Future EU

Germany’s CDU fears loss of influence following Weber mess

German tensions over Manfred Weber's candidacy for the European Commission presidency are deeply rooted in Germany's national politics. EURACTIV France reports.

Austria’s interim chancellor won’t block the majority on EU top jobs

Federal Chancellor Brigitte Bierlein won't ask for special favours at an EU summit next Sunday (30 June) aimed at appointing the new President of the European Commission, except when it comes to one thing: Austria's next EU Commissioner. An analysis by Herbert Vytiska for EURACTIV Germany.

Rutte: ‘I will never support stabilisation mechanisms at euro level’

In an exclusive interview with EURACTIV.com after the European Council, Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, said on Friday (21 June) that he "will never support" new budgetary instruments to stabilise the euro area if an economic shock hits the region.

The Brief, powered by ADF International – Macron wins, again.

The European Council ended without EU leaders agreeing on who could be the candidate for the next European Commission president. But not all EU leaders are leaving Brussels empty-handed.

Treaty against democracy: Franco-German arm wrestling reflects different political visions

The opposition between France and Germany over the appointment of the new European Commission president reflects their radically different political views. For France, the treaty and the best candidate matter the most, while for Germany, the priority is democracy. EURACTIV France reports.

No ‘white smoke’ for EU’s top jobs, leaders adjourn until 30 June

EU leaders failed to reach an agreement in the early hours of Friday (21 June) on the EU's top jobs, as divisions over the process and the distribution of the posts impeded any progress.

EU climate deal falls at summit, four countries wield the axe

The European Council failed to agree on Thursday (20 June) on a landmark climate strategy for 2050 as the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary and Poland baulked at the mention of a specific date, despite the efforts of France and Germany to convince them.

France and Germany still at odds over EU top jobs

As the 28 EU leaders meet on Thursday (20 June) to appoint the new leaders of the European institutions, it is still uncertain whether they will reach an agreement on the EU's top jobs, with Franco-German tensions simmering in the background. EURACTIV France reports.

The Brief, powered by ADF International – Beyond Spitzenkandidaten

EU leaders meet on Thursday (20 June) to decide the top EU jobs for the next five years. They have a good incentive to make a decision. If they fail, they will have to hold another summit in the next ten days, before the first European Parliament session on 2 July.

Europeans have chosen to protect the environment and EU leaders should listen

The European Council should take the result of the European elections seriously and ensure that the EU's goals and budget are future-oriented, with a particular emphasis on sustainability and environment, write Dr Raphael Weyland and Konstantin Kreiser.

Transforming words into deeds – the Visegrad Group and Western Balkans’ EU integration

All Visegrad Group countries vocally support the enlargement of the EU and NATO, with a focus on integrating the Western Balkan (WB) countries. But how can those words be transformed into deeds?

Orban lost in the European wilderness

Despite securing a place among the very few European leaders with a landslide victory under their belt in the EU election, Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán is not celebrating, write Balázs Jarábik and Dániel Bartha.

The Brief, powered by ADF International – The EU conclave

The decision-making for the top jobs in the European institutions bears some similarity to how Roman Catholic Cardinals elect the new Pope. There is a lot of unpredictability and a long wait for the outcome of a less than transparent process.

Czechs alarmed as populist leaders take aim at public media

Czech journalists and media analysts are raising alarm over the "threat" to the country's public media from mounting pressure on the press by populist politicians.

US ambassador: Europe should forget Huawei, embrace Western tech

America cannot have close security, intelligence and technology ties with Europe unless the EU cuts ties with Chinese tech giant Huawei and embraces "Western telecom industry", the US ambassador to the European Union told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.

Time for Europe to move with the times

It's time for the EU to make the changes demanded by voters at May's European elections, and make the bloc fit to meet the challenges of today's world, writes Sophie In't Veld.

EU leaders to aim for final climate deal ‘in early 2020’

Talks on a climate plan for 2050 should wrap up by the end of this year in view of final adoption in early 2020, according to the draft conclusions of an EU summit taking place next week in Brussels.

EXCLUSIVE: What countries really think of the EU’s strategic agenda

EU member states broadly supported priorities highlighted for the next five years, although they called for a more “positive” vision. Despite the demands made by the capitals, the latest version only included few changes, according to the latest draft and the minutes seen by EURACTIV.

Eurogroup to nudge forward EMU reform before next week’s EU summit

EU finance ministers will try to close a deal on deepening the Economic and Monetary Union, including a tentative new budget for the eurozone, during the Eurogroup meeting on Thursday (13 June) in an inclusive format. 

Monti: Nationalist parties temper the EU in view of future attacks

Pro-EU parties should not feel complacent about the nationalists' failure to win a majority in the new European Parliament, the former Italian prime minister and ex-EU Commissioner Mario Monti told EURACTIV in an interview.

GLOBSEC Forum: ‘No reason to protest, people have a great life’, Babis says

As GLOBSEC's 2019 forum in Bratislava kicked off last week, EURACTIV went along to listen to world leaders from politics, civil society and business, on the EU’s place amid unstable political contexts. Here are the main talking points from the Saturday forum.

LEAK: EU’s five-year plan doubles down on protecting borders

EU leaders want to focus on migration and protection of external borders, or the "integrity of our physical space", over the next five years, according to a draft of the so-called strategic agenda obtained by EURACTIV. Economy and climate action rank second and third.

Ciolos: Romanian PSD government can only be trusted after it resigns

In an exclusive interview, the former Romanian prime minister and former European Commissioner, Dacian Cioloș, said his newly-formed political force will be able to tap into a reformist wave that will change his country - and help change the EU.