Future EU Archives

With the adoption of its first-ever Strategic Foresight Report, the European Commission is making a giant leap forward, by bringing robust long-term challenges and vision into short-term political focus and action, writes Maroš Šefčovič.

Phil Hogan's resignation from the European Commission could have been avoided, but he did not receive the support he should have from the Commission President, argues John Bruton.

By law, EU nationals living abroad are entitled to vote and run in European and local elections in the member state where they are living. So why is that the 14 million European citizens living in an EU country other than their own report so many difficulties in using their voting rights?

German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said Sunday (23 August) that the European Union's recovery package financed by joint borrowing was a long-term measure rather than a short-term coronavirus crisis fix, contradicting Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The row between the European Court of Justice and Germany’s Constitutional Court calls for a solution to be found to solve future clashes. José Luís da Cruz Vilaça proposes setting up an alert mechanism, similar to the one available to national parliaments.

To help bring you up to speed after the summer holidays, EURACTIV's policy experts have put together a series of streamlined overviews of the most important issues in all policy areas, from agriculture and transport to energy and digital.

Germany's Angela Merkel and France's Emmanuel Macron meet on Thursday (20 August) in a medieval island fortress in the Mediterranean to chart the next steps for a partnership that is the driving force behind the European Union.

Fourteen years after receiving the official go-ahead, scientists began to assemble a machine in southern France on Tuesday (28 July) that will seek to prove whether nuclear fusion, the process which powers the Sun, can be a safe and viable energy source for Earth.

At the EU summit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel made a U-turn as German advocated for the assumption of joint debts and dissociated itself from the donor countries for the first time and not just for economic reasons. This time, Merkel is fighting for her legacy as a shaper of the EU. EURACTIV Germany reports.

After five long days and nights of negotiations, European leaders struck a deal on the seven-year EU budget and “Next Generation EU” recovery plans on Tuesday. What did this European Council tell us about the politics of green and resilient recovery in the EU? Jennifer Tollman, Johanna Lehne and Rebekka Popp explain.

"All's well that ends well" should have been the refrain among exhausted diplomats after 92 hours of very intense negotiations in Brussels. With one of the longest summits in history now behind us, it is time for EU pundits to …

EU leaders hit a dead end during the first round of the European Council meeting on Friday night (17 July) after The Netherlands clashed with Italy and Spain over the governance of the planned €750 billion EU recovery fund. 

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has repeatedly stressed that Europe can only be saved if it returns to its Christian roots.

Last week, we had the dubious pleasure of witnessing the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán team up with his Slovenian counterpart Janez Janša and the Serbian President Alexander Vučić. Their request? Asking to be “left alone”; apparently because they do not wish to be bothered by the European Union’s "cultural Marxism", writes Dacian Cioloș.

There is something fittingly telling about the way the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre will play out on 11 July. For those who don't know, it's the biggest single atrocity on European soil since World War Two, where Bosnian Serb troops slaughtered 8,372 Muslim men and boys after overrunning the designated UN safe area in eastern Bosnia.

Normally perceived as team players, Sweden and Denmark have found themselves playing the unaccustomed role of outliers in EU politics, blocking the widely backed COVID-19 recovery plan.

France's new prime minister, Jean Castex, shed some new light on his government team, coronavirus, pensions and unemployment insurance reform in just his second interview since his appointment on 3 July. EURACTIV's partner, Ouest-France reports.

They have ruled Germany together for 15 years. Now they are at Europe's helm. With the start of the German EU Presidency, Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have, together, forged plans to navigate Europe out of crisis, EURACTIV Germany reports.

With Germany taking the helm of the EU Council, there is a unique opportunity to revive the cooperation format between Berlin, Paris and Warsaw.

As Germany took over the EU Council Presidency on Wednesday (1 July), Economy Minister Peter Altmaier (CDU) presented plans for reorienting the bloc's economic policy, signalling Germany's commitment towards non-EU countries and confirming the focus on the digital and green economy. EURACTIV Germany reports.

After the sound and fury from Karlsruhe in May, the German Constitutional Court’s misguided attempt to rage against the European machine appears to have ended with something of a whimper.

On Sunday (28 June) almost 20 million Poles went to the polls to choose their head of state, who has not many prerogatives. Yet in a country ruled by symbols, the presidency symbolism is of utmost importance. Holding the it is the ultimate proof for any political party of their power and popularity. Piotr Kaczyński looks into whether the Law and Justice's (PiS) rule could continue.

In a show of unity, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel met on Monday (29 June) and reaffirmed their commitment to the EU Recovery Fund, voicing hope that EU leaders would overcome their current differences. EURACTIV Germany reports.

One week before Germany takes over the EU Council presidency on 1 July, its highly anticipated programme went through the cabinet, with priorities focused on managing the coronavirus crisis and its economic and social fallout. However, that was not enough to placate critics in the green and left-wing opposition. EURACTIV Germany reports.