European Union

The Euro Group has agreed to unlock a further bailout loan to Greece, just a few days after the Greek parliament passed additional austerity measures. The country will also receive debt relief in addition to the 10.3 billion euro package. Is this the eagerly awaited end of the Greek debt drama?

The EU Commission's ultimatum to Poland expired on Monday. Although Warsaw has not responded to the EU's concerns about its reform of the Constitutional Tribunal, Brussels has refrained from issuing an official reprimand. Instead a prolongation of discussions has been agreed on. Should Brussels take a tougher stance vis-à-vis Warsaw?

Green Party candidate Alexander Van der Bellen has won Austria's presidential election, beating Norbert Hofer of the Freedom Party by a narrow margin of roughly 31,000 votes. The country has shown that its political landscape is more colourful than many believe, some commentators write with relief. Others view Hofer's strong showing as an alarm signal for all Europe.

Demonstrators have been blocking refineries and petrol depots in France for days in protest at the controversial labour market reform. The Socialist government hopes to liberalise French labour laws with the legislation. Who can bring real change to the country at this stage?

In the refugee crisis the collaboration between the EU and Turkey has increasingly come under the public spotlight. Journalists and academics discuss how much the two sides need each other and who stands to gain or lose from closer cooperation.

Nato inaugurated a new missile defence site at a military base in the locality of Deveselu in Romania in mid May. Another such site is to be set up in northern Poland. The Alliance also plans to boost its troops in Poland and the Baltic states. Commentators in Latvia view the plans and a book by a former Nato general with great concern.

Welcome to Wednesday’s edition of our daily Brussels Briefing. To receive it every morning in your email in-box, sign up here.

After months of agonising, the European Commission’s investigation into internet platforms is set to arrive with a bit of a whimper.

Fears of an all-encompassing inquisition into internet platforms – with commission officials bursting into the offices of Facebook and Google like a Monty Python sketch – have not come to pass.

"Nobody expects the European Commission."

Read more