Politics Archives

EU leaders took turns to praise Theresa May on Thursday night (13 December) but the UK Prime Minister left Brussels empty-handed after promising her divided Conservative party that she would secure new concessions from EU leaders.

Contrary to what we may believe, European political parties are no different than the ones we have at home. They are just as prone to tactical games, diversions, manipulation and pointing the finger at someone else.

EU leaders meet on 13-14 December for one more crack at the Brexit puzzle at a Summit whose outcome may largely determine the fate of UK Prime Minister Theresa May and the future of her country.

Initiatives like the Baltic Sea Region combine the unusual and predictable in developing people’s sense of shared responsibility for the development of their home regions, writes Jerzy Kwieciński.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on Wednesday (12 December) he would stand firm against what he called "inflammatory" Catalan separatist rhetoric, hardening his stance towards the region and upping the stakes in a broader political game.

Theresa May will not be the only Prime Minister coming to the two-day summit starting on Thursday (13 December) after having won a confidence vote the previous day.

Rare scenes of chaos gripped the Hungarian parliament Wednesday (12 December) as it passed a controversial judicial reform, as well as labour legislation that critics call a "slave law".

As the EU's multi-annual budget is being negotiated, the amounts and efficiency of spending matter but also priorities and European values when disbursing programmes. Smarter conditionality is needed, triggering less political backlash, and, where needed, direct payment to beneficiaries, argue Benedek Jávor and Laszlo Andor.

Prime Minister Theresa May survived a no-confidence vote on Tuesday night (12 December) but it came at a heavy price, as she lost the support of nearly 40% of her Conservative MPs and the opposition hinted it may soon mount its own challenge against her.

EU leaders will discuss late on Thursday (13 December) how to address the UK's concerns about its withdrawal agreement from the EU, but discussions on contingency plans are gathering pace as the chances of an orderly divorce continue to wane.

The first reports of the Strasbourg shooting attack arrived on smartphones just as EU staff were heading to dinners and pre-Christmas parties. The European Parliament immediately triggered its emergency containment procedure and turned into a bunker, grids lowered, doors locked.

Voters who are aware of EU support in their region vote in larger number for pro-Europe politicians. However, EU structural funds remain largely unknown - and often inefficient. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Three people have been killed and 12 wounded as a gunman opened fire in the vicinity of the Christmas Markets in the centre of Strasbourg, France, on Tuesday evening (11 December). The suspected gunman, Cherif Chekatt, was shot dead in a brief gun battle with police after an intense, two-day manhunt,  police sources said.

Despite Theresa May's efforts to salvage her "more than imperfect Brexit deal", any serious business or government should now consider a no-deal exit as a real possibility and prepare for it, British MEP Julie Girling told EURACTIV.com.

The UK was poised for more political chaos on Wednesday (12 December) as Prime Minister Theresa May vowed to ride through a no-confidence vote with “everything I’ve got” after her own Conservative MPs formally launched a move to oust her.

Greece's parliament on Tuesday (11 December) voted to scrap plans to cut state pensions, in a motion led by the left-led governing coalition hoping to shore up its flagging support ahead of a general election next year.

The level of terrorist threat remains "pretty serious" in several EU countries, Gilles de Kerchove, the EU's counter-terrorism coordinator, told EURACTIV.com in an interview hours before the latest attack in Strasbourg on Tuesday night (12 December).

With less than four months left until the United Kingdom is due to leave the EU on 29 March, Theresa May's premiership and her deal to stave off a disorderly departure or a bid to stop Brexit are hanging by a thread.

Prime Minister Theresa May is set to emerge empty-handed from a whistle-stop tour of European capitals where she seeks further concessions from EU leaders to salvage her unpopular Brexit deal.

Another summit is upon us this week, and it's Brexit time again. Another summit wasted on squaring the circle of the UK's indecisiveness. Cynics might say that surely, EU leaders could put their time to better use.

Poland has already deported 14 people from Central Europe since the beginning of COP24, including two members of the Georgian delegation. Many NGOs are questioning the legality of these bans on entering Polish territory. EURACTIV France reports.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said on Tuesday (11 December) that the EU would be open to offer “clarifications” to  British Prime Minister Theresa May, but insisted that the withdrawal agreement was the “best possible, the only possible” deal.