EurActiv - European Union Information Website (EU and Europe)

The new European Commission (LinksDossier)

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 09:00:00 +0100

The selection of a new European Commission, never the simplest of political tasks, has this year been more complex than ever. Politically and institutionally, 2009 came with a whole range of permutations regarding the 'how?', 'when?' and 'who?' of the next EU executive.

Europe's Green parties seek expansion strategy (News)

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 08:45:00 +0100

Building on their successes in France and Germany at the recent EU elections, the European Green Party is launching an offensive to strengthen representation in Eastern and Southern European countries, where they have no elected parliamentarians.

National Parliaments and the EU (LinksDossier)

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 09:00:00 +0100

National parliaments have come to play an increasingly important role in the functioning of the EU, cooperating with the European Commission and the European Parliament as well as with each other. The Lisbon Treaty further strengthens their influence on EU decision-making.

French influence remains modest in EU Parliament (News)

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 07:35:00 +0100

Despite increasing its representation in key committee posts, France remains far behind Germany and the United Kingdom in terms of influence in the new European Parliament. EurActiv France reports.

EU elections seen as irrelevant, survey finds (News)

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:45:00 +0100

A third of voters who decided not to use their ballot in this summer's European Parliament elections only made their decision in the final days of the election campaign, according to a European Parliament Eurobarometer survey conducted in the month following the June poll.

Harbour: Public procurement to drive recovery (Interview)

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 08:00:00 +0100

Public procurement should become the driver of new technology developments and the main vehicle for economic recovery, Malcolm Harbour MEP, the new head of the European Parliament's internal market committee, told EurActiv in an interview.

Public procurement tipped to drive EU recovery (News)

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 07:40:00 +0100

Public procurement should become the driver of new technology developments and the main vehicle for economic recovery, Malcolm Harbour, the new head of the European Parliament's internal market committee, told EurActiv in an interview.

EU countries ranked for 'influence potential' (News)

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 07:30:00 +0100

Germany is over-represented in the European Parliament, giving it a correspondingly high potential to influence EU policies, while other countries are at disadvantage, according to a recent report by a Romanian think-tank. EurActiv Romania reports.

The UK Tories' European policy: The road to oblivion (Analysis)

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 08:51:02 +0100

The tone of UK Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague's 21 July speech to the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London "takes us back to Winston Churchill's image of Britain at the centre of three concentric circles: transatlantic, Commonwealth and European - a world that no longer exists," writes Stanley Crossick, founder of the European Policy Centre, in a July post on Blogactiv.

MEP: Social policy a central plank in future recovery (Interview)

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:00:00 +0100

In an interview with EurActiv France, French Socialist MEP Pervenche Berès highlighted the importance of including a social dimension in the battle to solve Europe's economic problems, and questioned the decision to award the European Parliament's important economic committee chair to an English Liberal MEP.

Social policy central to future recovery, says French MEP (News)

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 11:50:36 +0100

Eastern Europe big loser in Parliament horsetrading (News)

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 07:55:00 +0100

Prominent Eastern European MEPs feel their countries are under-represented on European Parliament committee executives, EurActiv has learned. Meanwhile, as horsetrading drew to a close, it emerged that France had punched below its weight, according to experts.

MEP: EU climate vow separate from Copenhagen deal (Interview)

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:00:00 +0100

"Our engagement for climate protection should be independent from Copenhagen," the newly-elected chair of the European Parliament's environment committee, German Social Democrat MEP Jo Leinen, told EurActiv in an interview, stressing that "if Copenhagen is a success, all the better; if not, we have to stick to our job".

EU climate vow 'separate' from Copenhagen deal (News)

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:00:00 +0100

"Our engagement for climate protection should be independent from Copenhagen," the newly-elected chair of the European Parliament's environment committee, German Social Democratic MEP Jo Leinen, told EurActiv in an interview, stressing that "if Copenhagen is a success, all the better; if not, we have to stick to our job".

EU Parliament puts Barroso bid on ice (News)

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 07:50:00 +0100

Signalling a nerve-wracking wait for European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, leaders of the European Parliament's political groups have agreed to delay until 10 September their decision on when to stage a vote on the Portuguese's bid for a second term at the EU executive's helm.

Strasbourg woos MEPs in new charm offensive (News)

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 11:55:00 +0100

The host city of the European Parliament's plenary sessions has launched a series of initiatives aimed at strengthening its image as a symbol of post-war European reconciliation and fending off accusations that the assembly's monthly trek to Strasbourg is a waste of taxpayers' money.

MEPs elect committee chairs (News)

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 08:00:05 +0100

In a final constitutive lap, MEPs yesterday (16 July) elected chairs and vice-chairs of 12 parliamentary committees. Voting will end on Monday with appointments to the remaining ten committees, including two sub-committees.

Italian MEP calls for EU Parliament mafias probe (News)

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 07:38:00 +0100

The European Parliament should tackle the problems posed by mafias across Europe by setting up an ad hoc committee to investigate their connection with "financial, entrepreneurial and political systems," according to an appeal launched by Rosario Crocetta, a newly-elected Italian MEP who has been living under strict police protection since 2002 due to his activities against the Sicilian mafia.

Parliament has to be respected, says new VP (News)

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:55:00 +0100

The European Parliament can no longer accept orders from EU heads of state and government, Isabelle Durant, a Belgian Green MEP and former minister who was recently appointed vice-president of the assembly, told EurActiv in an interview.

Durant: 'Our first priority is to make the assembly respected' (Interview)

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:17:21 +0100