Parliamentโ€™s right-wing majority puts EU ethics body in the crosshairs

Lawmakers claim right-wing coalition is using procedural tricks to “obstruct” implementation.

How von der Leyen blindsided Brussels with her deregulation drive

The Commission president is pushing a sweeping, rapid and centralized agenda to โ€œsimplifyโ€ EU rules โ€” and not everyone in Brussels is thrilled.

Victims of international crimes need justice โ€” and the ICC

We call on the EUโ€™s member countries and institutions to be the voice of human dignity globally, and to mobilize, defend and support the court.

Vanceโ€™s week of waging war on EU tech law

The U.S. vice president attacked Europe’s regulations governing American Big Tech giants and online speech.

Brussels power couples โ€”ย 2025 edition

Love is in the air in the halls of power.

Press release – European Parliament President Metsola visits Israel, Gaza and West Bank

During her official visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories, EP President Metsola was the first European leader to enter Gaza in more than a decade. Source : ยฉ European Union, 2025 – EP

Court says European Parliament must release confidential harassment reports

New judgement sets a precedent for greater transparency in future cases

Press release – Human rights breaches in Tรผrkiye, Nicaragua and Nigeria

On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted human rights resolutions on Tรผrkiye, Nicaragua and Nigeria.Subcommittee on Human Rights Source : ยฉ European Union, 2025 – EP

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.

Hungary’s Orban says far-right AfD is the ‘future of Germany’

Emboldened by his ‘dear friend’ US President Donald Trump’s return to power, Hungary’s nationalist leader has vowed to ‘occupy Brussels’ by bringing together far-right parties in the European Parliament.

‘A lose-lose scenario’: World leaders vow to retaliate against Trump’s metal tariffs โ€“ video

The US’s decision to to resume 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium imports will fuel inflation and create a ‘lose-lose scenario’, the EU trade commissioner, Maroลก ล efฤoviฤ, told the European parliament on Tuesday. He added that the EU ‘will be respondin…

Danish MEP slams โ€˜absurdโ€™ proposal to rename Greenland โ€˜Red, White and Bluelandโ€™

Member of Congress said the U.S. will “proudly welcome” Greenlanders to “join the freest nation to ever exist.”

Press release – Ruslan Stefanchuk: โ€œPeace in Ukraine can only be achieved if we stay strongโ€

On Tuesday, the Chair of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, addressed a formal sitting of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.Committee on Foreign Affairs Source : ยฉ European Union, 2025 – EP

Virkkunen stands firm on American pushback against EU tech laws

SNEAK PEEK โ€” The EU plans to raise the American pushback against tech law with the U.S., said tech boss Henna Virkkunen. She also promised a more โ€œinnovation-friendlyโ€ AI regulatory framework. โ€” Rolling out AI should mean talking to workers and helping them gain new skills, said EESC president Oliver Rรถpke. Failing to get it [โ€ฆ]

Inside the divided coalition coming for the Green Deal

Intentionally or not, concerned businesses, the ascendant far right and traditional conservatives are coming together to rewrite green rules.

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.

Macron picks close ally to lead court that could decide Le Penโ€™s fate

Richard Ferrand’s appointment drew criticism even before being made official.

Europe’s far right in Trump’s shadow

Buoyed by Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the far-right Patriots for Europe group met in Madrid on Saturday. Their leaders’ speeches were marked by contradictions, demonstrating the ambiguities that prevail within the third largest group in t…

Europe’s far right in Trump’s shadow

Buoyed by Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the far-right Patriots for Europe group met in Madrid on Saturday. Their leaders’ speeches were marked by contradictions, demonstrating the ambiguities that prevail within the third largest group in t…

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.

New ecodesign rules freeze out Europeโ€™s local space heaters

Proposed EU rules could see almost 100% of solid fuel local space heaters disappear from the European market, destroying European jobs, growth and competitiveness, warns CEFACD

The EUโ€™s new AI mantra: Weโ€™re open for business

The European Union has pivoted to cheering AI innovation, laying less emphasis on rules that curb potential threats.

In Madrid, Europe’s far right looks to Trump as a role model

Patriots for Europe, the far-right group created in July in the European Parliament, held its first summit in the Spanish capital on Saturday. From Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, all see Trump as a harbi…

EU far-right parties rally in Madrid behind slogan ‘Make Europe Great Again’

After last year’s European Parliament elections, in which far-right parties performed strongly in several countries, a rally Saturday in Madrid was a meant as a show of force by the EU parliament’s biggest far-right bloc. The rally adopted the slogan …

Looking at Trump, Europeโ€™s far right vows to โ€˜reconquerโ€™ the continent

โ€œOur friend Trump, the Trump tornado, has changed the world in just a couple of weeks,โ€ Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbรกn tells far-right rally in Madrid.

Georgia ramps up restrictions on media, NGOs with drastic new laws

The fresh restrictions come amid a political crisis over disputed elections and the government’s reversal on its EU membership bid.

EU far-right parties rally in Madrid behind slogan ‘Make Europe Great Again’

After last year’s European Parliament elections, in which far-right parties performed strongly in several countries, a rally Saturday in Madrid was a meant as a show of force of the EU parliament’s biggest far-right bloc. The rally adopted the slogan …

Putinโ€™s disinformation networks flood social media in bid to skew German election

A Kremlin-backed campaign is trying to influence voters ahead of Feb. 23 poll, according to government report obtained by POLITICO.

Serbian lithium mine European Parliament film screening fuels dispute

The European Union needs lithium for its energy transition and is eagerly eyeing huge reserves in northern Serbia, but twenty years after making the discovery in the Jadar valley, Rio Tintoโ€™s ambitions to mine the site remain stuck in a mire of environ…

Alzheimerโ€™s group slams hard-left French MEP for โ€˜disrespectfulโ€™ joke

Lawmaker’s office deletes TikTok video that “may have offended people.”

How do you get a German to vote? Give them free beer of course!

The pilsner plan is finding parts of the electorate other initiatives can’t reach.

Chinaโ€™s online shopping boom faces EU crackdown

The European Commission plans more customs checks and fees to stem flood of low-value parcels from China.

Rightwing MEPs threaten huge funding freeze for environmental NGOs

Freeze to EUโ€™s LIFE programme funding would deprive 30 NGOs of up to 70% of annual incomesSeveral environmental NGOs could be effectively shut down in Europe, if a defunding push by rightwing MEPs is successful, campaigners say.At the same time that ce…

Press release – โ€œEurope must be responsible for its own securityโ€, Metsola tells EU leaders

At the informal European Council meeting on defence, the European Parliament President Metsola outlined her vision on how Europe can and must strengthen its own security and defence. Source : ยฉ European Union, 2025 – EP

The EUโ€™s AI bans come with big loopholes for police

The EU’s AI Act bans some โ€œunacceptableโ€ use of the technology but critics say the law is riddled with security exemptions.

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?

Brussels vows โ€˜firmโ€™ response to potential Trump tariffs as EU braces for trade war

European Commission says the bloc “regrets” new U.S. tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China.

German conservatives to back Weber for second term as EPP leader

Friedrich Merzโ€™s CDU is set to endorse the EPP head on Sunday, boosting Weber’s chances at a decisive party congress in April.

FIFA launches fervent defense of Saudi Arabia World Cup in letter to EU lawmakers

MEPs had criticized the world football governing body for awarding the 2034 tournament to the Gulf petromonarchy.

EU fertilizer dilemma: How to kill Putinโ€™s profits without hitting farmers

Tariffs on Russian fertilizers aim to hit Moscowโ€™s war machine. Europe’s growers are still angry.

France to EU: Concede nothing yet to Trump in trade war

Paris is joining a growing chorus of countries casting doubt on an EU push to buy more gas from the U.S.

EU Parliament deeply divided over AI liability directive

The Directive should not create additional burdens on companies, JURI rapporteur Axel Voss told Euractiv.
The post EU Parliament deeply divided over AI liability directive appeared first on Euractiv.

EU decorum cracks over green agenda

Normally taciturn officials spar online over climate policy and reveal a deep split within the EU.

Chasing the Don: How EU politicians are jockeying for position with Trump

From Nigel Farage to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, EU politicians are competing for the privilege of being Europe’s Trump whisperer.

EU, seeking to woo Trump, offers to team up with US on China

The EU, the U.S. and Japan already teamed up in Trumpโ€™s first term to counter the competitive threat posed by China.

EU inks โ‚ฌ3B deal with Jordan amid deportation push

The deal is the latest in a series designed to shore up regional governments and pave the way for deportations.

Greenland should rejoin the EU for โ€˜protection,โ€™ Danish MEP says

โ€œClearly the situation has changed dramatically since โ€™85,โ€ when Greenland left the EU, senior lawmaker says.

Von der Leyen builds bonfire of EUโ€™s environmental red tape

Brussels hopes simplifying green compliance rules will boost Europe’s flagging economy. Green groups fear something more sinister.

Europeโ€™s AI hopes rebound after DeepSeek success

New Chinese model suggests winning the AI race could be done on the cheap.

Orbรกn, Le Pen to hold โ€˜Make Europe Great Againโ€™ rally in Madrid

Patriots party prepping up grand far-right lovefest.

Letโ€™s kill the Green Deal together, far-right leader urges EUโ€™s conservatives

Jordan Bardella thinks he can convince the European People’s Party to suspend EU climate legislation.

Ultranationalist Algerian influencers wage war on France

Several online activists have been arrested over the past few weeks for inciting violence. Some have TikTok accounts with more than 400,000 followers.

Lukashenko wins โ€˜shamโ€™ election in Belarus with 87.6 percent of vote

“This is a blatant affront to democracy. Lukashenko doesnโ€™t have any legitimacy,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.

MEPsโ€™ battle on EU NGO funding clampdown rages on

“I have to admit that it was inappropriate … to oblige NGOs to lobby members of the European Parliament” Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin weighed in
The post MEPs’ battle on EU NGO funding clampdown rages on appeared first on Euractiv.

Trump uses Davos to moan about EU red tape

“You can’t compete when you can’t go through the approval process fast,โ€ the U.S. president said.

Dead womanโ€™s body lay undiscovered in Brusselsโ€™ European Quarter hotel

A spokesperson for the Brussels prosecutorโ€™s office says the death did not appear suspicious.

Press release – Composition of Parliamentโ€™s new committees released

The names of the members of the two upgraded committees and two new special committees were announced by the European Parliament on Thursday.Committee on Constitutional Affairs Source : ยฉ European Union, 2025 – EP

Press release – Human rights breaches in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iran and Algeria

On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted three resolutions about the respect for human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iran and Algeria.Subcommittee on Human Rights Source : ยฉ European Union, 2025 – EP

The Guardian view on Belarusโ€™s election: broken democratic dreams | Editorial

Five years after an inspiring democracy movement almost toppled Alexander Lukashenko, his brutal rule remains intact. The west must do more to helpIn the summer of 2020, Belarus appeared to be on the cusp of an extraordinary democratic revolution. On t…

EU lawmakers left and right rush to secure line to Trumpโ€™s US

The far right has made the running so far but mainstream parties hope to increase contact.

Europe needs to be armed to survive, says Donald Tusk

“There is no choice,” the Polish prime minister warned in an address to the European Parliament.

US thinktank climate science deniers working with rightwingers in EU parliament

Representatives of Heartland Institute linking up with MEPs to campaign against environmental policiesClimate science deniers from a US-based thinktank have been working with rightwing politicians in Europe to campaign against environmental policies, t…

EUโ€™s Clean Industrial Deal to cover six themes from energy prices to trade

The contours of a mammoth industrial decarbonization strategy are taking shape ahead of its Feb. 26 unveiling.

EUโ€™s biggest secessionist movement is losing momentum

And Catalonia’s new President wants to shoot it dead.

Elon Muskโ€™s โ€˜Naziโ€™ salute sparks fury from Europeโ€™s left wing

Lawmakers and media pour scorn on the key adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump.

MEPs to tackle Hungarian espionage case amid spyware legislative vacuum

At the moment, EU law does not protect EU officials against spyware.ย 
The post MEPs to tackle Hungarian espionage case amid spyware legislative vacuum appeared first on Euractiv.

Poland fumes over US block on AI chips

Poland styles itself as a key US ally, but the chip restriction threatens to impact its ambitious military expansion on Putin’s border.

Manfred Weber to seek reelection as EPP president

The Bavarian conservative may well be in charge of the EPP for another three years as of April.

How the EUโ€™s privacy watchdog lost the European Parliament

Insiders say Wojciech Wiewiรณrowski’s intranigence cost him the support of conservatives.
The post How the EU’s privacy watchdog lost the European Parliament appeared first on Euractiv.

Former MEP Maria Arena charged in Qatargate scandal

Ex-S&D politician is charged with participating in a criminal organization, more than two years after the corruption scandal broke.

European Parliament finally devises plan to force lawmakers to actually turn up

Debate after debate, MEPs often speak to an empty chamber. A trial next week could change all that.

Commission approves new Bank of America role for EUโ€™s Musk nemesis Breton

“How is this not a lobbying gig?” asks a Greens MEP.

Nationality to take over ideology in MEP debate on Mercosur

The hearing is just a foretaste of a debate that will rage in the European Parliament over the coming weeks and months.
The post Nationality to take over ideology in MEP debate on Mercosur appeared first on Euractiv.

Worldโ€™s far-right populists pack guest list for Trumpโ€™s inauguration

While itโ€™s not usual to invite foreign dignitaries, Trump is laying down a clear ideological marker with his invitees from across the world.

Austriaโ€™s Kickl brings Europeโ€™s anti-populist firewall crashing down

Herbert Kickl’s rise ends a firewall that has kept populist politicians out of power in EU countries for decades.

Keep calm, Austriaโ€™s acting leader tells EU as far right looms

Alexander Schallenberg reassures officials that pro-Russian chancellor would be restrained.

Morawiecki to be elected ECR party president

He will take the baton from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Rethink welfare to finance military splurge, NATO boss tells European Parliament

If spending doesn’t rise, then MEPs should “get out your Russian language courses or go to New Zealand.”

50 years supporting better policies for a strong social Europe

By providing specialized data and research, Eurofound has long contributed to a stronger, fairer Europe โ€” in todayโ€™s climate, its mission has never been more essential

Germanyโ€™s far right seeks electoral legitimacy from Trump administration

The AfD is using Elon Muskโ€™s endorsement to reach out to Donald Trump โ€” and to appear more acceptable at home ahead of a national election.

Musk, Meta fuel far-right attack against EU tech โ€˜censorshipโ€™

Far-right lawmakers feel empowered to step up their attacks against EU social media rules.

Press release – MEPs to discuss European and global security with NATO Secretary General Rutte

On Monday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will make his first official visit to the European Parliament since taking office on 1 October 2024.Committee on Foreign Affairs Source : ยฉ European Union, 2025 – EP

Elon Muskโ€™s man in the European Parliament

Independent MEP Fidias Panayiotou met the billionaire in 2023 and has taken his line on some big political issues, from Ukraine to digital rules.

Doctors present first barrier for rare diseaseย patientsย 

Overcoming the doctor’s ego is a first hurdle for many rare disease patients in search of a diagnosis.

Polandโ€™s presidential election set for May 18

The election will be a make-or-break moment for the government of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

Romania sets new election date, but risks same result

Unless he is banned, ultranationalist Cฤƒlin Georgescu seems very much in the race for a presidential rerun in May.

French far rightโ€™s Zemmour to attend Trump inauguration, leaving Le Pen scrambling for a way

The pundit-turned-politician could be a potential ally for the president-elect and Elon Musk as the tech billionaire wades deeper into European politics.

In Austriaโ€™s Kickl, the EU has its next Orbรกn

Vienna could be about to get its first far-right leader since World War II. Europe’s mainstream sees trouble brewing.

13 times Elon Musk meddled in politics

The X owner and Donald Trump pick will never, ever stop posting โ€” governments be damned.

Pressure mounts on EU to use legal weapons against Muskโ€™s interference

European Commission says it will study whether X gives unfair boost to far right in German election.

Musk โ€˜readyโ€™ to provide Meloni with Starlink secure comms

News of the talks comes shortly after the Italian PM visited President-elect Donald Trump in Florida.

Polandโ€™s PiS hopes its underdog presidential candidate defeats the odds

The two lead candidates are sparring over who has the ear of ordinary Poles.

Venezuela puts a price on the head of exiled opposition candidate

Spain granted Edmundo Gonzรกlez Urrutia asylum on 20 December after Venezuela announced charges of conspiracy and racketeering against him.
The post Venezuela puts a price on the head of exiled opposition candidate appeared first on Euractiv.

Belgian mayors call for Europe-wide ban on sale of fireworks

Animal rights activists, however, say a nationwide ban in Belgium should come first.