Politics Archives

Cases of 'general and indiscriminate' data retention by EU national security authorities seriously interfere with the privacy protections enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, according to a non-binding opinion from the European Court of Justice delivered on Wednesday.

EURACTIV.com publishes the full video, with subtitles, by Valia Ahchieva for EURACTIV.bg, which led to the arrest and resignation of Neno Dimov, the minister of environment and water, following a water crisis in the city of Pernik that exposed the government's inaction.

For the first time in the 15-year history of the Davos risk report, the top five global risks are all environmental, according to the latest survey published on Wednesday (15 January) ahead of the World Economic Forum next week.

In today's edition of the Capitals, find out about far-right VOX suing the European Parliament for accepting Catalan separatist leaders as MEPs, how Poland's PiS fared in the polls, the climate action call to the Croatian government made by scientists, and so much more.

The European Commission finally lifted the lid on its long-awaited just transition plans on Tuesday (14 January) but doubts have already been raised over the amount of funding on offer for the next decade compared to the bloc's Green Deal ambitions.

Spain on Monday (13 January) called for the inclusion of services in the first phase of EU-UK negotiations on the future relationship, adding more complexity to trade talks that must be concluded before the transition period ends on 31 December.

Human rights watchdogs hailed on Tuesday (14 January) an opinion from the advocate general of the EU's top court which said restrictions imposed by Hungary on the financing of civil organisations from abroad breach EU law.

From May onwards, hundreds of EU citizens will be invited to reflect on Europe's future at a conference that will debate European policy priorities in an attempt to introduce direct democracy in EU decision-making. EURACTIV France reports.

Hungarian news website Népszava has published what it said were leaked documents that suggest the government’s proposal for spending EU money in 2021-27 would block all investment in Budapest, the country's capital run by the opposition since October. The government said it was 'fake news'.

Police in Spain and Gibraltar have smashed an unusual migrant-smuggling network which flew Moroccans into the tiny British territory then sneaked them over the border to Spain, arresting 47 people.

In today's edition of the Capitals, find out about Hungary's conditional commitment to carbon neutrality, Italy's sixth case of meningitis within a month and a half, France having a hard time finding help from its EU friends in the Sahel, and so much more.

International banks have called on the European Union to make its system for financial market access more transparent and predictable to avoid hurting markets and consumers.

A former soldier admitted in court on Monday (13 January) killing a Slovak journalist whose murder two years ago led to anti-corruption protests that brought down the government of long-time prime minister Robert Fico. Miroslav Marček told a court he was …

Russia's international influence has led to stronger cooperation between German Chancellor Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin. But what can both leaders achieve? EURACTIV's media partner Der Tagesspiegel does a Q&A.

Pro-independence Catalan leaders Carles Puigdemont and Toni Comin sat for the first time as members of the European Parliament on Monday (13 December), calling on the EU to take a stance on the political conflict currently gripping Spain. 

The Labour party’s Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer is the early front-runner in the party’s leadership race, securing 89 nominations, more than twice as many as any other candidate, as the deadline for nominations passed on Monday (13 January).

The UK government has introduced new legislation which ensures that farming subsidies will continue to be paid to UK farmers for 2020, during the transition period that will follow the country's departure from the EU on 31 January.

Ireland's Prime Minster Leo Varadkar said on Sunday (12 January) he had made a decision on the timing of a general election, with many media outlets and politicians predicting a 7 February poll.

Hundreds of Polish judges dressed in formal black robes marched in Warsaw on Saturday  (11 January) to protest a draft law aimed at punishing justices who question the government's controversial court reforms.

Malta's incoming leader Robert Abela promised to strengthen the rule of law and said the country would emerge stronger after recent events, in an address on Sunday (12 January) a day before he is due to succeed Joseph Muscat as prime minister.

Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović on Saturday (11 January) blamed sexism and "fake news" for her defeat in elections last week, as well as a rival who split the right-wing electorate she was counting on.

The European Parliament declared Friday (10 January) that jailed Catalan separatist Oriol Junqueras is no longer an MEP, stripping him of the immunity his supporters hoped would see him freed.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez appointed former European Commission spokesperson Arancha González as his new foreign affairs minister, while Nadia Calviño, who used to be a director-general in the EU executive, will become vice-president for economy, and former EU official Luis Planas will stay on as agriculture minister.

Bulgaria's minister for environment and water resources was placed in 24-hour custody, the office of the Prosecutor General said on Thursday. The development took place after an investigative report by EURACTIV Bulgaria exposed mismanagement that left the city of Pernik without drinking water.