Euobserver.com

The European Commission will publish calls for proposals in the next few days following an announcement of €525m for joint defence industrial projects.

German chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday she would fight until the end to achieve an orderly Brexit. "I will fight to the last hour of the deadline on March 29 for an orderly exit," she told a conference in Berlin ahead of the crucial EU summit later this week. Merkel added it was a fundamental interest for the UK and the EU to avoid Britain crashing out of the bloc.

EU affairs ministers in Brussels on Tuesday demanded clarity on the UK's Brexit strategy following the British parliament speaker's decision to rule out a third vote on the Brexit deal. "We are really exhausted by these negotiations," German minister Michael Roth said, adding he expected "clear and precise proposals" from London on a possible extension to the Brexit deadline. "Dear friends in London, please deliver!," he said.

European Parliament candidates from Denmark, Finland, and Sweden will for the first time ever take part in a joint Nordic election debate. "This is a unique event. We've never before seen a pan-Nordic debate in which every Nordic EU member state is represented ahead of a European parliamentary election," said Swedish conservative Jessica Polfjard. The meeting in Copenhagen on 8 April will focus on Brexit, climate and security.

Paris has - together with Hong Kong and Singapore - been ranked as the world's most expensive city to live in. Two Swiss cities, Zurich and Geneva, as well as Copenhagen, were also ranked among the 10 most expensive cities in the world in the annual Economist Intelligence Unit survey, comparing costs of over 150 items in 133 cities around the world. Paris ranked second-most expensive last year.

Leaders of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway have been invited to the EU summit in Brussels on Friday to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the European Economic Area agreement, making EU legislation on movement of goods, services, persons and capital applicable in the 31 EEA states - the 28-EU countries plus those three. UK trade secretary Liam Fox announced on Monday a post-Brexit agreement on trade with EEA countries.

The British prime minister's strategy - to have the looming Brexit deadline pressurise MPs into accepting the divorce deal - is in chaos, after a third meaningful vote was ruled out. The EU awaits a Brexit extension request by London.

French prime minister Edouard Phillippe announced on Monday a ban on 'yellow vest' protests along the Champs-Elysees Avenue in Paris, in Bordeaux and Toulouse if violent groups were known to be taking part. The ban would be in force for an unspecified period in the areas that were "the most impacted" by a surge in violence in protests last Saturday. Paris police chief Michel Delpuech would also be replaced.

Russian president Vladimir Putin marked the fifth anniversary of Russia's annexation of Crimea with a visit to the region where Monday was officially been declared the "Day of Crimea's Reunification with Russia" public holiday. The EU commented that "we do not, and will not recognise this violation of international law."

What is really needed is not the theatre of a rebellion trial, but a forensic examination of whether public funds were misused, and a process of dialogue and negotiation on how the Catalan peoples' right to self-determination can be satisfied.

The Speaker of the UK parliament on Monday warned the government it could not bring its Brexit deal to the House of Commons for a third vote, after it was previously rejected twice. John Bercow said the rules stated a bill could not be put again to a vote unless it was "substantially" changed. May lost the first vote by 230 votes, and a second vote by 149 votes.

Three people were killed when a gunman opened fire on a tram in the Dutch city of Utrecht, the local mayor confirmed on Monday. Some nine others were injured, some of them seriously, mayor Jan van Zanen said, adding police were "assuming" a terrorist motive. Police named 37-year old Turkish-born Gokmen Tanis as their chief suspect, warning the public not to approach him.

EPP leader and prospective next EU Commission president Manfred Weber spells out his plan for dealing with recalcitrant EU member states - ahead of Wednesday's EPP meeting on the vexed issue of Hungary's Viktor Orban and Fidesz.

In a backlash against rising populism across Europe, Slovak voters put their trust in a pro-European liberal candidate in the first round of elections to the country's largely-ceremonial presidential post.

The age at which women in the European Union give birth to their first child has gradually increased from 28.7 years in 2013 to 29.1 in 2017, figures released by Eurostat on Monday showed. The member state with the highest average age for women to have their first baby in 2017 was Italy (31.1 years old) and the youngest mothers were Latvian (26.9).

UK prime minister Theresa May will only put the Brexit deal to third vote in parliament this week if her Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) alliance partner and conservative Brexiteers agree to support it, reports the BBC. Chancellor of the exchequer Philip Hammond said there would be no point in bringing the deal back for a third vote unless the government was confident of winning.

Germany's biggest bank, Deutsche Bank, confirmed on Sunday that it is in merger talks with the country's second-largest lender, Commerzbank. If successful they could become a national champion at a level to compete with top banks on Wall Street. Both banks are challenged by the ongoing economic slowdown in Germany. The German government owns 15.5 percent of Commerzbank after the bank was bailed during the financial crisis.

Serbian protesters rallied over the weekend for 15th time since November in Belgrade and around the country demanding president Aleksandar Vucic's resignation, and calling for democratic reforms and media freedom. Tensions escalated on Saturday when crowds stormed the state TV station - prompting Vucic to give a televised address from inside his residence in which he branded the protesters "fascists, hooligans and thieves".

French finance minister Bruno Le Maire will face tough questions on Monday when meeting business representatives and insurers to discuss the economic impact of violent 'Yellow Vest' protests over the weekend, which left some 80 Champs-Elysees boulevard shops vandalised. French police appeared overwhelmed during Saturday's unexpectedly rough protests, which came after weeks of lower participation in the Yellow Vest rallies.

The four most powerful EU institutions - Commission, Parliament, Council and Central Bank will all have new leaders in the coming ten months. Here is an overview.