European Union

Ireland votes today (25 May) in an abortion referendum that could be a milestone on a path of change in a country that, only a few decades ago, was one of Europe’s most socially conservative.

This week all eyes turn to the Royal Wedding, it’s the Facebook hearing we were all dreading, and the arrival of GDPR has got businesses shredding!

The European Commission presented on Thursday (24 May) a set of proposals aimed at boosting private investment in low-carbon technologies like renewable energies while increasing transparency in sustainable finance to avoid green-washing.

The 2015 Dieselgate scandal might have been a blessing in disguise, propelling car emissions smack bang into the public spotlight. The EU is now making fresh attempts to bring the transport sector to heel, although there are still plenty of miles to cover.

The European Union's new data protection laws came into effect on Friday (25 May), with Brussels saying the changes will protect consumers from being like "people naked in an aquarium".

To some extent the vote next May will be a test of the resilience of the forces of disruption, the main achievement of whom so far being Brexit, writes Geoffrey Harris.

China's massive Belt and Road Initiative is seen as a unique chance to strengthen economic cooperation between Beijing and Europe and a way to spur trade and the economies of the countries involved. But some consider it a strategic and self-interested tool for China to extend its sphere of influence.

Eurozone finance ministers will decide next month on all measures, including further debt relief, needed for Greece to exit its bailout successfully, their chairman said on Thursday (24 May).

Dutch prosecutors identified a Russian military unit on Thursday (24 May) as the source of the missile that shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing all 298 people on board.

European Union negotiators dismiss as "fantasy" some main British demands for Brexit, including on the sensitive issue of the Northern Ireland border, a senior EU official said on Thursday (24 May).

Can you imagine a wall manned by dozens of armed policemen outside the European Parliament? Or denying access to journalists, experts and advisers and cancelling trips at the last minute? It's a reality in Poland. EURACTIV's partner Gazeta Wyborcza reports.

National and local authorities in Greece, Poland, Spain, Croatia and Bulgaria will participate in a new pilot action to improve governance and administrative capacity-building in the management of regional funds, the European Commission announced on Thursday (24 May).

Electrification of transport will bring a broad range of benefits. Cleaner air (especially in densely populated areas), better urban transport, safer and quieter vehicles and lower oil imports. That is why the Polish power sector supports electrification of the sector.

What do the Alps and Mount Olympus have in common apart from snowy peaks? Since 2017, tunnels have carved through the rock, slashing journey times and improving road safety. Greece's project took a long time to happen but EU funding ultimately made it all possible.

Remarks by President Centeno following the Eurogroup meeting of 24 May, on Greece, Spring economic forecast, spending reviews and reforms of the banking union and the ESM.

The Council Presidency and the European Parliament reached an informal agreement on a draft regulation on the European agency for the operational management of large-scale IT systems in the area of freedom, security and justice (eu-LISA).

Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the alignment of certain third countries with Council Decision (CFSP) 2018/655 of 26 April 2018 amending Decision 2013/184/CFSP concerning restrictive measures against Myanmar/Burma

Source : © European Union, 2018 - EP

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EU Finance Ministers meet on 25 May 2018 in Brussels to agree measures to reduce risk in the banking sector. They discuss macroeconomic imbalances and age-related expenditure in the member states.

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The EU's Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström expressed concern on Thursday (24 May) about the US administration's announced plan to launch an investigation into imports of cars and trucks that might lead to new tariffs.