Euobserver.com

French president Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that readmitting Russia into the Group of Seven (G7) powerful states without resolving the Ukraine crisis "would be signing off the weakness of the G7." For Macron, this was an "essential precondition" since Russia was thrown out of the G8 after its invasion of Ukraine in 2014. US president Donald Trump said earlier that it would be "appropriate to have Russia [back] in".

Operation Sophia, the EU military mission to stop migrants crossing the Mediterranean, has warned that more than 300,000 people might flee Libya and cross the Mediterranean if the situation there deteriorates. According to Buzzfeed, the EU-trained Libyan Coast Guard is also working less well, having responded to only 50 percent of rescue cases since last year. Some 3,800 people are estimated to have drowned in recent times.

'Yellow vests' will be among the 50 NGOs that will meet at a "counter-G7" summit in Hendaye (France) and Irun (Spain) to protest against the economic and climate policies implemented by world leaders. Yellow vests have also called for their 41st Saturday demonstration to be held in Biarritz, where the leaders will attend the Group of Seven meeting this weekend. France will deploy 13,200 police to secure the summit.

Conservative US billionaires, some with links to Trump, are paying anti-abortion lobbyists in Europe tens of millions of dollars to shape policy and law.

Open Arms may face a fine of up to €901,000 for doing "search and rescue" without authorisation, but rescuing people who are shipwrecked is a legal duty, the NGO says.

Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen expressed "regret" and "surprise" after learning through a tweet overnight that US president Donald Trump had cancelled an official visit to Denmark in September. "It is a pity", she said on Wednesday, with preparations ongoing for quite some time. Trump would still be welcome, she added. It has not happened before that an agreed invitation from the Danish Royal House has been turned down.

Giovanni Buttarelli, the European data protection supervisor, passed away on Tuesday (20 August). "Throughout his life Giovanni dedicated himself completely to his family, to the service of the judiciary, and the European Union and its values," his office said in a statement. European Digital Rights (EDRi), an international not-for-profit association of 42 organisations from around Europe, described him as a strong defender of privacy.

Didier Reynders, Belgium's EU commissioner hopeful and foreign minister backed bill that could sentence whistle-blowers to five years in prison and fine journalists up to €5,000.

Italy's outgoing PM, Giuseppe Conte attacks Matteo Salvini in departing speech, as forces align to eject far-right strongman from government.

US president Trump has cancelled his state visit on 2 September to Denmark after the Danish prime minister said that Greenland was not for sale. Trump tweeted: "Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time....".

The United States has warned Greece not to give harbour to an Iranian oil tanker suspected of smuggling oil to Syria in defiance of EU sanctions, saying it would treat the act as support for terrorism. The ship was previously seized by the British navy and detained in Gibraltar, but Gibraltar let it go despite US pressure, while Iran has denied any wrongdoing.

Nordic countries and Germany have joined up on climate change, as Trump and Brexit push northern European countries closer together.

Around 30 members of European Economic Social Committee, who live and work primarily in Brussels or nearby, have claimed €1.47m in a 'daily subsistence' allowance from European taxpayers to cover accommodation, food and local transport for meetings held in Brussels.

UK officials will stop attending most EU meetings as of 1 September, according to a government press release. It says UK officials and ministers "will only now attend EU meetings where the UK has a significant national interest" such as security. It says the move is not in any way intended to "frustrate the functioning of the EU." The UK is set to leave the EU on 31 October.

Italy's prime minister Giuseppe Conte told the Italian senate he is resigning because there is no government. In his speech, he was particularly hard on his deputy prime minister and leader of coalition partner the League, Matteo Salvini. He said Salvini had been working for his personal interest and didn't respect the rules nor his colleagues. "Italy doesn't need strongman, but people who follow the constitution," Conte added.

Only nation states can take legal action against each other on migration, the EU commission has said, after Spain urged the EU to make Italy accountable for push-backs.

Donald Trump is to meet Greenland leader Kim Kielsen while in Denmark next month, amid global attention prompted by Trump's offer to buy the vast island.

EU Council president Donald Tusk has dismissed the letter by UK prime minister Boris Johnson asking for "alternative arrangements" for the post-Brexit Irish border. "The backstop is an insurance to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland unless and until an alternative is found. Those against the backstop and not proposing realistic alternatives in fact support re-establishing a border. Even if they do not admit it," Tusk said.

The Italian parliament will hold a confidence vote on the government of prime minister Giuseppe Conte today after deputy prime minister and far-right League party leader Matteo Salvini pulled his support. Conte might also resign before the vote and give his mandate back to president Sergio Mattarella, who might try to form a new government, however. Several options are on the table and new elections are not to be excluded.

Hong Kong's leader, Carrie Lam, has promised to "immediately" open a platform to establish a dialogue with citizens of all backgrounds "based on mutual understanding," after a weekend of non-violent protesst. Although more demonstrations are expected for this week, Lam hoped that last Sunday's march would be the beginning of "society returning to peace," writes Reuters. Last week, the EU and Canada urged China to negotiate with stakeholders.