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Amnesty International said on Thursday (13 September) that it will try to prevent Romania's planned referendum aimed at changing the definition of "family" for this will "breach international human rights standards" and make it impossible to legalise same-sex unions.

The European Parliament's vote to censure Hungary presents the assembly's dominant centre-right bloc with a dilemma over whether to retain its populist Hungarian allies or expel them months before elections.

French President Emmanuel Macron's centrist LREM party is neck-and-neck with the far-right Rassemblement National, formerly the National Front, for the May 2019 European Parliament elections, according to poll results published on Thursday (13 September).

This week, the State of the Union puts us to sleep, Viktor Orban is the EU’s black sheep, and the copyright vote makes free-speech activists weep.

Whether they are citizens, politicians, businesses or civil society, the European copyright reform approved in Strasbourg has received unwavering support in France. EURACTIV France reports.

Education about balanced diets brings tangible results according to the vending machines lobby, while parental organisations say lawmakers should insist on good habits to tackle childhood obesity, rather than regulation.

The EU's top economic official said on Thursday (13 September) he feared "little Mussolinis" might be emerging in Europe, drawing a furious response from Italy's far-right interior minister who accused him of insulting his country and Italians.

Eurostar trains heading from London to Paris may not be allowed into France if there is no Brexit deal and sufficient preparations have not been made, France's European Affairs minister said on Thursday (13 September).

There are few safeguards against a repeat of the “Great Recession” triggered ten years ago by the collapse of Lehman Brothers, writes Karl Aiginger. However, it will be different from the crisis of 2008 and there is a lot we can do to make it less likely and less severe, he argues.

Delays in the formulation of legal frameworks and spending plans create severe obstacles to an effective use of Cohesion funding, shifting the focus on quick use of money rather than on performance and results, a new Court of Auditors report published Thursday (13 September) underlined.

In the Visegrad countries, decision makers prefer their historical favourites – coal and nuclear – to renewable sources and energy efficiency. As the Global Climate Action Summit resumes in San Francisco, it’s important to realise that corporate leadership can also shape the outlook for clean energy in Eastern Europe, writes Ada Ámon.

In the early 1990’s, the EU had actually paved the way for Euro-Asian connectivity programmes with TRACECA, a programme meant to promote regional transport dialogue. However, its attention to the initiative dwindled over the years, writes Nicola Contessi.

European regions and cities were left wondering about the noticeable absence of Cohesion policy in Jean-Claude Juncker’s State of the Union speech in the European Parliament on Wednesday (12 September). They were particularly irked by his failure to highlight the positive role of regions in handling migration.

Members of the European Parliament’s environment committee voted on Monday (10 September) to update drinking water rules to remove pollutants from what comes out of our taps. But they have also been criticised for striking a blow against transparency.

The French delegation of the EPP in the European Parliament was totally divided during a vote on triggering Article 7 against Hungary. EURACTIV France reports.

A new passport and international driving permit could be among the unwanted shopping list facing the British in the event of a ‘no deal’ Brexit, the UK government admitted on Thursday (13 September).

For once, the Balkans provided a source of content, and a welcome distraction, for the weary MEPs in Strasbourg when Macedonia’s prime minister rocked up to the hemicycle.

Security commissioner Julian King assured EU citizens on Thursday (13 September) that plans to tackle the spread of terrorist content online do not amount to "anywhere near censorship."

Davide Crippa, Italy’s Undersecretary for Economic Development, has announced the country’s withdrawal from a seven-country alliance led by Poland, which argued for preserving national sovereignty over decisions to finance emergency power plants.

The UN has taken the European migration policy in its sights, drawing a strong response from Vienna and Rome. EURACTIV Germany reports from Vienna.