Euobserver.com

EU leaders were eager to signal their unwavering support for beleaguered Ukraine, but failed to agree on a €50bn aid package badly needed for the Ukrainian war effort.

The EU managed to open accession talks with Ukraine despite Hungary's opposition — a decision celebrated by Kyiv and deemed a "historic moment" — after Viktor Orbán did not participate in discussion.

Special income arising from an EU freeze of Russian assets belongs neither to Russia nor the EU and can rightly go to Ukraine, according to a legal blueprint.

The European Parliament wants more rights for same sex parents and their children, but far-right MEPs heavily criticised this idea.

Of course, EU membership does not guarantee free expression or lasting democratic progress. But Georgia's current suppression of free speech and cultural independence extends well beyond the culture ministry.'

The success of the final EU summit of 2023, primarily focussed on enlargement and budget, rests heavily on Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán — with the Commission unblocking €10bn in an attempt to buy off Budapest's veto power.

Two years after the EU Commission's proposal, the co-legislators have reached a provisional agreement on a text to improve working conditions for digital platform workers — but what does it include and what is still missing?

The EU's workers and employers have failed to agree a text that would give workers the right to disconnect outside office hours when working from home.. The ball is now back in the EU Commission's court.

World leaders agreed to 'transition away' from fossil fuel at the UN climate summit in Dubai — but a massive funding gap remains as wealthy countries fail to commit to new climate financing for low-income countries.

EU and wider global support for Israel has sharply eroded over the past two months of horrors in the Gaza war, a UN vote has shown.

Austria's first-hand experience of instability in the Balkans means it is in a strong position to lead a new EU policy towards the region.

EU national agencies have found "excessive levels of hazardous chemicals," such as lead and plasticizers, in 18 percent of consumer products investigated.

After fewer than 100 days in power, Slovak prime minister Robert Fico is facing protests over attempts to halt prosecutions of his allies, under a bill set to also delay the iconic Kuciak case.

Almost half the EU backs imposing visa-bans on violent Israeli settlers, but a UN vote is likely to expose wider divisions on the Gaza war ahead of Thursday's summit.

Get off the 38 bus in Brussels, arrive at Place Luxembourg — and watch that multi-cultural world turn monochromatic.

Nordic countries have a long way to go if they're to reach their climate neutrality goals. According to a brand-new report, strengthened Nordic co-operation can help accelerate the transition. Nordic environment ministers agree that the pace must be stepped up.

From initial calls for restraint, and offers of mediation, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has pivoted to labelling Netanyahu the 'butcher of Gaza' and Israel a 'terrorist state' — despite the majority of Turkish public opinion wanting neutrality.

Donald Tusk looks set to be sworn in by Poland's president Andrzej Duda on Wednesday (13 December) which means that he will be attending the EU summit later this week.

European governments are still lobbying to legalise state spying on journalists, under a new law designed — on paper — to protect them, Investigate Europe, Disclose and Follow the Money can reveal.

Hungary's potential veto on Ukraine accession talks threatens to cast a shadow of collective failure over the EU summit, Ukraine's deputy prime minister Olha Stefanishyna has warned.