Euractiv.com

After weeks of mobilisation across Europe, farmers' protests seem to have gained a political foothold in the conclusions of the European Council summit on Thursday (1 February) which acknowledged the “concerns raised” by the sector and the “essential role” of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

Several farming groups gathered in the European district of Brussels on Thursday (1 February) to protest against EU agricultural policy, but with very different demands and amid reports of infiltrators causing clashes with police. 

Welcome to EU Politics Decoded where Eleonora Vasques will bring you a round-up of the latest political news in Europe and beyond every Thursday.

Irish farmers will protest across the country on Thursday (1 February) at 7 pm in a show of solidarity with other EU member states’ farmers and amid struggles of their own.

EU leaders stressed an "urgent need" to accelerate the delivery of ammunition and missiles to Ukraine on Thursday (1 February), after it became clear this week that the bloc would miss its self-set target.

More than a farmers' rally, Place Luxembourg in Brussels today was a kaleidoscope of different and sometimes opposing claims. More than a united movement with a set of agreed demands, it was a tower of Babel, replete with social movements that do not talk to each other, and seemingly not even the same language.

German liberals have confirmed the abstention of the German government on the EU’s proposal for a corporate due diligence law that would see companies becoming liable for human right breaches in their supply chains.

French Minister of Justice Éric Dupond-Moretti addressed the senate's women's rights delegation on Thursday (1 February) taking the opportunity to clarify France's refusal to include rape in an EU directive.

As the world is eager to move on from the COVID-pandemic, the threat of another pandemic, with devastating consequences for all of us, looms large, write Jutta Urpilainen, Stella Kyriakides, Frank Vandenbroucke and others.

Minutes after the European Council President Charles Michel announced the agreement for 50 billion euros in Ukraine aid, Euractiv spoke to German MEP Daniel Freund (Greens), who has been among the most outspoken critics of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in the run-up to this extraordinary EU summit.

Germany’s upcoming carbon management strategy is being delayed by government divisions on carbon capture and storage (CCS), further exacerbated by a leaked EU climate policy draft for 2040 promoting the controversial technology.

The tractors blocking the streets of Europe are a reflection of the hardship of growers coping with the contradictions of the current system of food production and consumption, rural political sociologist Natalia Mamonova told Euractiv in an interview.

Although cervical cancer is highly preventable, many women across EU countries still face barriers to accessing screening, with stakeholders looking to use the conclusion of cervical cancer awareness month to raise alarm and demand more targeted solutions. 

Snus is a moist oral tobacco product with roots dating back to the 18th century. It is considered one of the first novel tobacco products as it took several centuries for other products, such as heated tobacco, electronic cigarettes or nicotine pouches, to emerge on the market as alternatives to cigarettes.

In a letter sent on Wednesday (31 January), France's Greens called on President Emmanuel Macron to form a coalition with EU countries that also oppose the EU-Mercosur deal in its current form - an idea Macron's camp has already dismissed as hopeless.

All EU leaders, including Hungary, agreed on a deal to provide predictable long-term financing to Ukraine at the start of their summit on Thursday (1 February), ending weeks of uncertainty after Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had threatened to veto the package.

Ahead of the third political inter-institutional negotiation on 5 February on an EU regulation to speed up 5G and fiber roll out, co-legislators are dedicated to find compromises on the most political topics: the tacit approval principle and intra-EU communication fees.

Judges at the top UN court on Wednesday (31 January) found that Russia violated elements of a UN anti-terrorism treaty, but declined to rule on allegations brought by Kyiv that Moscow was responsible for the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014.

With the European election rapidly approaching, the far-right Identity & Democracy (ID) group has opened their arms for Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party to join the group, its Vice-President Gunnar Beck told Euractiv in an interview.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Turkey on 12 February to meet counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a Turkish official told Reuters on Wednesday (31 January), in what will be the Russian leader's first trip to a NATO ally since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.