About: future of EU Archives

EU leaders face difficult talks this week on the thorny issues of how to plug holes in the post-Brexit budget and choose a successor for European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker.

The recent statement by the Visegrad Four on the future of Europe is “an attack on European democracy”, Jo Leinen, a respected federalist MEP (S&D, Germany), said in a strongly-worded statement on Tuesday (30 January), ahead of a key summit in February focusing on the 2019 European elections.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives and the centre-left Social Democrats pledged today (12 January) to work closely with France to strengthen the euro zone, in their first substantive response to President Emmanuel Macron's ambitious EU reform proposals.

Chancellor Angela Merkel is optimistic her conservatives and the Social Democrats (SPD) can cut a deal, she said yesterday (7 January) as the parties began five days of talks about reviving the 'grand coalition' that has governed Germany since 2013.

Romania could become the first country to organise a debate in the spirit of the EU-wide ‘democratic conventions’ proposed by the French President Emmanuel Macron in his Sorbonne speech, according to statements by a Romanian Minister.

The European Commission will unveil a raft of ideas to reform the eurozone today (6 December), despite the resistance of powerful Germany, which remains without a government.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said he was "surprised and disappointed" on Monday (4 December) after Britain failed to agree to a draft deal with EU leaders on the status of the Irish border after Brexit.

The leader of Germany's Social Democrats came under growing pressure yesterday (23 November) to drop his opposition to a new "grand coalition" with Angela Merkel's conservatives, with senior politicians arguing the party had a duty to promote stability.

Germany's failed coalition talks are hurting Europe's reform agenda so Brussels and EU capitals should lean on the country's political leaders to find an agreement and avoid another election, Green MEP Reinhard Bütikofer, who took part in the talks, said on Thursday (23 November).

A summit of euro zone leaders will go ahead as planned in the middle of December, the chairman of European Union leaders said yesterday (22 November), dispelling speculation it might be postponed because of the collapse of German coalition talks.

Efforts to form a coalition government have failed, Chancellor Angela Merkel said yesterday (20 November), pitching Germany into its worse political crisis for decades, raising the prospect of fresh elections and causing the EU a serious headache.

Emmanuel Macron's party has launched an online training programme to present its version of the EU's history, objectives and operations to French citizens before the 2019 European elections. And to defend the president's ideas. EURACTIV France reports.

European Commissioner for the Budget Günther Oettinger arrives in Sofia on Friday (27 October), as part of a tour opening the debate on future EU finances.

German parties exploring a coalition government have dealt an early blow to French President Emmanuel Macron's hopes for more expansive fiscal policies from Berlin, backing a balanced budget and rejecting the idea of a separate pot of cash for the eurozone.

EU President Donald Tusk on Tuesday (17 October) proposed an ambitious timeline of 13 summits over the next two years to reboot the European Union after the shock of Brexit and other setbacks.

The European Movement and the Union of European Federalists held a discussion on Friday (13 October) in Sofia on the EU’s future with three prominent Bulgarian MEPs from three different political forces.

Against the backdrop of yet another EU political crisis, this time with Catalonia seeking independence, opinion makers and decision makers in Brussels have tried to sketch a plan for rebutting populist pressures and restore trust in the European Union

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday pleaded his case for ambitious European reforms, appealing to German Chancellor Angela Merkel to join forces with him and enter the debate.

Polish President Andrzej Duda outlined his vision for the future of the EU during a speech to mark the opening of the academic year at the College of Europe campus in Warsaw last week. EURACTIV Poland reports.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel faced pressure at the weekend to embrace ideas by French President Emmanuel Macron in a passionate appeal for closer European cooperation and push back in looming coalition talks against parties critical of them.

Brexit is "a very negative project" but has nonetheless helped to revive the popularity of the EU and spur demands for change, the European Parliament's pointman on divorce proceedings said yesterday (28 September).

German Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday (28 September) hailed French President Emmanuel Macron's new vision for Europe as EU leaders held a frank debate on reforming the bloc.

French President Emmanuel Macron promised to allocate all future earnings of a financial transaction tax to European solidarity. But with Brexit in mind, it may be too ambitious to relaunch the project with all 28 member states. EURACTIV France reports.

Prime Minister Theresa May will make a speech on Britain’s future relationship with the European Union on 22 September in the Italian city of Florence, her spokesman said yesterday (13 September).