European Union

US President Donald Trump confronted his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa with claims about the systematic murder of white farmers in South Africa during a White House meeting last week. The 'evidence' he presented is controversial: according to Reuters news agency, one of the images used to back up the accusations was a still from a video of a mass burial in the Democratic Republic of Congo. European commentators weigh in.

As Europe continues to advance its health agenda in the current legislative cycle, the 2025 Euractiv Health Policy Conference brought together leading voices from the EU institutions, the World Health Organization, the European Medicines Agency, industry, and civil society for a timely discussion on the future of healthcare in Europe.

Written by Suzana Elena Anghel.

Following a request from the European Council in June 2024, the European Commission and the High Representative are due to adopt a joint communication on the EU strategic approach to the Black Sea region on 28 May 2025. This new initiative aims to:

• offer a political vision regarding the Black Sea, based on an overview of the challenging security situation in the region following Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine;
• re-confirm the EU’s strategic interest in the Black Sea as well as its intention to continue to engage with like-minded partners in/from the region on a bilateral and/or regional level;
• present a ‘strategic approach’ and not a ‘strategy’, displaying a lower level of ambition, which may represent a missed opportunity for the European Union to establish itself as a regional key player;
• build on the experience and achievements of the Black Sea Synergy, a 2007 EU initiative aimed at promoting, on a voluntary basis, cooperation in/with the Black Sea region;
• build coherence between the different EU polices and the Union’s offer to the region;
• re-confirm and re-cluster existing fields of cooperation in line with the Commission’s priorities, giving precedence to security, connectivity and preparedness;
• complement other EU initiatives relevant for the region, e.g. the Eastern Partnership and regional cooperation on the Danube River.

The initiative is not expected to:

• benefit from dedicated funding; it will rely on other EU policies and instruments;
• precede an action plan with clear-cut implementation objectives; implementation will be difficult to assess and monitor.

Read the complete briefing on ‘EU strategic approach to the Black Sea region‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Europe targets cuts in natural gas consumption, even while mulling buying even more from the US. Top-level decisions are likely needed soon.

In today’s edition of The Capitals, read about a German court ruling against a consumer effort to stop Meta from training AI on user data, EU commissioners being asked to skip Budapest Pride over fears of an Orbán backlash, and so much more.

With 2040 Climate Target on the horizon, Europe must make a critical decision: will it unlock the full potential of its own circular energy resources or continue to rely on fossil energy imports that undermine sustainability, sovereignty, and affordability?

With Poland’s presidential runoff set for Sunday, a tense weekend saw debate controversy, a beer scandal, and rival marches in Warsaw.

Trump said on Friday he's no longer looking for a deal with the EU. But on Sunday, he stated he would postpone the implementation of a 50% tariff on EU imports until 9 July to allow more time for negotiations.

In the war’s biggest air assault yet, Russia launched 367 drones and missiles on Ukrainian cities overnight, killing at least 12, as Trump declared: Putin “has gone absolutely CRAZY!"

Economic intelligence must be treated not as technical support, but as a strategic capability. If Europe is serious about defending its values and borders, it must rethink its financial doctrine.

It was never meant to last this long.

Friday’s announcement was a decisive slap down of European media and policymakers’ belief that EU-US trade talks were progressing.

As organic sales slump in France, fair trade labels rooted in local sourcing and price transparency are gaining ground.