Euractiv.com

Germany's current economic weakness is mostly to blame on a slowdown of global trade and the aftermath of Russia's attack on Ukraine, Economy Minister Robert Habeck said while presenting economic forecasts on Wednesday (21 February).

Sweden is in a serious international situation, facing growing threats from foreign powers such as Russia at a time when the country is at a key stage in its accession to NATO, according to the Swedish Security Service’s annual threat assessment review on Wednesday. 

The date for the announcement of Macron’s Renaissance party’s EU candidate has been postponed several times, and key political figures have turned down the job, raising concerns that the party is not prepared or ready to launch its European Parliament electoral campaign.

Ending months of speculation,Ursula von der Leyen told members of her conservative CDU party in Germany on Monday (19 February) that she was seeking a second term.

The EU Council endorsed the Commission’s proposal on the renewal of trade liberalisation with Ukraine with no changes, as MEPs from the Parliament's agriculture committee instead side with farmers by pushing for more safeguards. 

Pressure is piling up on the EU to loosen its investment rules and boost flows into defence assets, a non-paper seen by Euractiv revealed as finance ministers prepare to discuss the future of the bloc’s public lender on Friday (23 February).

France will ask the European Commission to ease up on constraints on permanent grassland, the country's Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced, adding that he plans to bring a proposal on the subject to the next ministerial meeting on Monday (26 February).

There is a growing need for an EU agenda that would address mental health challenges linked to climate change, stakeholders told an expert conference in Brussels, urging a shift towards mitigation alongside adaptation efforts. 

The Kremlin is working to suppress memorials for the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a bid to prevent his death from spoiling President Vladimir Putin’s expected re-election next month.

With the new German party BSW projected to become the biggest left-wing delegation in the European Parliament after June’s EU elections, its leader, Sahra Wagenknecht, insinuated on Tuesday (20 February) that she will try to create a new left-wing parliamentary group. 

History is a circle and the 90s are back: Look no further than the gatherings of Europe’s industrialists.

The European Commission accepted on Tuesday (20 February the €18.6 billion deal between Orange and MásMóvil in Spain, provided that spectrum bandwidths are divested to the Romanian mobile operator Digi.

New parties joining the Belgian political system face an uphill battle to establish themselves alongside well-funded and already-established groups, MEP Sophie in ’t Veld, running with Volt Belgium, told Euractiv in an interview.

Spanish farmers on Wednesday (21 February) staged their biggest rally yet since protests began two weeks ago, as the ruling Socialist party and the centre-right opposition clashed in parliament over border controls and ‘mirror clauses’ in EU trade deals.

The provisional agreement on new rules for air quality across the EU is hailed as a step forward despite not aligning with World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations.

While the EU's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) is currently being blocked by Germany and Italy, high-profile food corporations are calling for its swift adoption to allow for "coherent and harmonised legislation" at EU level.

The World Trade Organisation confirmed that the anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties imposed by the US on ripe olives from Spain are not consistent with international trade rules and the EU expects Washington to take action to comply, with limited “scope for compromise”, an EU Commission note seen by Euractiv stated.

The Commission announced a consultation on EU's telecom market, open until June and committed to a post-quantum cryptography recommendation, when presenting its connectivity package.

Retired Austrian centre-left lawmaker Pamela Rendi-Wagner has been chosen for the top job at the Stockholm-based EU disease prevention centre, an appointment bringing the accomplished tropical disease expert back to her roots.

EU member states on Wednesday (21 February) agreed to ban exports to three mainland Chinese firms and blacklist North Korea's defence minister in new sanctions for the second anniversary of Russia's war on Ukraine.