Euobserver.com

Janez Jansa, an ally of Hungary's Viktor Orban, is leading the race to become Slovenia's next prime minister, polling 25 percent support ahead of Sunday's general elections. The Centrist List of Marjan Sarec is second on 16 percent support and the Social Democrats, whose leader is open to form a government with Sarec, at 14 percent. Janez Jansa was forced to resign as PM in 2013 over a corruption scandal.

Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez is set to become Spain's new prime minister after five MPs of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) said they would support a motion of no confidence on conservative prime minister Mariano Rajoy. If Rajoy loses Friday's vote, as expected, Sanchez is likely to replace him immediately and become the first Spanish politician to unseat a prime minister through a motion of no-confidence.

Italy's prime minister-designate Giuseppe Conte announced a new ministerial line-up on Thursday, replacing Paolo Savona, a disputed eurosceptic, as economy minister with Giovanni Tria, a political economy professor close to Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party. The move paves the way to form a new Italian coalition government of the anti-establishment Five Star (M5S) and the right-wing League, ending months of uncertainty. Savona will instead become European affairs minister.

As Brexit leads to budget cuts in the agriculture subsidies, EUobserver looks at some of the surprising recipients of CAP funding.

EU commission gets ready to hit back after Trump's decision to impose tariffs on European steel and aluminium.

EU court's handling of dispute between Ireland and Poland could make or break EU efforts to uphold rule of law.

The US now leaves us with no choice but to proceed with a WTO [World Trade Organization] dispute settlement case and with the imposition of additional duties on a number of imports from the US," European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said on Thursday after US president Donald Trump confirmed that EU steel and aluminium import to the US will be taxed from 1 June.

The General Court of the EU ruled Thursday that the penalties imposed by the European Parliament on Polish former MEP Janusz Korwin-Mikke should be annulled. Judges said that even if Korwin-Mikke's remarks last year - that women were less intelligent than men - were of "particularly shocking nature", they did not cause "disorder or disruption of Parliament whilst in session". They however rejected Korwin-Mikke's claim for reparation of non-pecuniary loss.

Energy ministers from the world's biggest economies, including the G20, were shown how co-operation works in the Nordic electricity market. This co-operation is unique by international standards and is held up as a model globally.

The idea that the USA benefits less from market access to the EU than vice-versa is a fairy tale. That is why Trump is mistaken if he believes that he can blackmail the EU.

Macedonian PM Zoran Zaev has said a "breakthrough" on the name dispute is imminent, as he prepares to speak to his Greek counterpart on Friday.

The European Central Bank (ECB) on Wednesday said the head of Latvia's central bank, Ilmars Rimsevics, who was removed over suspicion of corruption, should be allowed to exercise some of his powers. At a hearing at the EU Court of Justice, the ECB argued that Rimsevics's removal was illegal and threatened the EU central bank's independence. The case was brought to the court by Rimsevics.

Romania's constitutional court ruled Wednesday that president Klaus Iohannis must fire Laura Codruta Kovesi, the chief prosecutor of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA). Judges said that under the constitution, Iohannis cannot reject a government decree dismissing Codruta Kovesi. The social-democratic governement is also engaged in a wide-ranging reform of the judiciary, which has been critised by the EU and the Council of Europe for limiting independence of judges and prosecutors.

Lung cancer killed a quarter of a million people (273,000) in the EU in 2015, according to Eurostat figures published on Thursday, the World No Tobacco day. The share of lung cancer among all fatal cancers was highest in Hungary (27%), followed by Greece, Denmark, Poland and the Netherlands (all 24%). The lowest shares were recorded in Portugal and Latvia (both 15%). Men were twice as affected as women.

The European Commission proposed on Wednesday to double the budget of the Erasmus student exchange programme to €30bn for the period 2021-2027. The program will provide opportunities for 12m students to study or gain work experience in a different European country while completing a degree. The scheme also aims to "foster knowledge and awareness of the EU" and to "strengthen European identity".

US president Donald Trump plans to announce steel and aluminum tariffs on the European Union on Thursday, according to the Wall Street Journal. China was hit by a 25 percent tariff on steel and 10 percent one on aluminum in March, while an exemption for EU products, to allow further talks, expires on Friday. The EU has threatened to impose tariffs on American products in return.

EU ambassador to Turkey said member states may consider reopening accession talks with Ankara if Erdogan put an end to the post-coup state of emergency.

The EU executive wants to support civil groups promoting European values and democracy in the next budget. However, critics say it does little to save NGOs from autocratic regimes.

By opening his "foul mouth" on the Italian political situation, the budget commissioner did not shy away from a necessary public debate.

European Parliament debates with EU leaders have become a repetitive series of monologues that forget to ask what citizens want from the EU.