Politics

The EU must do more to protect Ukraine’s children
A common and uniform registration process and more national protection centres are needed in the EU to help protection children fleeing the war in Ukraine, write Dragos Pislaru and Adrián Vázquez Lázara.
A vision to democratise Europe from Brussels to Brussels
In her closing speech at the Conference of the Future of Europe (CoFoE), Ursula von der Leyen made a historic declaration on the fundamental role of citizen participation. This has allowed reflection on another historical instant in the Brussels Parliament, writes Magali Plovie.OpinionPromoted content

The Future of Europe: time to choose
“It is our moral obligation to create what I would call a European Political Community”. The words used by Emmanuel Macron as President of the Council of the European Union, to wrap up one year of work of the Conference on the Future of Europe (COFOE) confirms that a profound reform of the EU is becoming a moral imperative.
French tech partially welcomes new government’s digital portfolio
The portfolio of France's new "super economy ministry", while welcomed by tech, does not include a successor to Secretary of State Cédric O, creating uncertainty over whether such an appointment will be made. EURACTIV France reports.
Former Greek anti-corruption chief: Novartis scandal has harmed EU budget
The scandal involving Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis in Greece has affected the health budgets of other EU countries and the bloc’s finances, Greece’s former anti-corruption prosecutor Eleni Touloupaki told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
Greece said it blocked hundreds of migrants from crossing Aegean
Greece said on Monday (23 May) it had prevented around 600 migrants from crossing the Aegean into its territorial waters from neighbouring Turkey, in the largest attempted entry this year.
Conference on the Future of Europe is over, what’s the outcome?
This is the end of the journey, but not the end of the story. Citizens approved their recommendations in the context of the Conference on the Future of Europe (COFOE), the first EU deliberative democracy experiment where ordinary citizens took...
Former Slovak FM: Ukraine must attack Russia and take back Crimea
In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about Slovenian public broadcaster journalists planning to stage a strike, Portugal offering Ukraine technical support to join the EU, and so much more.
France’s newly appointed health minister in favour of ‘strengthening’ Europe’s health systems
Brigitte Bourguignon was appointed France's new Minister for Health and Prevention in Elisabeth Borne's government on Friday (20 May). Olivier Véran, who she is succeeding, was appointed Minister Delegate in charge of Relations with Parliament and Democratic Life.
The Brief – Borrell gets his hearing for the defence
When the EU’s chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, concluded the bloc’s first defence policy review, more than 18 months ago, he warned that “European defence suffers from fragmentation, duplication and insufficient operational engagement.”
Tweets of the Week: Nato Enlargement, Northern Irleand and Re-Power-EU
Sweden and Finland want to enroll, on Northern Ireland is BoJo playing the troll and to promote wind power leaders go for a stroll.
Macron says ‘European political community’ no substitute to enlargement
In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about Slovenia being asked to reduce their diplomatic staff in Moscow, the former king returning to Spain after a self-imposed exile, and so much more.Editor's picks

Scholz splits with EU Parliament socialists over ex-chancellor Schröder
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz opposes a European Parliament resolution calling for former Social Democrat Chancellor Gerhard Schröder to be put on the EU sanctions list due to his ties to the Kremlin, drawing the line at the measures already taken...
Momentum for treaty change gains pace
There comes a moment when EU treaty change or something similar becomes inevitable. After the referendums in France and the Netherlands that nixed the Constitutional Treaty in 2005, there was a hiatus, referred to as ‘a period of reflection’, during...
No ‘immediate exit’ from NATO for Mélenchon, but a vote in Parliament
French parliament would vote on the country's membership in NATO if radical left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon wins the June legislative elections and is nominated prime minister, the France Insoumise chief suggested on Thursday (19 May). EURACTIV France reports.
Visegrad plays hot potato with Ukrainian Roma refugees
In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about Bulgaria adopting large-scale measures to weather inflation, the possible end of Russian gas imports to Finland, and so much more.
EU Parliament joins media freedom problematic club
In a surprising move, the European Parliament deleted a post from its website and social media referring to a recent report by Reporters without Borders (RSF) indicating that Greece is the worst EU country regarding media freedom. Contacted by EURACTIV,...
Sinn Fein’s McDonald says ‘bad faith’ UK government boosts united Ireland case
Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald on Wednesday (18 May) said Britain’s proposals to override some post-Brexit trade rules in Northern Ireland were “astonishing” and yet another move by London that only serves to boost the Irish nationalist party’s quest...
Don’t extradite Assange, European human rights chief urges UK
European human rights experts have joined the campaign urging the UK government not to extradite controversial WikiLeaks chief Julian Assange to face trial in the United States, warning that it could have a ‘chilling effect’ on media freedom.
EU Parliament threatens Schröder with sanctions for ties with Russia
The European Parliament is increasing its pressure on former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder, threatening him with sanctions if he refuses to resign from his posts in Russian companies, a joint draft motion, seen by EURACTIV, suggests.
Commission should block staff from taking ‘revolving door’ jobs, says EU watchdog
The European Commission should temporarily block its staff from taking private sector jobs if they pose conflict of interest risks that cannot be offset by restrictions, the European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly recommended on Wednesday (18 May).
Austria’s neutrality in the spotlight after Sweden-Finland NATO bid
In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about the Hungarian president travelling to Warsaw in a bid to reinforce relations, Slovenia being unhappy about the continuation of Austrian border controls, and so much more.
A question of protocol
For those who have followed the interminable Brexit process, there was a wearisome inevitability about Foreign Secretary Liz Truss’s announcement on Tuesday that the UK government intends to table domestic law to allow to override bits of the protocol. This...