Euobserver.com

EU officials are giving "ammunition" to "populists" the EU Ombudsman, Emily O'Reilly, has told the AFP news agency, referring to the backroom promotion of top EU civil servant Martin Selmayr, and to the former European Commission president, Jose Manuel Barroso, who became a lobbyist for Goldman Sachs. "The high profile [cases] are the ones that can do the most damage ... by getting eurosceptic attention", she said.

Forces loyal to the EU and UN-backed government in Libya and those of a Russia-backed warlord ought to "delimit a ceasefire line, under international supervision", the office of French president Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday after meeting Libyan prime minister Fayez al-Sarraj in Paris. Fighting in the oil-rich nation has claimed more than 400 lives in recent weeks, posing a threat of increased migrant flows to Europe.

Danish prosecutors have charged 10 former executives at Danske Bank, the country's largest lender, over their role in the EU's biggest-ever money-laundering scandal, Danish newspaper Berlingske reported Wednesday, citing anonymous sources. The Danish bank funnelled some €200bn of suspicious money, most of it from Russia, into the EU banking system, via its Estonian branch between 2007 and 2015, harming both its and Denmark's reputation.

British prime minister Theresa May is to hold another vote on her EU withdrawal bill prior to the EU elections at the end of this month, Graham Brady, a senior MP from her Conservative party has said. "It is the intention to have a further vote, probably a second reading of the withdrawal agreement bill before the European elections take place," he said. The bill was previously defeated three times.

A discussion document by eight EU countries is piling on the pressure for the EU to do more to fight climate change. But their demands are likely to meet German resistance as leaders gather in Romania to discuss Europe's future.

Heads of state from 21 EU countries, including Czech and Polish eurosceptics, have attacked nationalism and urged EU voters to turn out in large numbers in May.

Development policy is more and more subordinated to geopolitical and economic agendas. If the EU really cares about international solidarity, it better cleans up its own internal social and democratic deficits and engages in a real dialogue on post-development policy.

Following a cabinet meeting Italy's prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, on Wednesday sacked the transport undersecretary and economic adviser Armando Siri, who is under investigation for corruption. Deputy premier and interior minister Matteo Salvini had defended Siri, a member of his League party, who denies any wrongdoing. The case has caused tension within Conte's coalition government, with the Five Star movement demanding Siri's sacking.

British prime minister Theresa May has refused to name a date for her expected departure, despite mounting pressure from her own Conservative MPs due to the stalemate in the Brexit process. May had previously said she would leave Downing Street after getting her Brexit deal through parliament. On Wednesday her spokesman refused to set a timetable or date for her departure, with talks with the opposition Labour party seemingly deadlocked.

After four years without substantial reduction, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuel combustion were reduced by 2.5 percent in the EU in 2018 compared to 2017, Eurostat figures released on Wednesday showed. Emissions fell in 20 countries, with Portugal reducing the most (9.0 percent), followed by Bulgaria (8.1 percent) and Ireland (6.8 percent). CO2 emissions increased in eight countries: Latvia, Malta, Estonia, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovakia, Finland and Lithuania.

Iran is to resume oil sales to the EU despite the US threat of sanctions against firms involved in the trade, its foreign minister has said. "Iran and the EU are on the brink of agreement, which ... will make Iranian oil sales possible," Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Tuesday. He said Iran would also withdraw from "some voluntary commitments" on the nuclear arms deal due to the US threats.

Clashes on Italian overspending are set to return to the EU centre stage, if the European Commission's gloomy forecast comes true.

Two new anti-migrant parties will enter the Danish parliament at elections on 5 June, according to an Epinion poll for Danish Radio. With a threshold of two percent, Nye Borgerlige (2.9 percent) and Stram Kurs (2.6 percent) would win a minimum of four seats each, making it difficult for centre-right parties to form a new government. Social Democrat leader Mette Frederiksen is favourite to become the new prime minister.

UK prime minister Theresa May's deputy David Lidington confirmed on Tuesday that it was too late to get a Brexit deal through parliament in time for the UK to avoid May's European Parliament elections. The news prompted the powerful 1922 committee of Tory backbenchers to request "clarity" about prime minister's timetable for standing down. Meanwhile government talks with Labour in Westminster continues aimed at breaking the Brexit deadlock.

The biggest winners of the EU single market are small countries that trade a lot and have competitive economies, a study from the Bertelsmann Foundation has found. A non-EU country, Switzerland, was found to benefit the most (€2,900 per year per capita), Luxembourg (€2,800) and Ireland (€1,900). Citizens in Southern Europe benefit less, Spain (€590), Portugal (€500) and Greece (€400).

Lord of the Rings actor, Viggo Mortensen, has attacked Spain's far-right Vox party for using his Aragorn character in a Twitter message to win voters in April's general election. "It is absurd to link me .... a person interested in the rich variety of cultures and languages that exist in Spain and the world, to an ultra-nationalist and neo-fascist political party", he wrote in a protest in El Pais.

With the European elections just three weeks away, the EU-27 will try to set the agenda for the next years for the EU institutions. But with persisting divisions on key issues, unity will be an achievement in itself.

We did not ask what tax the parliamentarians pay or how they use their salary, or for information about their private lives. Rather we asked for documents to verify that this public money is spent in accordance with the rules.

German media outlet Correctiv, along with other newsrooms, have revealed how criminals annually cheat EU states out of billions in VAT fraud. The EU Commission says solutions exist - but member states refuse to budge on tax unanimity.

The discussion in Sibiu will focus on the 'how', rather than the 'who', on a successor to Jean-Claude Juncker. EU leaders will also have to decide on Donald Tusk's successor, the next EU's foreign affairs chief, and ECB president.