European Union

Roughly 1,000 Belarusians joined an unauthorised demonstration on Saturday (7 December) against the prospect of a closer union with Russia.

Britain votes on Thursday (12 December) in a crucial general election that will determine whether the country leaves the European Union next month or sets out a path to potentially reverse Brexit.

France is ready to go to the World Trade Organization to challenge US President Donald Trump's threat to put tariffs on champagne and other French goods in a row over a French tax on internet companies, its finance minister said on Sunday (8 December).

Health data belonging to millions of UK National Health Service (NHS) patients has been sold under license to US companies and global pharmaceutical firms, in a move that is likely to inflame tensions between the UK government and privacy campaigners in the run up to the December 12 election.

Arms sales rose by nearly five percent worldwide in 2018 in a market dominated by the United States, according to a new report published Monday (9 December) by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

The COP is meant to pave the way for countries to raise their climate ambition before the end of crucial year 2020. Climate negotiators know that they are under tight scrutiny from stakeholders, first and foremost cities, businesses, and Fridays for Future.

Because there is still a small number of nations blocking progress in implementing the Paris Agreement, and cities already feel their impact of climate change, they are ready to take the lead in fighting global warming, Milan's mayor and C40 network Vice-Chairman Giuseppe Sala told EURACTIV in an interview. 

British cyber security officials are investigating whether classified UK-U.S. trade documents that were shared online ahead of Thursday’s election (December 12) were acquired by hacking or were leaked, two sources told Reuters.

Finland’s Social Democratic party appointed transport minister Sanna Marin as prime minister on Sunday (8 December), meaning all five leaders of the ruling parties are now women.

A €9-million report on the state of species and natural habitats in Bulgaria, paid for with EU taxpayers’ money, may in fact be a sham, Valia Ahchieva reports.

The EU's new economy commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said the bloc should consider loosening its strict budget deficit rules to respond to climate risks and weak growth, echoing a similar call by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Thousands of people gathered in the center of Kyiv on Sunday (8 December) to send a message to Ukraine’s president, who meets his Russian counterpart on Monday,  that Ukrainians will not accept a peace deal at the cost of the country’s independence and sovereignty.

It’s the new Commission’s first weeks in office and climate is in the spotlight, with a European Green Deal expected to be tabled on 11 December. To succeed, the deal needs to enshrine increased climate ambition for the next decade, align the EU budget accordingly and boost EU support to developing countries, writes Wendel Trio.

With workplace transitions on the rise we need to ensure that they are accompanied by some form of stability and security. The arrival of a new European Commission provides the perfect opportunity to reflect on how to reform Europe’s social protection systems, writes Michael Freytag.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen assured Africa of the EU's strong support during a visit to Ethiopia on Saturday (7 December), her first trip outside Europe since assuming her post.

Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) officially elected Saskia Esken and Norbert Walter-Borjans as the new chairmen at a national conference on Friday (6 December). There was no vote about remaining in the Grand Coalition with the CDU/CSU conservatives, but the new leadership appears to have 'declared war' on them. EURACTIV Germany reports.

The opposition Labour party has used a leaked government document to accuse Boris Johnson of lying about new customs checks between Northern Ireland and Britain..

After having failed to have a gender-balanced Commission, the first female Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently announced that she had achieved gender parity in all the cabinets at administrative level. But the real power-sharing in incoming Commissioners’ offices...

Bermuda wants to leave behind its reputation as a tax haven to become a Fintech hub. In an interview with EURACTIV.com, the premier of the UK’s overseas territory, David Burt, said the island could come out of the EU’s 'grey list' of tax havens early next year. But he criticised a global minimum tax as he praised tax competition among countries.

In one of his first public appearances, Olivér Várhelyi, Commissioner for neighbourhood and enlargement, said on Thursday (4 December) reviving civil society and economy by reaching out to youth would be his priority in the context of Eastern Partnership.