European Union

European Commission eyes regional success stories as models to boost life sciences competitiveness. Flanders’ Biovia cluster offers a new life sciences innovation paradigm.

Respondents were evenly split over Ursula von der Leyen in exclusive polling for Euractiv.

With a positive convergence report, the EU Commission gave the green light on Wednesday for Bulgaria to join the Eurozone. There have been repeated protests against the long-standing plan in the country recently, fuelled by President Rumen Radev's call for a referendum on the issue. Overall, the media take a positive view of the move, although there are also those who voice certain doubts.

A Berlin court has ruled that it is against EU law for border police to refuse entry to asylum seekers found on German territory during border controls, and that Germany violated asylum law when it sent back three Somali nationals at its border with Poland. The ruling comes after Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt ordered stepped-up border controls and authorised expulsions in May. Commentators take different views of the judgement.

The Hungarian ruling party Fidesz has postponed the adoption of its transparency law, which had been planned for this week, until after the summer break. The proposed law foresees harsh sanctions against all civil organisations and media outlets that have ever received foreign funding. As a reason for the postponement Fidesz parliamentary group leader Máté Kocsis said that there was a consensus on the purpose of the law, but not on the methods. What's going on?

South Korea has a new president after left-wing liberal candidate Lee Jae-myung defeated his conservative rival Kim Moon-soo in a snap election and immediately took office. After several months of political turmoil that culminated in the removal of Lee's predecessor Yoon Suk-yeol from office, European commentators hope for a fresh start.