European Union

Polish state-owned oil company Orlen will take over 20 of Poland’s leading regional newspapers, Orlen CEO Daniel Obajtek announced on Monday – something the government’s critics have long seen as a key element in the ruling camp’s plan to further...

The scope of online platforms that will come under new regulatory prohibitions as part of the  European Commission's forthcoming Digital Markets Act (DMA) will be narrowly targeted to a set of 'big operators,' the EU executive has revealed.

The worldwide effort to prevent Earth from becoming an unlivable hothouse is in the grips of "net zero" fever.

The Dutch government is presenting €58.5 million to combat loneliness in young people and young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, the country’s ministry of health announced on Monday. According to The Hague, young people are now able to do...

The European Union is leading the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and has a lot to be proud of. Yet, many challenges are still lying ahead, writes Virginijus Sinkevičius.

Irish low-cost airline Ryanair has launched legal action against the European Commission over its decision to approve the Dutch government’s €3.4 billion in state aid for national carrier KLM.

Hundreds of women and children, many of them relatives of foreign fighters, are interned in the al-Hawl camp in Northeast Syria and have created “a miniature version of the Islamic State (IS)", which risks becoming a breeding ground and risk for Europe's security.

Spain's economy will do slightly better than previously forecast, with a 2.4% GDP increase by the end of this month, the country's Inclusion and Social Security Minister José Luis Escrivá predicted on Tuesday (8 December). EFE reports.

In the transport sector, the most cost-efficient climate emission reductions can be made in the maritime segment, write Loes Knotter and Eric van den Heuvel.

With the implementation of the IGB (Greece-Bulgaria) interconnector, Bulgaria could reduce its dependence on imported Russian gas by 50%, but the project, declared a priority more than ten years ago, continues to be delayed. EURACTIV Bulgaria reports.

Nine out of 10 people in dozens of poor nations could miss out on getting vaccinated against COVID-19 next year because rich countries have hoarded far more doses than they need, campaigners said on Wednesday (9 December).

France's foreign minister told his Turkish counterpart on Tuesday that a new, positive relationship with the EU could only happen if Ankara clarified its position on several subjects, Reuters reports. "On the eve of the European Council ... the minister recalled the French and European requirements for clarifications, which are a necessary condition for the resumption of a constructive relationship," French foreign ministry spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll said.

Four MEPs from Italy's anti-establishment party, the 5 Star Movement, are to join the Green group in the European Parliament (EP), boosting the number of its members from 69 to 73 when the move is formalised Wednesday, Politico reports. The Italians - Ignazio Corrao, Piernicola Pedicini, Eleonora Evi, and Rosa D'Amato - had backed Green positions against their own party. The 5 Star Movement is unattached to any EP group.

The European Commission has a clear long-term objective of supporting green hydrogen produced 100% from renewables, but the EU will also rely on fossil-based hydrogen with carbon storage as a stepping stone in order to grow the market in the early stages, a senior EU official has said.

Brown bears, wolves, lynxes, and birds got the most money from the EU's 'Life' conservation fund between 1992 and 2018, according to a study published by Britain's Royal Society Tuesday, while insect and crustaceans, which are vital for ecosystems and more at risk of extinction, got almost zero. "There are also lots of 'charismatic' species in the invertebrate world," one of the researchers, Italy's Stefano Mammola, told The Guarduian.

The COVID-19 pandemic may have temporarily derailed plans for an EU-African partnership but it has also underscored the need for such a partnership, writes Carlos Lopes.

German women earned, on average, 19 percent less than men in 2019, according to the Federal Statistics Office. The figure inched down from 20 percent the year before, but was still worse than the EU average of 15 percent. Women also earned 6 percent less than men in Germany in jobs with the same hours and qualifications as men. Estonia had the biggest EU unadjusted pay gap on 22 percent.

Germany and EU institutions have voiced dismay over Bulgaria's ongoing veto on North Macedonia accession talks.

The Brussels office of Transparency International says a new deal struck by all three EU institutions to expand a joint register of lobbyists has major shortcomings. The current register covers lobbyists working with the European Commission and the European Parliament. It is now set to also include the Council, representing member states. But Transparency International says the latest plan still fails to set out mandatory, minimum, lobby-transparency standards.

An internal report of the Dutch health ministry, leaked on Tuesday, says that the closing of bars and restaurants did not have an effect on the Covid-19 reproduction number, De Standaard writes. According to the report, people were mainly infected at home via unsafe contact. Earlier this week, representatives of bars, restaurants and hotels demonstrated in The Hague, asking for more support.