EPPโ€™s flirtation with far rightย in Parliament sparks EU budget fiasco

It was a “mistake” to side with the far right in yet another migration quarrel, top EPP lawmaker said.

Press release – EU budget for 2025 to focus on research, health, education, and climate action

Parliament demands an EU budget for 2025 that focuses on improving people’s lives, boosting competitiveness, and addressing current challenges.Committee on Budgets Source : ยฉ European Union, 2024 – EP

Press release – Press conference: rapporteur Victor Negrescu on the EU budget 2025

The rapporteur for the 2025 EU budget will hold a press conference on Wednesday at 13:30 following the plenary vote on the EPโ€™s stance on the EU budget for 2025.Committee on Budgets Source : ยฉ European Union, 2024 – EP

2025 Budget: Parliament ready to defend EU4Health against the Council of the EU

The upcoming interinstitutional negotiations on the EU budget for 2025 are likely to be tense.

Brussels ducks responsibility for Cyprus waste scandal

An EU fraud investigation into a โ‚ฌ46 million waste treatment project remains stuck in bureaucratic gridlock.

EU plans cash help for farmers to overcome French resistance to Mercosur deal

A French diplomat described the proposal as โ€œan interesting option.โ€

G7โ€™s Ukraine loan is at risk

What began as a multilateral statement of support has morphed into a fragmented and precarious arrangement, plagued by internal political and legal wrangling.

The future of the EU budget behind the leak

In this episode, join host Giada Santana and economics and transport reporter Jonathan Packroff as they dive into MFFโ€™s current challenges, the perspectives of regional stakeholders, and what the future might hold.

EU Commission races to disburse pandemic recovery fund before 2026 deadline

Member states will have more leeway to revise their recovery plans if they can reduce ‘administrative burden’.

โ€˜Concerning trendโ€™ as bad EU spending keeps rising

Auditors found growing errors in the way the EU splashes its cash.

Commission defends budget spending after EU auditors flag โ€˜substantial errors increaseโ€™ in 2023

The fact that billions of euros were not spent following EU or national rules โ€œdoes not mean that the money is effectively misspent,” ECA president said.

The EUโ€™s year of doing nothing

Aftermath of the European election and the looming German vote have stopped the bloc from getting much work done.

Two proposed timetables put forward for commissioner hearings

See who’s up for a grilling in the European Parliament on which days.

Commissionโ€™s budget plans endanger the European project, says regions chief

Brussels’ bid to take power away from regions is ‘not acceptable’ according to Vasco Alves Cordeiro.

Polish MEP: Hard times ahead for commissioner hopefuls Serafin, Fitto, Hoekstra

Polandโ€™s Piotr Serafin will face many challenges if he succeeds in becoming the new EU budget commissioner, while Italian and Dutch commissioners-designate Raffaele Fitto and Wopke Hoekstra are likely to be grilled the most during parliamentary hearing…

Polandโ€™s Serafin comes out of the shadows to do the EUโ€™s toughest job

The man chosen to be the next budget commissioner will have to draw on all the skills he’s picked up over many years in Brussels.

Von der Leyenโ€™s first 100 days: What sheโ€™s promised, what it means and what sheโ€™ll really deliver

The Commission president is promising to move quickly with far-reaching reforms. How credible is her plan?

Von der Leyen announces โ‚ฌ35B EU loan for Ukraine

It will be financed from future profits on frozen Russian state assets.

Who holds the economic power in von der Leyenโ€™s new Commission?

Trade, competition, fiscal policy and the EU budget are among the most sought-after prizes on offer in the new EU executive. Euronews examines who is lined up to control key posts, and which embarrassing revelations might trip them up.

Hungary is โ€˜readyโ€™ to file lawsuit against Brussels in asylum fight, Budapest says

The Hungarian government said that instead of paying a โ‚ฌ200 million fine, it should actually get more money for border control.

Europeโ€™s Draghi report unleashed: These are the 5 things to watch

A blueprint to make the EU more competitive with the rest of the world is published on Monday. It’s likely to prove controversial.

The flip side of debt: The EUโ€™s urgent need for new resources

Agreeing on one-off common debt issuance was hardly a Hamiltonian moment โ€” but substantially increasing the blocโ€™s own resources may just bring us closer to one.

New Parliamentโ€™s co-lead on key budget file to call for funds expansion, bigger defence wallet

The EU needs a โ€œmoderateโ€ increase in its long-term budget, Siegfried Mureศ™an, the newly appointed chief negotiator for the European Parliament on the bloc’s upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), told Euractiv on Friday (6 September).

Live from Bruegel Annual Summit

EU policy thinktank Bruegel is hosting its annual summit on where legislation should go in the next five years. Check our live updates here for the key takeaways of the day

Bulgaria nominates a man and a woman for EU commissioner post

Sofia puts forward Ekaterina Zaharieva and Julian Popov.

Bulgaria calls new election, closes in on EU commissioner pick

Each of the major parties have put forward a candidate, with the interim prime minister yet to decide.

Greece targets regional funding post in next European Commission

Nominee Apostolos Tzitzikostas wants to oversee “cohesion” policy.

Romania to propose Victor Negrescu as EU commissioner

European Parliament vice president wants a portfolio touching on investment.

The European Commission hopefuls with one thing on their mind

EU governments are battling for their people to get roles linked to the economy.

Orbรกn isnโ€™t as isolated as you think

The Hungarian leader has been able to build a coalition of like-minded allies who share his strategic goal โ€” creating โ€œa Europe of nation states.โ€

Austria nominates Finance Minister Brunner as EU commissioner

He will have to compete against Irish and Dutch candidates for an economics portfolio.

Slovak elite investigators charged with abuse of power

The accused had all worked on a massive corruption case tied to Prime Minister Robert Fico and his political allies.

Czech MEP advocates EU budget support for high-cost gene and cell therapies [Advocacy Lab Content]

The rising cost of transformative therapies, which can run into millions of euros for each treatment, has prompted calls for innovative funding solutions, including support from the EU budget.

EU agriculture chief slams the idea of reform-linked funds for farmers

The idea of having an EU budget, including for agriculture, based on political conditions and milestones, as is the case with the blocโ€™s post-pandemic recovery fund, is “unacceptable,” the outgoing Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski told…

Is IRISยฒ heading for a rethink?

SNEAK PEEK โ€” The EUโ€™s IRISยฒ satellite communications network project is increasingly troubled. โ€” NATO seeks to make procuring arms faster, the allianceโ€™s procurement agency boss Stacy Cummings told me. โ€” The U.K. and Germany team up on defense as fears grow that U.S. presidential contender Donald Trump will ditch Ukraine if he wins in [โ€ฆ]

Klaus Welle talks defense commissioner, EU budget

SNEAK PEEK โ€” The European Parliamentโ€™s former secretary general, Klaus Welle, talks to Jacopo about the defense commissioner role, the EU budget, and why itโ€™s time for a full defense committee. โ€” U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey meets with counterparts from Japan and Italy today to discuss GCAP. โ€” European Parliament committees vote on their [โ€ฆ]

Money talks: Von der Leyenโ€™s winning pledges for Europe

Europe’s insurance sector became the latest to join the chorus of EU interest groups calling on the next Commission to foster a more pro-business regulatory framework – first and foremost, by following through with its pledge to slash reporting obligat…

Von der Leyen wants new EU budget to be โ€˜reinforcedโ€™ but details remain vague

Ursula von der Leyen walked a fine line in her speech to the European Parliament plenary on Thursday (18 July), signalling support for an enlarged EU budget and looser competition rules whilst remaining vague enough to appease both sides of the politic…

Macronโ€™s gamble creates major fiscal headaches for the EU

Thereโ€™s no politically easy way to find the fiscal space to address the challenges the EU faces. And Franceโ€™s political realities now compound the problem.

Borissov proposes government to save EU money promised to Bulgaria

GERB, the party of former prime minister Boyko Borissov which won Bulgaria’s recent elections, proposed a government on Monday whose main task will be to rescue the โ‚ฌ12 billion promised to Bulgaria under the EU Recovery Fund and the EU budget.

EU finalizes up to โ‚ฌ1B in aid to Egypt as part of migration deal

Brussels has made similar deals with Tunisia, Mauritania and Turkey to curb irregular migration into the EU.

The dirty little secret no politician will admit: There is no way to โ€˜go for growthโ€™

Everything now is just a euphemism for financial repression and austerity. That doesn’t stop politicians looking for magical alternatives.

Bardella revives market unease with pledge to claw back billions from EU

The leader of France’s National Rally reignited market unease after hinting that a major fight with the EU is still on the cards.

Far rightโ€™s Bardella vows โ€˜โ‚ฌ2 to โ‚ฌ3 billionโ€™ cut in French contribution to EU budget

Far right Rassemblement nationalโ€™s (RN) President Jordan Bardella told business leaders on Thursday (20 June) he would cut Franceโ€™s contribution to the EU budget by โ€œโ‚ฌ2 to 3 billionโ€ should he be appointed prime minister after the snap elections โ€“ thou…

Reform of EU cohesion policy inevitable, German official says

Before talking about a new round of joint EU debt, the EU would need to reform its current spending priorities, including regional development and agricultural support, Ole Funke, coordinator for EU fiscal policy at the German Chancellery said.

Hungary fined โ‚ฌ200M for breaking EU asylum rules

Budapestโ€™s snub of earlier ruling โ€œconstitutes an unprecedented and exceptionally serious breach of EU law,โ€ the court said.

Von der Leyen pledges โ‚ฌ1.4B for investments in Ukraine

Banks will be able to apply for EU budget support when investing in equity funds active in Ukraine, von der Leyen said.

EU budget spending needs serious re-thinking, OECD second-in-chief warns

Before talking about new sources of income for the EU budget โ€“ known as โ€˜own resourcesโ€™ โ€“ the EU should assess the efficiency of its current spending,ย Fabrizia Lapecorella, the deputy secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and D…

Surrounded by colonial history, Wilders campaigns against migration before EU vote

In his first and only offline campaign event, Dutch radical right politician Geert Wilders vows to change the EU from within.

Governments cool on plan to use EU budget to guarantee loan for Ukraine

But idea remains under discussion ahead of G7 summit next week.

Who is Germanyโ€™s Plan B commissioner if von der Leyen crashes out?

Green politicians Franziska Brantner and Sven Giegold are seen as Olaf Scholz’s most likely next nominees if Ursula von der Leyen flops.

EU defense commissioner: The flashy new job that ainโ€™t all itโ€™s cracked up to be

The bloc’s military powers are so weak that big names are likely to want a better Brussels post than defense chief.

Lame ducks Macron and Scholz will struggle to steer EUโ€™s post-election agenda

The fabled Franco-German engine is sputtering โ€” meaning the next EU top jobs and political priorities are all to play for after next week’s election.

Irelandโ€™s the ultimate defense freeloader

In effect, Dublin has abdicated responsibility of protecting the Europeโ€™s northwestern borders.

Macron tells Germans: Letโ€™s double the EU budget

French president said the spending splurge could be funded either by common borrowing or by using existing instruments.

Europeโ€™s far right cracks up. So what?

On the eve of the EU election, France’s National Rally party sees it as too risky to team up with Alternative for Germany.

EU too slow in getting back misspent funds, Court of Auditors warns

The European Commission is too slow when it comes to retrieving misspent EU funds, the EU Court of Auditors said in a new report published on Tuesday (7 May), noting that it takes particularly long for money that goes into third countries.

Ukraine wants to use EU money to grow its military-industrial complex

Kyiv wants to free itself from relying on its allies for arms and ammunition, but needs cash to do so.

Has the EU really just found โ‚ฌ400B it could spend on defense?

Europe’s rescue fund has nothing left to rescue. It could now become governments’ silver bullet for military investment instead.

EU shouldnโ€™t leave newer members behind, Dombrovskis says on enlargement anniversary

Twenty years after 10 countries in Central and Eastern Europe joined the EU, itโ€™s time for Ukraine and Moldova to join the club too, commissioner argues.

EU โ€˜should not rush to roll backโ€™ pandemic recovery fund, IMF chief warns

The EUโ€™s multibillion pandemic recovery fund is a โ€œsuccess storyโ€ that European policymakers โ€œshould not rush to roll backโ€, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Monday.

Bulgarian commissioner: To adequately finance R&D, the EU needs private capital

Iliana Ivanova, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth shared with Euractiv in an interview her views on how to fill the gap in financing of science and innovation in the member states which stands at โ‚ฌ100 billion …

Press release – Discharge: MEPs sign off EU budget for 2022

The European Parliament on Thursday granted discharge to the Commission, all decentralised agencies and the development funds.Committee on Budgetary Control Source : ยฉ European Union, 2024 – EP

Von der Leyen struggles to quell revolt over controversial business envoy pick

Commission’s top level tussle is a sign that political tensions are flaring ahead of European elections in June.

Hereโ€™s what a Le Pen presidency would really mean for France โ€” and the EU

The French publicโ€™s allegiance to the idea of Europe remains strong, but a a real understanding of the EU is weak โ€” which is why Le Pen’s de facto policy of dismantling it from the inside is poorly understood.

Lamborghini and Rolexes seized in massive EU police raid over โ‚ฌ600M Covid fraud

Cops said the organized crime group used “advanced technologies” including AI to produce false documents for laundering cash.

Von der Leyen wants to be a wartime president. Now she has to convince EU leaders.

Commission president wants to use a defense boost to help her get a second term.

Russia-Ukraine war: 900 Russian bombs launched at Ukraine in March, Zelenskiy says โ€“ as it happened

Russia attacking Ukraine with drones, guided bombs and missiles, says president; Kaja Kallas says spending should rise to over 3% GDPThe EUโ€™s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has said he will propose that the EU uses 90% of the revenues from Russia…

[Opinion] Ukraine’s accession is affordable โ€” but corruption is the worry

We estimate the total direct cost of Ukraine to current member states via the regular EU budget at โ‚ฌ19bn per year. But Ukraine’s feeble democratic institutions have been weakened by the war, writes Zsolt Darvas of Bruegel think-tank.

Ukraine’s accession could cost โ‚ฌ136 billion to the EU budget, new report estimates

Ukraine’s potential accession into the European Union could have an impact of between โ‚ฌ110 billion and โ‚ฌ136 billion on the bloc’s seven-year budget, according to a new report by the Bruegel think tank.

Ukraine war briefing: Macron says donโ€™t be โ€˜cowardsโ€™ as he digs in over ground troops remark

French president says he does not want escalation but allies cannot โ€˜look away and let things run their courseโ€™ โ€“ what we know on day 742See all our coverage of the war in UkraineEmmanuel Macron has urged Ukraineโ€™s allies not to be โ€œcowardsโ€ in support…

Hungary will oppose Mark Rutteโ€™s Nato candidacy, foreign minister says โ€“ as it happened

Mark Rutte fails to secure Hungary backing after Netherlands previously voiced concerns about democracy in the country. This live blog is closedAlong with the new strategy, the Commission has proposed a European Defence Industry Programme to โ€œbridge fr…

Press release – Parliament approves key budgetary support for Ukraine and the EU

MEPs approve long-term funding for Ukraine, the โ€œStrategic Technologies for Europe Platformโ€ (STEP), and associated major changes to the multi-year EU budget.Committee on Foreign AffairsCommittee on BudgetsCommittee on Industry, Research and Energy Sou…

Institutions should involve more citizens in EU budget decisions, experts say [Advocacy Lab Content]

Europeans should have more say when it comes to spending the EU budget, as a way to boost citizens’ participation in EU policymaking, a panel of experts on democratic processes said during a Euractiv event on Thursday (22 February).

EU must find โ€˜enormous amountโ€™ of money to face global challenges, Draghi says

The former ECB chief has been tasked with producing a high-level report on the EUโ€™s competitiveness.

EU moves toward using profits from frozen Russian assets for Ukraine

Brussels and G7 could use money generated by the frozen funds to rebuild the war-struck country.

How Giorgia Meloni and French hospitality got Orbรกn to OK Ukraine aid

EU leaders on Thursday reached a deal to provide โ‚ฌ50 billion in aid to Ukraine โ€” with even the Hungarian prime minister on board.

EU approves โ‚ฌ50B Ukraine aid as Viktor Orbรกn folds

The deal on Ukraine aid comes after a small group of leaders persuaded Hungary’s leader to drop his veto over the funding package.

Toilet diplomacy: How many bathroom breaks can the EU force Viktor Orbรกn to take?

To get approval for its budget, EU leaders could ask the Hungarian leader to once again leave the room.

Russia-Ukraine war: Hungary โ€˜openโ€™ to using EU budget for โ‚ฌ50bn Ukraine aid package with โ€˜caveatsโ€™ โ€“ย as it happened

Viktor Orbรกnโ€™s political director claims Brussels is โ€˜using blackmail against Hungary like thereโ€™s no tomorrowโ€™ over aid for Ukraine. This live blog is closed Continue reading…