About: future of EU
Europe’s Franco-German ‘motor’ sputters back to life
President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Angela Merkel have jump-started the Franco-German "motor" at the heart of Europe by jointly pitching a hugely ambitious economic recovery plan, even if it faces a bumpy road ahead.
Pope Francis: EU is facing epochal challenge on which depends the future of the world
Pope Francis prayed for tens of thousands of coronavirus victims in an unprecedented livestream Easter Sunday message delivered from a hauntingly empty Vatican to a world under lockdown.
Portugal’s Costa criticises Netherlands over commitment to EU
Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said on Friday (10 April) that the Netherlands' attempt to block economic support to fight the coronavirus raised questions about the future of the European Union.
Italy PM warns virus puts EU project at stake
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte warned Thursday (9 April) that the European integration project was at risk if EU member states do not find an economic response to the coronavirus crisis.
Future of Europe: What happens if a majority of citizens asks for ‘less Europe’?
“That’s a very interesting question. If there will be a majority of them, we will follow”, Commission Vice President Dubravka Šuica said on Wednesday (22 January), on what would happen if a majority of citizens would ask for “less Europe”.
Tusk addresses Poles on Constitution Day
Council President Donald Tusk, a former Polish Prime Minister who is at odds with the populist government of the Law and Order party (PiS), addressed a series of messages to his compatriots on 3 May, Constitution Day.
Macron prepares to launch ‘Act 2’ of his presidency
French President Emmanuel Macron will on Thursday (25 April) reveal his long-awaited response to almost half a year of street protests in a reform plan that could prove decisive for his presidency and long-term political future.
EU27 is now free to hold summits without the UK
The EU27 will be free to hold official Council meetings and make decisions without the UK despite the country still being a member of the Union, in a move seen as a success for France’s President Macron, who led calls for the restrictions.
Citizens’ expectations for Europe focus on climate and social issues
The common expectations of Europeans are actually far from the divisions fuelled by politicians. This was highlighted by the WeEuropeans initiative, which managed to mobilise 2 million people and generate 30,000 proposals. EURACTIV France reports.
Merkel distances herself from Macron’s Europe vision
Less than two months after celebrating a new Franco-German treaty, Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron are diverging on the future of Europe in the run-up to European Parliament elections in May.
Merkel’s successor responds to Macron’s Europe vision
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's anointed successor outlined her vision for Europe, a German paper reported Saturday (9 March), aligning with recent French proposals on security but disagreeing on key social issues.
Czech PM raps Macron’s call for EU reforms
A call by French President Emmanuel Macron for reforms of the European Union to pave the way to a "European renaissance" won polite support in several capitals on Tuesday (5 March), but Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš called it “divorced from reality’.
Macron makes EU-wide appeal ‘for European renewal’
French President Emmanuel Macron made an appeal to all Europeans on Monday (4 March) to re-launch the EU project by holding a conference "without taboos" before year's end that could possibly lead to a new treaty.
Macron warns Europe of a return to 1930s
French President Emmanuel Macron has warned Europe of a return to the 1930s because of the spread of a nationalist "leprosy" across the continent, in an interview published Thursday (1 November).
Merkel to meet Macron in Marseille amid EU immigration row
Emmanuel Macron will host German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the Mediterranean port city of Marseille on Friday (7 September), a French official said, seeking support as he takes on nationalist EU leaders over immigration and institutional reforms.
Migrant feud casts shadow as Macron and Merkel seek EU roadmap
French President Emmanuel Macron heads to Germany tomorrow (19 June) seeking progress with Chancellor Angela Merkel on elusive eurozone reforms, but the deepening EU rifts over migration threaten to dominate an already daunting agenda.
France tells Germany ‘it’s now or never’ to save the EU
France called today (8 June) for more ambition from Germany in reforming the euro zone, saying Europe faced a "now or never" moment with rising external threats from the United States and China.
Merkel: Europe can no longer rely on US to ‘protect’ it
Europe can no longer rely on the United States to protect it, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday (10 May), urging the bloc to take its destiny in its own hands.
EU post-Brexit defences starting to take shape
A broad European military strategy involving Britain after Brexit has started to take shape with France at its centre, often in negotiations far from the Brussels spotlight and, in one top-level EU meeting, without the UK defence minister.
Macron takes charm offensive to Strasbourg
One year before the European elections, the French president came to Strasbourg to count his allies and convince members of all political groups. However, French ambitions seem to have been revised downward.
Furious about Brexit, Tusk calls for EU unity from Dublin
European Council President Donald Tusk confessed yesterday (10 April) he gets furious about Brexit, describing Britain's departure from the EU as very sad as he used a speech in Dublin to call for unity in Europe.
Orbán’s triumph sends shockwaves through Europe
Hungary's anti-immigration Prime Minister Viktor Orbán basked Monday (9 April) in a bulldozer election triumph that delighted other nationalists but sent a chill through civil society groups and portended fresh battles with Brussels.
Merkel to push for EU unity on delicate Poland trip
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will emphasise bilateral ties and the need for European unity when she meets with top Polish officials, amid ongoing differences between the allies over Polish judicial reforms, migration and a new gas pipeline.