Is German climate leadership being sacrificed on the altar of coal?
The pre-election politicking currently going on in Germany should ring alarm bells among climate policy advocates, warns Julian Schwartzkopff. If Angela Merkel does not take personal ownership of securing a climate-compatible coal phase-out, she could jeopardise her legacy as “climate chancellor”, he writes.
Mogherini: No need to renegotiate Iran nuclear deal
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Wednesday (20 September) that there was no need to renegotiate the Iranian nuclear deal, insisting it was "delivering" despite US demands to re-open the agreement.
May, Macron, Gentiloni push for quick removal of extremist online content
Leaders of France, Italy and the United Kingdom urged social media companies on Wednesday to more swiftly remove "terrorist content" from the internet, with the aim of stopping it from being uploaded in the first place.
‘It’s not over yet,’ Merkel warns supporters before vote
Returning to her birthplace, Chancellor Angela Merkel urged supporters to mobilise undecided voters before Sunday's election, telling them not to take her conservatives' solid lead in opinion polls for granted.
Spain to join the gastro-nationalism wave on origin of milk
Spain has notified the European Commission on 5 September it will create a new law to include the origin of milk on the label of milk and dairy products, adding fuel to the gastro-nationalism debate.
EU still divided over curbing power subsidies with CO2 cap
A European Commission proposal to put an emissions limit on what power plants can be subsidised continues to divide the member states but the EU executive and the European Parliament stand united in supporting the CO2 cap.
EU and GMOs: The case for a knowledge-based society
Albert Einstein said, “It is harder to crack prejudice than an atom.” A persistent prejudice in the EU is that against GMOs. An EU court judgment has restated that fears are unfounded, but will Europe take the opportunity to become a science-based society, ask Roberto Defez and Dennis Eriksson.
The Brief: Head in the sand
The refugee crisis got the EU by surprise, mainly because the Union was blind to conflicts in its neighbourhood. It still is.
EU moves to extend grip on financial sector after Brexit
The European Commission proposed on Wednesday (20 September) transferring some powers to oversee the financial sector from national capitals in a move to extend the EU’s grip on the industry as the bloc prepares for the departure of London, its main financial hub.
Merkel’s EU-policies: Paris can wait
Merkel keeps a low profile in the election campaign regarding European issues, trying not to alienate voters as well as potential coalition partners.
The OECD must return to its founding principles
In a world beset by fake news, where facts are all too often subordinated to politics, smart policymaking requires independent institutions that can provide objective research and analysis, grounding political debate in science and reason, writes Justus Haucap.
New law on weightloss products could escalate obesity in Europe
New EU regulation on total diet replacement will take effect by early October, after MEPs voted in September to increase the protein and fat requirements in meal replacements, but the industry has warned that it may be ineffective and further aggravate the problem of obesity.
Commission readies further restrictions to neonicotinoids
The European Commission plans to propose further restrictions on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides, an EU official told EURACTIV on Wednesday (20 September), amid a continuing tug of war between environmental groups and pesticide producers.
L’EASA fête ses 25 ans à Bruxelles le 19 octobre
Depuis 25 ans, l'Alliance Européene pour l'Ethique en Publicité (EASA) a favorisé la promotion d'une meilleure publicité grâce à une autorégulation efficace.
Tusk to meet May next week to discuss Brexit
European Council President Donald Tusk will discuss Brexit with British Prime Minister Theresa May in London next Tuesday (26 September), only days after she is due to make a key speech on how she sees the UK's future ties with the EU.
Falling youth unemployment is not a reason for complacency
Europe needs to better integrate young people into the labour market if it is to address youth unemployment effectively, writes Denis Pennel.