European Parliament brings ‘social Europe’ a step forward
EU social security coordination will make it easier for EU citizens looking for work to seek employment in another member state. EURACTIV France reports.
The Brief – The show must go on
The first reports of the Strasbourg shooting attack arrived on smartphones just as EU staff were heading to dinners and pre-Christmas parties. The European Parliament immediately triggered its emergency containment procedure and turned into a bunker, grids lowered, doors locked.
Commission to fine Bulgaria over gas market distortions
The European Commission will fine Bulgarian Energy Holding as early as this month for hindering rivals’ access to key gas infrastructure, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday (11 December), based on information from three sources familiar with the dossier.
Study: EU regional policy influences how people vote
Voters who are aware of EU support in their region vote in larger number for pro-Europe politicians. However, EU structural funds remain largely unknown - and often inefficient. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Reclaiming EU research and innovation as a public good
EU-funded research and innovation has enormous potential to deliver a sustainable and equitable future, yet we have fundamentally distorted its purpose, prioritising innovation for commercialisation over innovation for society’s needs.
Strasbourg Shooting: 12 wounded, 2 dead, gunman still on the loose
12 people have been wounded and two killed as a gunman opened fire in the vicinity of the Christmas Markets in the centre of Strasbourg, France, on Tuesday evening (11 December). The suspect is said to be a 29-year old male, known to have a criminal record. He remains at large.
Shadow rapporteurs take stand against Parliament’s handling of copyright directive
Shadow rapporteurs on the controversial copyright directive are frustrated that the European Parliament does not have a unified position on disputed Articles 11 and 13, with one MEP telling EURACTIV that Parliament has been conducting institutional negotiations without a text fully agreed on by shadows.OpinionPromoted content
EU public says enough is enough on tobacco control
Recent polling evidence shows that public appetite for yet more measures to clamp down on smoking has been exhausted, says Guillaume Périgois.
Post-Brexit Gibraltar border could become pawn between UK and Spain, says MEP Girling
Despite Theresa May's efforts to salvage her "more than imperfect Brexit deal", any serious business or government should now consider a no-deal exit as a real possibility and prepare for it, British MEP Julie Girling told EURACTIV.com.
MEPs ready to negotiate EFSA’s transparency rule, but need to find a new negotiator
The long and troubled parliamentary procedure to overhaul the current food transparency rules for European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) ended in an unexpected twist as the EPP’s rapporteur Renate Sommer asked to withdraw her name from the report just passed by the Parliament's plenary.
The US, still in the Paris Agreement, is trying to decide its future
Despite Donald Trump’s rejection of the Paris Agreement, the US is still very much in the accord and zealously setting the tone of international climate change negotiations. EURACTIV's media partner, Climate Home News, reports.
As finances improve, Greece scraps pension cuts
Greece's parliament on Tuesday (11 December) voted to scrap plans to cut state pensions, in a motion led by the left-led governing coalition hoping to shore up its flagging support ahead of a general election next year.
Baltic farmers in Brussels to restore CAP’s ‘historical anomaly’
Farmers from the Baltic countries will gather on 13 December in Brussels to call for a fairer distribution of payments in the framework of the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
The EU and mako sharks: From sinner to saviour?
The EU should match its rhetoric on sustainable fisheries by leading global efforts to preserve mako sharks, argues Stacy McLennan.
COP24 diary – day #10
Over this special series on COP24, EURACTIV gives you a glimpse into the goings on of the UN climate conference in Katowice and what is driving the conversation there. In this edition: coal bonanza at the EIB, roaming COP24, German 'nein', Fijian drum beat, and more.OpinionPromoted content
Green transition: What if heavy industry had the most to offer?
The EU’s transition to a low-carbon future is easier said than done, particularly for heavy industry. Start-ups and established corporates have been working with EIT Climate-KIC’s Re-Industrialise Flagship to test out ground-breaking solutions to these issues in real-life conditions, writes Ada Marmion.
Russian nuclear-capable bomber aircraft fly to Venezuela, angering US
Two Russian strategic bomber aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons have landed in ally Venezuela, a show of support for Venezuela’s socialist government that has infuriated Washington.
EU counter-terrorism chief: Europe ‘may see something like Daesh 2.0’
The level of terrorist threat remains "pretty serious" in several EU countries, Gilles de Kerchove, the EU's counter-terrorism coordinator, told EURACTIV.com in an interview hours before the latest attack in Strasbourg on Tuesday night (12 December).
Embracing the power of cheap renewables to deliver a carbon exit
Green steel, green ammonium, green plastics, green aluminium and green shipping can be within reach in a world with renewables at 3$ct/kilowatt hour and a carbon price of $50+/ton CO2, with limited costs to the global economy, argue Auke Lont...
Biofuels lead efforts to protect the climate
With every passing year, the pathway to a stable climate gets narrower and more difficult to navigate. Meanwhile, the reports from our planet’s top scientists paint an increasingly grim picture of what to expect if the swing in global temperatures cannot be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius, writes Craig Willis.
With Trump absolving the Saudis, Europe must defend its own interests
Europe's leaders must fill the void left by Donald Trump and take a tough stance against the Saudi government, writes Nicolas Tenzer.
May’s premiership hangs by a thread ahead of EU summit
With less than four months left until the United Kingdom is due to leave the EU on 29 March, Theresa May's premiership and her deal to stave off a disorderly departure or a bid to stop Brexit are hanging by a thread.
RED2: what is next for palm oil?
The boom of palm oil in the EU biofuels mixture since 2012 took centre stage in the debate about the revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED2).