leader Manfred Weber said on Wednesday (12 September), in a friendly gesture to two Eastern European governments from his political family.

MEPs voted en masse to trigger Article 7 proceedings against Hungary on Wednesday (12 September), although Jean-Claude Juncker's early morning Strasbourg speech failed to send much of a clear signal against Budapest's alleged rule of law violations.

The Visegrad Four, as well as Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia and Slovenia, have warned about “disproportions” in the food supply chain if large suppliers are not covered by the European Commission’s proposal on unfair trade practices (UTPs).

Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker stayed away from major legislative proposals in his annual address to Parliament, preferring to focus on the “big picture” of how the EU can assert its power in a hostile international environment.

European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker held out the promise of an EU-Africa trade pact on Wednesday as part of a ‘partnership of equals’ between the two continents, signalling Europe's stronger involvement in Africa, where Chinese influence is rapidly spreading.

The European Commission is set to pursue a crackdown on the spread of online terrorist content and disinformation, its president Jean-Claude Junker announced in his State of the Union address on Wednesday (12 September). 

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker urged the European Union on Wednesday (12 September) to raise its goals for limiting climate change, but did not mention the forthcoming 2050 strategy. EURACTIV’s partner Climate Home News reports.

Greece’s center-right New Democracy party said yesterday (12 September) that it would vote in favor of Sargentini report to activate Article 7 against Hungary.

Russia hopes for a peaceful resolution of the situation in Syria's rebel-held province of Idlib but believes it is up to Turkey to separate Islamist militants from the moderate opposition, Russia's Syria envoy said on Tuesday (11 September).

Following an EU call to reformulate food products to tackle rising obesity across Europe, the Association of Greek Soft Drinks Industries (SEVA) recently launched an initiative to reduce sugar in its products by 10%.

Around one million people filled central Barcelona on Tuesday to celebrate Catalonia's commemorative day and boost a bid for independence which has left deep divisions almost a year after it brought Spain to a constitutional crisis.

Poland's presidency on Tuesday (11 September) named a new acting head of the Supreme Court as Warsaw presses ahead with an overhaul of its judiciary that critics, including the EU, say undermines the rule of law in the ex-communist state.

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Tuesday (11 September) he would visit Macedonia before the 30 September referendum on changing the country's name, also expressing concern about suspected Russian interference in the vote, which Moscow denies.

Mostly out of pragmatism, the European Commission has adopted a rather tolerant approach to “capacity mechanisms” – national schemes that remunerate back-up power plants – accepting that EU countries face different challenges in the energy transition.

Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who also leads the far-right League party, said on Tuesday (11 September) he wants the new European Commission to be led by conservatives and populists.

The European Commission’s proposed quota for the very fragile Eastern Baltic cod stock significantly surpasses scientific recommendation, warns Lasse Gustavsson, reminding that overfishing isn’t just bad for the environment, it’s bad for the economy too.

While moves towards greater international cooperation are welcome, the EU’s growing number of new free trade deals must be scrutinised. And in the case of the Japan-EU free trade agreement, the deal’s impact on the fight against illegal timber is a pressing concern, writes Perrine Fournier.