Future EU
Von der Leyen warns against democratic backsliding without mentioning Hungary
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen warned on Tuesday (31 March) that coronavirus emergency measures by EU countries must be "limited", in a veiled reference to Hungary's nationalist leader Viktor Orbán, who used the pandemic to take on sweeping powers.
Return to borderless Europe after COVID-19 will be difficult but not impossible.
If we do not start creating the conditions for the return to a border free Schengen zone now, the temporary measures introduced to control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic risk becoming permanent, writes Alena Kudzko.
Coronavirus crisis puts EU credibility on the line, says France
How the European Union responds to the coronavirus outbreak will determine its future credibility, a French minister said on Sunday (29 March), after the bloc failed to agree last week on measures to cushion the economic blow.
Von der Leyen to announce new post-virus economic ‘stimulus package’
The European Commission will propose a new stimulus package, including changes to the EU budget, in order to help the bloc recover from the economic damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Saturday (28 March).
The Brief – Ode to Schengen
On this day in 1995, the Schengen Agreement, a cornerstone of the EU’s freedom of movement, entered into force. Who would have thought that only a quarter-century later, it would become one of the main casualties of Europe’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic?
How coronavirus brought realism back
The coronavirus has already done more to unravel a borderless Europe than all the far-right politicians combined. The pandemic only reaffirmed Politics 101: only strong and effective states are able to cope with crises, writes Hamza Karčić.
Linn Selle: Coronavirus may have a long impact on German presidency
There are only a few months left until Germany will take over the EU Presidency. But the ongoing corona crisis could really upset the plans, says the president of the European Movement Germany. What can the EU actually do in these turbulent times?
Prominent Europeans call for EU answer to coronavirus threat
A number of prominent figures are calling for a "European response" to the coronavirus threat, with strict containment measures of the pandemics, and an EU-wide plan to re-start the European economy afterwards.
The Brief, powered by APPLiA – Another failure of European solidarity
Europe’s coronavirus epidemic denial has come to a sudden end: Italy faces an unprecedented shut-down and other countries are anxiously preparing for their own potential quarantine measures. Another European crisis is looming but solidarity is, once again, in short supply.
Mikser: Nuclear arms control must be taken more seriously
With evolving technology and changing military doctrines, arms control and nuclear weapons control should be brought back to top attention, but it is “increasingly difficult to come to any agreement among the critical players” in the world, MEP Sven Mikser...
Eastern Europeans want more EU funds for military mobility
The EU should provide more funds to enable faster movement of military forces across Europe, defence ministers from four eastern European member states said on Tuesday (10 March), two weeks before the bloc starts a new round of divisive talks over the next seven-year budget.
The Brief, powered by APPLiA – Von der Leyen’s lacklustre 100 days
Ursula von der Leyen may have hoped to be an architect during her first 100 days as Commission president. Circumstances however turned her into a firefighter dealing with too many fires at the same time.
Breton wants EU industrial policy to focus less on consumers, more on businesses
The EU's Internal Market Commissioner, Thierry Breton, wants to put businesses back at the heart of the European Commission's industrial strategy, with less emphasis on reducing consumer prices. EURACTIV France reports.
Let millions of EU citizens engage on the Conference on the Future of Europe
The EU is at a crucial turning point, it is now vital to give citizens the opportunity to take ownership of its project, Axel Dauchez writes ahead of the launch of the Conference on the future of Europe.
The Brief – How much to pay for the EU?
The tortured negotiations over the EU’s long-term budget, which turned into a Turkish bazaar, clearly show that EU leaders no longer agree on the added value of the bloc and confirm a slow decay of the project that was signalled by the UK’s departure.OpinionPromoted content
Will the EU Industrial Strategy be a strategy?
The EU has decided to take the lead in transforming to a new model. The Green Deal will only be an economic success if the EU Industrial Strategy ensures industry competitiveness throughout this massive transformation.
The Brief – Was darf Satire?
The times we live in, with their Trumps, Putins and Erdogans, are screaming for satire.
EU castigates Aalst carnival parade for ‘anti-Semitism’
The European Commission on Monday (24 February) slammed a Belgian street parade for featuring anti-Semitic floats that it said were "incompatible" with EU values.
The Brief – Late-night MFF ennui
EU budget banter is all the rage it seems. One EU official posted a picture on Twitter of his shirt supply – four, if you’re asking – in anticipation of several hard days of summitry.
Summit fails to narrow differences over EU’s seven-year budget
EU leaders broke off in the early hours of Friday (21 February) after failing to make significant progress on the bloc's expenditure for the next seven years. They will reconvene at 10 am this morning to try and make a breakthrough.
Pressure mounts on EU leaders to reach MFF deal within days
The tight calendar, the urgent priorities awaiting the EU and the risk of post-Brexit talks affecting the negotiations are adding pressure on EU leaders to reach an agreement within days on the bloc’s long-term budget. Otherwise, a senior EU official warned, Europe risks facing a “horror scenario” in January next year.
Pull yourselves together for EU’s sake, German Greens urge CDU
Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), embroiled in a leadership crisis, must unite and keep their ruling coalition stable as Germany takes on the rotating European Union presidency this year, Greens leader Annalena Baerbock said on Saturday (15 February).
In Munich, Macron presents EU reform as answer to ‘weakening West’
French President Emmanuel Macron bemoaned a "weakening of the West" on Saturday (15 February) and called for more German involvement, while the US Secretary of State attempted to assuage European anxiety about declining transatlantic relation.