Pope Francis, sensing he is close to death, moves to protect his legacy

The battle to succeed Pope Francis is likely to be highly politicized, particularly given the pontiff’s recent clash with Catholic U.S. Vice President JD Vance.

Smaller EU states risk being left behind in critical medicines market, says Belgian MEP Sommen

Belgian MEP Liesbet Sommen spoke with Euractiv about critical medicines shortages, EU Pharma Package progress, and SANT’s evolving role.

The fight for Europe is on

At a time of intensifying great power competition, the EU has to choose between becoming a satrap of the U.S. or breaking free to steer its own course โ€” and it must decide quickly.

Belgium leading new โ€˜one-stop shopโ€™ for medicines, simplifying pharma market

Belgiumโ€™s Deputy Prime Minister, Frank Vandenbroucke, called the EUโ€™s joint health technology assessment a model of European cooperation, improving medicine evaluation, reducing costs, and strengthening price negotiations.

Poland seeks cardiovascular health reform focusing on prevention, early detection

Cardiovascular diseases remain Polandโ€™s leading cause of death. Health experts are calling for urgent reforms, from enhanced screening to improved data collection and access to care.

New Geo-Political Challenges and the Past and Future of EU-Greenland Relations

  

Ulla Neergaard, Professor of EU Law, University of Copenhagen

Photo credit: Gordon Leggett, via Wikimedia Commons 

 

*This contribution draws upon Ulla
Neergaardโ€™s forthcoming work, โ€œโ€˜Eurarcticโ€™: Colonialism and EU-Greenland…

Germanyโ€™s outgoing coalition eases bloated doctor appointment system

โ€œGetting an appointment with a general practitioner is going to be much easier again – especially for those with statutory health insuranceโ€, said Health Minister Karl Lauterbach.

Security is the new safety

SNEAK PEEK โ€”ย ย The U.K. AISI drops โ€œsafetyโ€ for โ€œsecurityโ€ as it rebrands for the Trump era. โ€”ย DSIT and Anthropic ink a new partnership. โ€”ย Whatโ€™s happened to the porn review? Good morning and happy Friday, This is Tom, unable to find where Iโ€™ve hidden my wifeโ€™s Valentineโ€™s card. You can get in touch with your news, [โ€ฆ]

Les 30 couples de pouvoir les plus influents en 2025

A lโ€™occasion de la Saint-Valentin, POLITICO a listรฉ les couples les plus influents de lโ€™annรฉe.

Trump sets out process for imposing global reciprocal tariffs

The president tasked top Cabinet officials to study the matter further before deciding on specifics.

What is the โ€˜Paracetamol challengeโ€™ that has Europe nervous

Euractiv investigated the alleged dangerous trend that has national health authorities sounding the alarm.

RFK Jr. now runs Americaโ€™s health agencies

The United States Senate confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a 52-48 vote Thursday to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. He will be sworn in later today.

Polish court orders retrial of woman found guilty of helping terminate pregnancy

Judgment against Justyna Wydrzyล„ska overturned in symbolic moment for abortion rights movementA Polish court has ordered a retrial in the case of an activist found guilty of helping a woman to terminate her pregnancy in a symbolic moment for Polandโ€™s a…

Starlink looks pale in comparison with what Europeans can get

SNEAK PEEK โ€” Has Elon Muskโ€™s Starlink got a shot in Europe? Not really. โ€” The withdrawal of the EUโ€™s AI liability rules has fans and critics. โ€”ย Thereโ€™s a new report about the price tag of the Eurostack. Good morning and welcome to Morning Tech. Hi, this is Pieter, back in Brussels after frantic days [โ€ฆ]

Trumpโ€™s uphill battle to make NATO allies hit his mega defense spending target

There is broad agreement to boost defense spending โ€” but the U.S. president’s call for 5 percent of GDP is too much for most European countries.

The EUโ€™s ticking debt bomb โ€” and why it matters for its next budget

Repayment of the EU’s โ‚ฌ300 billion joint borrowing hangs like a cloud over the European Commission’s budget brainstorm.

Spain pushes to double EU budget to over โ‚ฌ2 trillion

Madrid wants governments to be jointly liable for borrowing huge amounts of money to boost the bloc’s coffers.

Les 9 personnalitรฉs ร  suivre au Sommet pour lโ€™IA ร  Paris

Les universitaires peuvent avoir autant dโ€™influence que les โ€œtech brosโ€ pour inciter les dirigeants politiques ร  investir dans cette technologie puissante et ร  en dรฉfinir les garde-fous.

5 times politicians were humiliated by WhatsApp leaks

Numerous UK politicos have found their group chats getting two ticks โ€” from the entire British public.

EU vows to react to Trumpโ€™s โ€˜unlawfulโ€™ tariffsย 

A truce on a 2018 trade dispute on steel and aluminum between Brussels and Washington is set to lapse at the end of March.ย 

Gonorrhea cases hit record high as STIs soar in Europe

Cases of syphilis and gonorrhea rose significantly from 2022 to 2023.

I asked to see Ursula von der Leyenโ€™s texts to Pfizerโ€™s boss and she went to court to stop me. Why the secrecy? | Alexander Fanta

Billions in EU Covid funding have gone unaccounted for. By hiding its business behind personal messaging, Brussels is dodging public scrutinyFor weeks during the height of the Covid pandemic in early 2021, the European Commission president, Ursula von …

The menace of deindustrialization in the EU โ€” and what we can do about it

Policymaking is not accountancy: in the medium and long term, the EU will be better off keeping factories within its borders.

Kosovo PM Albin Kurti wins election amid tensions with Brussels and Washington

His ruling party fell short of a majority and will need to find a coalition partner if it hopes to continue in power.

The โ€˜Gaza-ificationโ€™ of the West Bank

With a cease-fire holding in Gaza, Israel shifts its war to the West Bank.

Israel withdraws troops from key Gaza corridor under fragile cease-fire

Concerns are growing about talks on the second phase of the cease-fire deal.

Trumpโ€™s plan for โ€˜ethnic cleansingโ€™ in Gaza is illegal, says UN investigator

Navi Pillay, head of UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, also said she would support a charge of apartheid against Israel at the ICC.

Inside USAIDโ€™s undoing

Aides to the president and Elon Musk suspected USAID officials were trying to go around a funding freeze.

โ€˜New realityโ€™ hailed as Slovak protests against pro-Russia PM widen to small towns

More than 100,000 people hit the streets Friday across Slovakia and elsewhere in Europe to defend the country’s Western orientation.

Cocaine cash propels Brussels gang wars to dangerous heights, drugs czar says

The globalization of the illicit narcotics trade is hampering investigators โ€” but Brussels needs to score some quick societal wins, says Belgium’s drug commissioner after wave of shootings.

Fancy a stroll? Across Europe, young people like me are finding friends by walking our cities | Viola Di Grado

We are the post-pandemic flรขneurs: stepping out of social media silos to meet people and connect with the world around usWhen I moved back to London from Rome just before the second lockdown in 2020, I found a city that was hardly welcoming, with shops…

Advancing early care for cerebral palsy: the BornToGetThere project [Promoted content]

The BornToGetThere project has been set to advance early detection, surveillance, and intervention for infants at high risk of cerebral palsy. Coordinated by the University of Pisa, it brought together global partners to implement evidence-based practi…

Tony Blair picks his Labour rising stars

The former U.K. prime minister has quietly been meeting Labour’s new MPs โ€” and he’s not the only Blairite who’s at it.

Swedish SANT-MEP wants Pharma Package compromise this spring

Swedish MEP Jessica Polfjรคrd believes Poland has softened its position. She believes the Polish presidency wants to find a good compromise and get the legislation sealed.

Hungary floats WHO withdrawal after Trump and Milei exits

Comments from Viktor Orbรกn’s team suggest the exodus from WHO could continue.

Colombiaโ€™s president: Legalize cocaine, itโ€™s no worse than whiskey

Global drug trafficking could be “easily dismantled” if coke was “sold like wine,” according to the Latin American leader.

Turning aspirations into action for rare disease patients

Inspired by the rare disease communityโ€™s passionate drive to advance policies that provide equitable access to care, UCB spearheaded Aspire4Rare: a global initiative supporting the development of rare disease policies.

Milei to pull Argentina out of WHO, mirroring Trump

The WHO, which promotes health worldwide, is already making cutbacks following the loss of U.S. funding.

PMQs: Starmer wins as Badenochโ€™s scattergun approach falls flat

The Tory leader went for the government on the Chagos Islands and oil drilling โ€” but didn’t hone an effective argument.

Putin ally Schrรถder avoids Nord Stream 2 inquiry after burnout diagnosis

The former German chancellor is suffering from severe exhaustion, lack of energy, concentration and memory problems, his doctor says.

Tories express alarm at report saying cost of Chagos Islands deal has risen far beyond ยฃ9bn, saying itโ€™s โ€˜madnessโ€™ โ€“ as it happened

Priti Patel accuses Keir Starmer of being motivated by โ€˜leftie shameโ€™ at Britainโ€™s historyNigel Farage has said the UK could be โ€œfriendlyโ€ with the EU but did not outline what kind of ties with the bloc his party would support, PA Media reports. PA say…

Charge Greek coastguard officers over deadly shipwreck, says ombudsman

Investigation finds “series of serious and reprehensible omissions” in search and rescue duties.

An omega-3 dose a day could slow ageing process, โ€˜healthspanโ€™ trial finds

Daily gram of essential fatty acid leads to โ€˜three to four months rejuvenation of biological ageโ€™ over three yearsA daily dose of omega-3 oils may slow the ageing process, according to a major clinical trial of interventions that aim to extend humansโ€™ …

The Mediterranean diet is a lie

Italy’s food is supposed to be the world’s healthiest. So why are so many of its kids obese?

AI, new strategies could fast-track cerebral palsy detection, says award-winning researcher [Advocacy Lab Content]

Innovative solutions are driving change in the early diagnosis and intervention of cerebral palsy. Integrating AI into diagnostics and advancing research into neuroplasticity is finally engaging policymakers.
The post AI, new strategies could fast-trac…

Denmark strengthens nicotine and alcohol prevention to protect youth

Nightlife zones have been introduced in Denmark. No products with an alcoholic strength by volume of more than 6% can be sold to 16-17-year-olds. Stricter nicotine regulations take effect this summer.
The post Denmark strengthens nicotine and alcohol …

Early detection means early intervention โ€“ how Europe is advancing cerebral palsy diagnosis [Advocacy Lab Content]

Despite advances in neonatal care, cerebral palsy is often diagnosed too late, with the average age of diagnosis at around 18 months. New EU projects aim to change that.
The post Early detection means early intervention โ€“ how Europe is advancing cerebr…

Canada hits back against Trump tariffs: โ€œWe will not back downโ€

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada is ready to respond with 25 percent tariffs against C$155 billion worth of American goods.

Soft spaces out, stick-fighting in: Dutch call for the return of risky play

Encouraging kids to play with fire? Hear us out, says party worried by the Netherlandsโ€™ increasingly sedentary waysTen-year-old Jackie stood with a small pan in the flames of an open fire, chatting merrily, when her popcorn caught alight.With no sign o…

Nearly 180 detainees released by Israel, Hamas

As part of the cease-fire deal, Israel and Egypt on Saturday opened the Rafah border crossing, which has been closed for months.

Swedish government invests โ‚ฌ6,5 million to address health capacity shortages

Swedish doctors’ union fear proposed one-time medical interventions could crowd out priority operations.
The post Swedish government invests โ‚ฌ6,5 million to address health capacity shortages appeared first on Euractiv.

Why Starmer might need to bring back Blair

Britain’s prime minister is seemingly always overseas, and some allies wish heโ€™d delegate more of the diplomatic grind โ€” just as his predecessor did.

France leads fight against EU plans to merge health crisis and civil protection units

11 countries signed a paper to Ursula von der Leyen warning the move would downgrade Europe’s health crisis resiliency.

Delays to post-Brexit border checks may have let diseased chicken enter UK

Exclusive: Officials admitted in 2023 there were โ€˜no current border checksโ€™, as salmonella and other illnesses surgedUK health bosses privately admitted that a lack of border inspections in the wake of Brexit had left British consumers exposed to disea…

EU-funded project redefines cerebral palsy care through early detection and intervention [Advocacy Lab Content]

The ‘BornToGetThere’ program brings to clinical practice a suite of tools for early detection of cerebral palsy.
The post EU-funded project redefines cerebral palsy care through early detection and intervention appeared first on Euractiv.

โ€˜Goddamn, do somethingโ€™ โ€” years of warnings came before DCโ€™s air tragedy

Air traffic controller shortages, soaring travel demand, a surge of airport near-collisions and complaints of congressional dysfunction escalated before the U.S. saw its first fatal domestic airline crash since 2009.

Competitiveness Compass: A boon to pharma, a blow to public health?

The plan could turn into a โ€œfree pass to businesses for further deregulation and tax avoidance,” warned the head of the European Public Service Union
The post Competitiveness Compass: A boon to pharma, a blow to public health? appeared first on Euracti…

Commission to loosen rules on how countries deploy unspent EU cash

The aim is to accelerate spending to boost strategic investments across the bloc.

As Brexit turns 5, Brits celebrate with pricier booze

A new tax system means higher prices for some of the U.K.’s favorite tipples.

European court slams Italy over mafia toxic waste dumping

The vast amount of toxic waste in the area led to increased rates of cancer, the court found.

Whereโ€™s the Competitiveness Compass pointing?

The European Commission’s policy plans point to growth even as it tries to hold on to ambitious climate goals.

Greece launching its first quality-of-care strategy to transform healthcare

The Greek Health Minister told Euractiv that the government aims to create an environment in which patients can be confident that their care is of high quality and that their rights and values are respected.
The post Greece launching its first quality-…

โ€˜Groundbreakingโ€™: scientists develop patch that can repair damaged hearts

Cells taken from blood and โ€˜reprogrammedโ€™ into heart muscle cells may help patients with heart failureDamaged hearts can literally be patched up to help them work, say researchers, in what has been hailed as a groundbreaking development for people with…

Bird flu poses growing pandemic threat as virusย evolves

Mutations in the virus make is more likely to jump species, warn the EU’s disease and food agencies.

Von der Leyenโ€™s bid to boost business relies on government helpย 

The European Commission lays out its policy plans for the next five years to help turn the continent’s economy around.

Trumpโ€™s beef with the World Health Organization is personal

Heโ€™s said the UN bodyโ€™s head, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, treated China better than him during the pandemic.

Minister dismisses Tory suggestion Home Office prioritises โ€˜policing manosphereโ€™ over combating Islamist terrorism โ€“ UK politics live

Dan Jarvis rules out expanding the definition of extremism following leak of internal Home Office documentYvette Cooper to reject calls to expand definition of extremismQ: Are doctors able to recognise depression? And can they decide if that affects so…

Lithuanian defense minister calls for โ€˜balanceโ€™ between US and European arms dealsย ย 

Higher defense spending will not be financed by cutting the welfare state but by combining national and EU money, Dovilฤ— ล akalienฤ— told POLITICO.

Trumpโ€™s war on tech taxes is a big problem for Britain

U.S. tech lobby groups plan to use trade negotiations to push back against the U.K.โ€™s Digital Services Tax.

Ukraine war briefing: Shock as Trump aid freeze hits Ukrainian causes

Veteransโ€™ help and healthcare among NGOs whose USAid funding has been cut off; Hungary steps aside from blocking Russia sanctions. What we know on day 1,070 Continue reading…

Coca-Cola recalls drinks in Europe over โ€˜higher levelsโ€™ of chemical chlorate

Cans and bottles containing the chemical, which can cause health issues, were distributed in Britain at the end of last yearCoca-Cola has recalled its drinks in some countries across Europe after detecting โ€œhigher levelsโ€ of the chemical chlorate.Cans …

โ€˜It will kill peopleโ€™: Chaos, confusion after Trump halts US foreign aid

The new directive puts some aid organizations at risk of bankruptcy.

PFAS: Working toward a sustainable future while protecting patient care

Pharma and medtech companies are invited to join a project on PFAS exposure, emissions and end-of-life management in the health care sector

Trump vs. Xi: Who Will Win the Trade War?

Donald Trump launched a two-year trade war against China during his first term in the White House, and heโ€™s poised to do it again. Even before being sworn in, Trump threatened China with 60 percent tariffs to cut its trade surplus, 10 percent tariffs if it didnโ€™t halt fentanyl shipments and 100 percent tariffs if [โ€ฆ]

Emotional health of Europeโ€™s youth needs public-private collaboration boost, says new report [Advocacy Lab Content]

Youth mental health disorders have risen sharply, with the incidence of mental health problems among those aged 15 to 24 doubling in many EU countries.
The post Emotional health of Europe’s youth needs public-private collaboration boost, says new…

China hits back at CIA over Covid lab leak accusation

Several studies have said the virus originated naturally โ€” but U.S. intelligence changed its assessment over the weekend.

Latvia changes prescription pricing model, reduces copayments, supports EU joint procurement

“The calculations have shown a possible drop in prices for patients in total for both prescription and over-the-counter medicines by up to 20%,โ€ Abu Meri told Euractiv.
The post Latvia changes prescription pricing model, reduces copayments, supports E…

As conflict rates soar, misinformation is getting worse

We may not be able to change how people ingest information, but we can and should place guardrails around the evidence we use to inform the public.

UK Labour steals from the Rudy Giuliani playbook

Giuliani touted a “broken windows” push on low-level crime as New York mayor. Britain’s center-left government needs a similar win.

Trump says he wants to โ€˜clean outโ€™ Gaza Strip

U.S. president would like to see Arab countries take in more Palestinian refugees.

CIA says Covid-19 probably escaped Chinese lab but doesnโ€™t rule out natural origin

The US intelligence agency was previously on the fence about Covid-19’s origins.
The post CIA says Covid-19 probably escaped Chinese lab but doesn’t rule out natural origin appeared first on Euractiv.

Trump floats reversing decision to leave WHO

“Maybe we would consider doing it again. … Maybe we would have to clean it up a little bit,” Trump tells a rally in Las Vegas.

CIA now says Covid-19 is more likely to have originated from a lab leak

The intelligence agency has said for years it couldnโ€™t say with certainty where the pandemic originated from.

โ€˜I sense Brussels is ready to be bold and ambitiousโ€™: hope mixes with anger on Brexitโ€™s fifth anniversary

The union jack was lowered in Brussels this week in 2020. Today, despite the problems caused by leaving, a yearning for โ€˜Breturnโ€™ flowersAndrew Moss despairs, even now, when he thinks back to the end of January 2020. It was a painful, traumatic time fo…

Trump administration takes first anti-abortion move on world stage

Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a directive Friday to rejoin a global anti-abortion pact.

Von der Leyenโ€™s competitiveness plan to target ramp-up of critical medicine production

The upcoming Biotech Act will be part of the measures the Commission will target to turbo-charge investment and efficiency in the healthcare space
The post Von der Leyen’s competitiveness plan to target ramp-up of critical medicine production app…