Politics Archives

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen warned on Tuesday (31 March) that coronavirus emergency measures by EU countries must be "limited", in a veiled reference to Hungary's nationalist leader Viktor Orbán, who used the pandemic to take on sweeping powers.

A top official of the telecommunications giant Huawei has said that Beijing may consider counter-measures should the United States choose to impose further restrictions on exports of American equipment to be used by the Chinese firm.

In today's edition of the Capitals, find out more about the increase of domestic violence cases in France since the country went on lockdown, the Czech Republic launching its 'smart quarantine' system in one of its regions, and so much more.

If we do not start creating the conditions for the return to a border free Schengen zone now, the temporary measures introduced to control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic risk becoming permanent, writes Alena Kudzko.

With "all options on the table", European Commission president Ursula Von Der Leyen is looking at a consensual response among member states to the economic fallout from the COVID-19 crisis, her spokesman said on Monday (30 March), shifting away from controversial debt mutualisation advocated by Italy.

The Hungarian Parliament approved new emergency powers on Monday (30 March) that will allow the ruling Fidesz party the right to rule by decree, without a set time limit, in a move that prompted an outcry from human rights groups.

The global pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, has shaken confidence in governments’ capacity to respond to threats that the scientific and health communities have long have well aware of. From Asia to Europe to North America, health authorities are struggling to cope, writes Ellen Laipson.

In today's edition of the Capitals, find out more about Germany continuing its measures to contain COVID-19, people having to go back to work soon in Belgium, and so much more.

The thousands of migrants at the Kastanies border town between Turkey and Greece are desperate to reach Europe and furious with Greeks who "won't open the gates".

Police with batons and guns have moved in to protect supermarkets on the Italian island of Sicily after reports of looting by locals who could no longer afford food.

Spain prepared to enter its third week under near-total lockdown on Sunday (29 March), as the government approved a strengthening of measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus and the death toll rose by 838 cases overnight to 6,528.

Polish employer’s organisations and trade unions protested on Sunday (29 March) against what they called an attack by the authorities on the independence of the country’s Social Dialogue Council and the autonomy of social partner organisations, under the disguise of measures to combat COVID-19.

France used two high-speed trains and a German military plane to move more than three dozen critically ill coronavirus patients on Sunday (29 March) to ease the pressure on overwhelmed hospitals in eastern France.

How the European Union responds to the coronavirus outbreak will determine its future credibility, a French minister said on Sunday (29 March), after the bloc failed to agree last week on measures to cushion the economic blow.

The European Commission will propose a new stimulus package, including changes to the EU budget, in order to help the bloc recover from the economic damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Saturday (28 March).

It is now nearly two months since the United Kingdom left the European Union. It left with the legal certainty and clarity provided by the Withdrawal Agreement and the accompanying Political Declaration, writes MEP David McAllister.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tested positive for coronavirus, becoming the first European leader confirmed to have contracted the virus.

In today's edition of the Capitals, read about how the curfew imposed on the Austrian ski resort, which received criticism earlier for not having acted fast enough following warnings from Iceland. Bulgaria is set to help media outlets in the midst of the crisis.

Citizenship and residence-for-pay schemes continue to be widespread across the EU, according to a new report, which calls on the European Commission to propose EU-wide rules to phase out golden passports while taking action against governments that operate schemes in breach of EU law.

MEPs cast their first remote vote; singing policemen sound the right note; and EU politics more or less stays afloat. 

A "dictatorship" at the heart of the EU? A draft law to grant anti-coronavirus emergency measures set for adoption by Budapest has alarmed observers who fear it will hand Prime Minister Viktor Orbán unlimited power.

The UK government has been accused of ‘putting Brexit over breathing’ after it confirmed it had opted out of an EU joint procurement scheme for urgently needed medical equipment to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

On this day in 1995, the Schengen Agreement, a cornerstone of the EU’s freedom of movement, entered into force. Who would have thought that only a quarter-century later, it would become one of the main casualties of Europe’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic?