The European elections are looming ever closer but how will the Parliament's main political groups choose their candidates for the EU's top jobs in the lead-up to May 2019?
Organic farmland in three countries in southern Europe accounts for 44.9% of the total across the EU but when it comes to the consumption of organic products, northern countries top the list.
After ten years of efforts, the European Commission and the member states are still trying to find ways to make the complex framework of the European Common Agricultural Policy simple and effective.
Forests cover 40% of Europe’s territory and provide a multitude of ecosystem services that contribute to the health of the environment and human wellbeing.
Many rural areas suffer from high levels of unemployment and lack vital infrastructure like high-speed internet and transport connections: the EU’s rural residents are up to twice as likely as city-dwellers to experience poverty or social exclusion.
The EU’s Southern member states are the leading producers of foods certified by EU quality schemes: between them, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal and Greece account for 70% of the total.
Challenges ranging from volatile markets, high input costs and the Russian ban on agricultural exports to sluggish Chinese demand, have put a great deal of pressure on the income of EU farmers
The United Kingdom is leaving the European Union. But how did it get to this stage? And what happens next? As the negotiations fast approach, familiarise yourself with the all-important dates and events.
Since the 2008 economic crisis, austerity has slowed the growth of wages in European countries. In the vast majority of EU member states, wages are stagnating or falling.
Rising demand for bigger yields and higher environmental protection has put pressure on the agricultural sector to “produce more with less”. Smart Farming or “farming 4.0.” could hold the key.
The European Commission announced in Jean-Claude Juncker's 'State of the Union' speech a new initiative on Africa – the EU External Investment Plan (EIP), which looks at helping the private sector in Africa and the European Neighbourhood.
Unlike for cars, there is currently no binding EU-wide cap on CO2 emissions from trucks. But the European Commission is considering introducing one in the coming years.
At the outset of the economic crisis in 2008, the EU mirrored the rescue packages seen in the US and elsewhere. In total, more than €1.6 trillion was used to save the banks and €200 billion to keep the European economies afloat.
Europe is still the world’s leading provider of official development assistance (ODA). In 2015, its international solidarity budget increased sharply to cover the costs of the refugee crisis.
As EU leaders gather today (17 March) for yet another summit, trying to fix the migrant crisis, successive elections in member countries have dwarfed the largest political force in the EU following the 2014 European elections.
The European Peoples’ Party, who is the largest in the European Parliament with 251 MEPs out of the total of 751, is now the third force, by the number of its heads of state and government sitting at the summits. The most influential leader of the EPP is without any doubt the German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The Socialists and Democrats, who have 190 MEPs, are now the number one force at summits.
But perhaps more surprisingly, the liberals, who have only 70 MEPs in the European Parliament and are the fourth largest political group there, are now the second largest force at EU summits.
The EU summit today (7 March) will be the 101st for Jean-Claude Juncker, as premier of Luxembourg and president of the European Commission. Second comes German Chancellor Angela Merkel, with 66 summits Third is Donald Tusk, with 57 summits as premier of Poland and president of the European Council.
