Beatriz Rios Archives

With negotiations on the next EU long-term budget about to start, Commissioner Neven Mimica defended the European commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals and praised the role local authorities play in international cooperation in an interview with EURACTIV.com.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker called on Europe to "stand up" to the far-right during a speech at the opening session of the European Week of Regions and Cities on Monday (8 September).

When it comes to European structural funds, one of the main concerns is the capacity of the member states to attract them. Cooperation between public authorities has proven to be a driving factor.

The European Central Bank's bond-buying programme does not exceed its mandate and is in accordance with EU law, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) advocate general said on Thursday (4 October), in response to complaints raised in Germany.

From Calarasi to Ruse, from Costanza to Veliko Tarnovo, EU Cohesion Policy has supported hundreds of actions and infrastructure investment in the fields of transport, science, education, youth employment, environment and support for small and medium-sized enterprises in Romania and Bulgaria.

While Brexit and the new EU priorities threaten to reduce the funds allocated for cross-border cooperation after 25 years, the Commission wants to improve Interreg with a new legal framework for cooperation between regions.

Beloved in Brussels, on the ropes in Madrid, the Spanish socialist government faced this week one more scandal after it was reported that star minister and former astronaut Pedro Duque used a legal entity to pay lower his tax bill.

Cohesion Policy represents one-third of the current EU’s budget and is the main investment policy of the Union. As the negotiations on the next Multiannual Financial Framework are about to kick off, we had a look at how funds are distributed across different regions in Europe and what kind of projects are funded with them.

Local and regional authorities met with EU Budget Commissioner Günther Oettinger on Tuesday (25 September) to express their concern that the funding for Cohesion is likely to be reduced in the next long-term EU budget due to Brexit and new priorities.

The Eurozone should prepare for US and China protectionist measures if they materialise, president of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi said on Monday (24 September) at the European Parliament.

The Party of the European Left vows to be “the only alternative” to the conservatives and “the real alternative” to the far-right, according to a draft manifesto seen by EURACTIV.com; However, the fragmentation in the leftist family creates barriers.

Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Finland…. The EU's Budget Commissioner Günter Oettinger did not hesitate to point the finger at countries reluctant to increase their contributions to the EU's next seven-year budget during a speech on Wednesday (19 September).

Jean-Claude Juncker's last State of the Union speech before the next European elections turned into a stocktaking of his mandate and a platform for political groups to set up their priorities for the electoral campaign.

As the first anniversary of the declaration of independence of Catalonia approaches and tensions between Madrid and Barcelona increase, Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister Josep Borrell met with senior European officials in Strasbourg to seek support.

The European Parliament considers the experience of Northern Ireland as an example of the success of the EU's cohesion policy. As Brexit draws nearer, MEPs are demanding that the EU keep funding projects in the region to preserve the peace.

The recent change of government in Spain has helped ease tensions but a lawsuit filed by Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont in Belgium against the Spanish judge overseeing his case risks stoking the fires again.

The European Commission approved an €18 million support package to Iran on Thursday (23 August) sending an important signal both to Teheran and Washington that Brussels will not back on its efforts to preserve the nuclear deal despite US sanctions.

Brussels has recently encouraged Italy to increase expenditure in infrastructure, EU officials said on Thursday (16 August) in response to Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini’s allegations that the bloc's austerity policies were partly responsible for Italian bridge collapse. 

The operators of the migrant ship Aquarius on Monday called on Europe to find a safe haven for 141 people it rescued in the Mediterranean, saying Italy and Malta had again refused to let the vessel dock.

German carmaker Daimler has shelved its expansion plans in Iran due to the reimposition of US sanctions but it might not be the last EU company to pull the plug on future aspirations, businesses organisations told EURACTIV.

Berlin and Madrid finalised an agreement on Monday (6 August) that will see asylum seekers that reach Germany via Spain returned to the Iberian nation.

While Eurosceptic populists team up ahead of the European elections in attempt to turn them into a referendum over the EU’s very existence, civil society is now calling on progressive forces to come together to defend the bloc.

As a result of the Trump administration's decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, Washington's re-imposition of sanctions hit European companies operating in the country from Monday (6 August) onwards. The EU has updated its ‘blocking statute’ to temper the impact.

As Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos headed to Madrid, the European Commission announced Friday (3 August) further 3 million in emergency aid to support Spanish border guards in curbing irregular migration.