Euractiv.com

The EU's director-general for budget, Nadia Calviño, was picked on Tuesday (5 June) for the post of the economy minister by the new Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, signalling the Socialist government’s readiness to meet the EU’s fiscal commitments in times of market instability.

EU Justice Commissioner Věra Jourová stood by the EU's principles that freedom of speech was not absolute at a panel discussion held in Brussels, saying that attempts to regulate hate speech were justified but her comments prompted a fierce debate. 

The leader of Italy's new populist government vowed on Tuesday (5 June) to redistribute migrants in the EU and review EU sanctions against Russia, in his first policy speech to lawmakers since being sworn in.

The German weekly magazine Der Spiegel always publishes on Mondays and it recently made headlines worldwide because of its series of covers ridiculing Donald Trump. This week, it made headlines again, but in a very controversial way.

The United States is pressing its European allies to get more NATO battalions, ships and planes ready for combat, officials say, in a fresh move to shore up NATO’s deterrence against any Russian attack.

A landmark report by UN environment experts on plastic pollution, published to coincide with World Environment Day (5 June), shows that governments across the world are starting to take action and that bans and levies are starting to take off.

Five million women and children die every year from entirely preventable causes. The Global Financing Facility (GFF) supports the 50 countries with the greatest needs by investing in their health systems but that is not enough, writes Mariam Claeson.

The Association of European Manufacturers of Sporting Ammunition (AFEMS) is a non-profit, Europe-wide association based in Brussels. Its mission, however, goes beyond protecting its members’ interests and is at the forefront of defending social and environmental issues.

Normalising relations between Kosovo and Serbia is "the most complicated process in the Balkans at the moment", according to the head of the EU's office in Pristina. But both sides need steady encouragement from the international community to reach a final solution and progress towards EU membership.

It is consequential that this year’s European Development Days, which start in Brussels today, are focused on women and girls. Gender equality is not only a moral imperative, but also key to progress for the economy, the environment, and social development, argues Melanne Verveer.

National justice ministers are pushing to create new powers for law enforcement authorities to intercept communication data in real time as part of their criminal investigations.

The Channel Tunnel provides a fast, frequent and reliable route accounting for €138 bn of trade and 21 million passengers each year. It has changed the way transport and logistics operate across the continent.

European Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis welcomed German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s proposals to strengthen the euro area, noting the similarities between the Bundesrepublik's and EU executive’s ideas on structural reform and investment support.

Germany yesterday (4 June) said it had asked the new US ambassador in Berlin, outspoken Trump loyalist Richard Grenell, to clarify his reported comments on far-right website Breitbart that he wants to "empower" European conservatives.

Slovakia's member of the European Commission declared his candidacy on Monday (4 June) to succeed Jean-Claude Juncker as the EU executive's president, promising to try to ease tensions between western states and newer members from the ex-communist east.

President Vladimir Putin yesterday (4 June) downplayed suggestions Russia was seeking to disrupt the European Union's cohesion, saying it was in his country's interests for the bloc to remain "united and prosperous".

As the European Union finds itself at a crossroads and Brussels looks forward to a decisive Council summit at the end of the month, a recent report entitled “Re-energise Europe” calls on EU leaders to overcome divisions and implement reforms.

Spain's new Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said yesterday (4 June) the European Union should be a space of economic and social cohesion and that inequalities within the bloc must be reduced.

Italy's coalition between the anti-system 5-Star Movement and the fat-right Northern League will test its power today (5 June) in the first of this week's two parliamentary confidence votes in the new government.

The European Union opened an investigation on Monday into whether to extend anti-dumping duties on Chinese bicycles, after European makers said they feared an influx of Asian imports could destroy their industry.