Future EU Archives

Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker stayed away from major legislative proposals in his annual address to Parliament, preferring to focus on the “big picture” of how the EU can assert its power in a hostile international environment.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker urged the European Union on Wednesday (12 September) to raise its goals for limiting climate change, but did not mention the forthcoming 2050 strategy. EURACTIV’s partner Climate Home News reports.

Greece’s centre-right New Democracy party said yesterday (12 September) that it would vote in favour of the Sargentini report on activating Article 7 against Hungary.

Poland's presidency on Tuesday (11 September) named a new acting head of the Supreme Court as Warsaw presses ahead with an overhaul of its judiciary that critics, including the EU, say undermines the rule of law in the ex-communist state.

Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who also leads the far-right League party, said on Tuesday (11 September) he wants the new European Commission to be led by conservatives and populists.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is expected to propose today (12 September) a bigger role for the euro in international markets and more efficient decision-making in EU foreign policy in his state of the union speech, European diplomats said.

Europe needs a new vision and new goals, and all true Europeans have to defend EU values in campaigning for next year's elections and forming a new governance system afterwards, said Udo Bullmann, the leader of the Social Democrats (S&D) in the European Parliament.

Greek Prime minister Alexis Tsipras told progressive and pro-European parties on Tuesday (11 September) to join forces against “extreme” neoliberalism and far-right populism, whose discourse has become dominant within conservative forces.

Before Jean-Claude Juncker's final State of the Union address to this European Parliament on Wednesday (12 September), EURACTIV takes a look at his first speech from 2015 to see how the Commission president has done over the last three years.

On Wednesday morning (12 September), Jean-Claude Juncker delivered his final State of the Union address to this European Parliament. Check EURACTIV's coverage on how the speech went down and how everyone is reacting to it.

Italy's far-right leader Matteo Salvini lashed out at the UN's new human rights commissioner Michelle Bachelet on Monday (10 September) after she criticised the country's treatment of migrants. "Italy has over the last few years accepted 700,000 immigrants, including many illegals, …

Fake news is proliferating, carried by the virality of the internet and the crisis of confidence in democracies. However, nobody manipulates information as well as Russia does, according to a French study. EURACTIV France reports.

Far right parties are here to stay and, if unchecked, they will continue growing. The way to halt this process – risky as it may seem - is for the mainstream to try to tame them, argues Harry Nedelcu.

EURACTIV Poland's media partner "Gazeta Wyborcza" interviewed Manfred Weber, who announced his candidacy to be the Spitzenkandidat of the European Peoples' Party in the 2019 European elections.

Establishing a genuine European border police and turning the control of irregular migration into a community competence will be the core of Commission President’s Jean-Claude Juncker State of the Union speech on Wednesday (12 September), according to Spanish daily El País.

The increasing cooperation between the conservative right-wing and the far-right should be a wake-up-call for democrats, who should create a wide pro-EU alliance, from leftist Alexis Tsipras to centrist Emmanuel Macron, Syriza MEP Dimitris Papadimoulis told EURACTIV.com in an interview.

Europe faces massive challenges, from migration to climate change and all points between. As Jean-Claude Juncker gears up to make his final address to this European Parliament, Frédéric Vallier calls on the Commission boss not to forget the role of cities and regions.

Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel will be meeting in Marseille late this afternoon, but neither Paris nor Berlin wanted to disclose what will be on the menu - a silence that is louder than words.

Manfred Weber’s European Commission presidency bid is “absurd” given that he represents a political party with close links to Vladimir Putin and politicians like Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, who openly question the EU's values, according to leftist chief Gabriele Zimmer.

In an exclusive interview, Ska Keller, co-chair of the Greens-EFA group, shared what she expects from next week's State of the Union speech and the vote on whether to trigger punitive Article 7 measures against Hungary, as well as weighing in on Manfred Weber's bid to lead the EPP into the EU elections.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker believes that the EPP membership of Hungary's ruling party, led by Viktor Orbán, "is a problem", according to reports by Italian media.

Manfred Weber, the leader of the European People's Party in the European Parliament, announced on Wednesday (5 September) his candidature for the European Commission presidency on behalf of the centre-right party. But the kick-off event left reporters displeased, who were not allowed to ask questions in English.

The European Parliament will vote next week on a proposal to trigger Article 7 against Hungary. Hungarian civil society leaders threw their weight behind the proposal on Wednesday (5 September), saying it was the last chance to defend democracy in Hungary.

Only a few contributions from the ranks of the Bavarian CSU in recent months suggested their competence on European issues. Now one of them is aiming for the highest post Brussels has to offer. EURACTIV Germany reports.