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The law was the product of demonstrations by youth climate activists, which led to a landmark ruling by Germany’s Constitutional Court ordering the government to take urgent action to protect their future.

Germany veers off from 2030 climate goal

By: EBR | Friday, June 16, 2023

The German government faces a carbon dioxide (CO2) gap of 200 million tonnes when it comes to reaching its 2030 climate target, largely due to a lack of action in the transport sector

A total of 21 member states are in favour deleting several provisions from the Act to Support Production of Ammunition (ASAP), initially proposed to increase European industry’s capacity for producing ammunition to one million shells in the next year, several EU diplomats told EURACTIV.

EU countries team up to cancel bloc’s ammunition production boost plan

By: EBR | Thursday, June 15, 2023

A majority of EU countries look to slash a proposed text on ramping up ammunition production in the bloc, accusing the European Commission of taking advantage of the emergency situation to usurp their powers

“If there is to be a return to the negotiating table, the way to do this is through recognition” of the north, Erdogan declared.

Victorious Erdogan demands recognition of northern Cyprus

By: EBR | Wednesday, June 14, 2023

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan redoubled his call for the international recognition of northern Cyprus, making the Mediterranean statelet his first port of call since his re-election

Yet the UK’s two main political parties are still cautious about the sort of post-Brexit relationship they envisage with the EU.

Brexit re-visited: How welcoming should the EU be?

By: EBR | Tuesday, June 13, 2023

Britain’s mood shift on Brexit has been much like Ernest Hemingway’s celebrated description of how bankruptcy occurs: “Two ways; gradually, then suddenly.”

“Poland will block the solutions regarding the relocation of migrants,” said Muller, calling the position adopted by the Council “a short-term thinking, which will de facto cause migration waves to grow.”

Poland to build coalition against EU migration pact

By: EBR | Monday, June 12, 2023

Poland will attempt to block the migration and asylum pact that the Council of the EU adopted last week and build a coalition of opponents, conservative Law and Justice (PiS) government spokesman, Piotr Muller, told

“The bitter part of the compromise is the border procedures at the external border for people from countries with a low recognition rate. Without these border procedures, however, no one but Germany would have participated in the distribution mechanism,” Baerbock stressed.

EU migration deal bitter pill for Germany

By: EBR | Friday, June 9, 2023

A new agreement between EU member states to tighten migration rules, and levy charges of €20,000 for each migrant a state refuses to accept was met with disappointment in Germany

Following a series of back and forths within the ruling coalition, Scholz has decided to take the lead on spending cuts, with ministers who oppose cuts to their departments now having to justify their opposition to him, several media reported, quoting government sources.

Scholz to enforce spending cuts in ministries amid coalition clashes

By: EBR | Thursday, June 8, 2023

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will reportedly enforce spending cuts across the federal ministries unless ministers justify their opposition after the Green and liberal coalition partners clashed over the topic

A second round is scheduled for 25 June, and although his centre-right party leads all polls, the absolute majority may be missed again.

Greek PM warns of third elections if absolute majority not reached

By: EBR | Wednesday, June 7, 2023

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has warned that the country will hold a third round of elections if an absolute majority to form a single-party government is not reached in the second round on 25 June

But the Austrian example also shows that if trust in the traditional parties is eroding, the natural winners are the ones on the two ends of the political spectrum.

The rise of left-wing populism in Austria

By: EBR | Wednesday, June 7, 2023

Austria is often considered the birthplace of modern right-wing populism in Europe

“Almost two-thirds of the companies we interviewed consider prices of energy and resources to be among the most pressing challenges,” said BDI President Siegfried Russwurm.

German economy at risk as companies plan to leave country

By: EBR | Tuesday, June 6, 2023

A growing number of businesses are moving jobs and production abroad, with many others considering taking concrete measures

From that point of view, the French president’s speech in Bratislava was probably his most clear-cut engagement for a Ukrainian military success in a long time.

Macron in Eastern Europe: Reassure, Shore Up, Move Forward

By: EBR | Tuesday, June 6, 2023

Last week, when embarking on his trip to Bratislava to attend the GLOBSEC Forum and then to Moldova for the second summit of the European Political Community, Emmanuel Macron had a clear goal in mind

One of the biggest winners in the Spanish regional and municipal elections after Partido Popular (EPP) has been far-right Vox (ECR), scoring third on a municipality level and highly increasing representation in all regions where elections took place.

Spain’s possible ‘Melonisation’ strengthens ‘patriots’ EU plans

By: EBR | Friday, June 2, 2023

Right-wing leaders across the EU welcomed the consolidation of the far-right party Vox (ECR) in Spain’s recent elections, while the conservative governing coalition in Italy stressed the need to close ranks among the European right-wing spectrum

As learnt by the agency, the Swedish government wants to conclude the talks until July, when it relays the presidency over the EU council to Spain, whereas Germany is still hesitating whether to support the reform in its current shape.

Poland opposes EU Commission’s migrant relocation scheme

By: EBR | Thursday, June 1, 2023

Stockholm upheld the EU Commission’s proposal regarding the reform of the bloc’s migration and asylum system

The Democratic Party (Demokratska stranka) asked Kurti to withdraw special forces and called on the Serbs not to clash with KFOR, “practically the only armed force in Kosovo and Metohija who can protect them”. The party also welcomed the EU, US equal distance to the matter.

Kosovo chaos shakes global players as Russia, China wade in

By: EBR | Wednesday, May 31, 2023

NATO will send 700 more peacekeeping troops to north Kosovo and cancel the ongoing Defender 2023 exercise

Europe’s bid to match the American defence industry’s dominance was stillborn, and its attempts to create a separate ‘defence identity’ fared little better. The European Defence Agency set up in 2004 to coordinate procurement has failed to break down longstanding protectionist walls within the EU. Costly and unnecessary duplication of weapons systems mean US equipment is still generally cheaper and more advanced.

Is it still crazy to talk of a ’European army’?

By: EBR | Tuesday, May 30, 2023

The notion of a ‘European army’ has been around for years, although widely rejected as crazy and impractical

MEPs are saying that Viktor Orban’s government is ‘unfit’ to hold it and are almost certain to confirm that stance in a resolution in Brussels next week. The resolution also accuses the Orban regime of “systemic corruption” as part of a wide-ranging charge sheet.

A march to the Hexit

By: EBR | Monday, May 29, 2023

Each time you think Hungary’s estrangement from the EU couldn’t get any worse, another front opens up – this time, over Budapest’s turn at the helm of the rotating six-month EU Council presidency in the second half of 2024

“We hope to have the first trilogue on the AI law in Europe before the summer, which would mean that if we work hard on it, we could have a result by the end of the year,” the European Commission’s executive vice-president in charge of A Europe Fit for the Digital Age and Competition, Vestager said.

EU Commission expects first bloc-wide AI law to be adopted this year

By: EBR | Monday, May 29, 2023

The EU Commission expects agreement in the European Union this year on the first Artificial Intelligence (AI) law, although it admits the new rules will not come into force until 2025

In the recording, the voice of Petkov can be heard explaining to his fellow party members his conversation with Leyen on 21 May, discussing Bulgaria’s chances of being accepted to Schengen and the eurozone.

Von der Leyen embroiled in political scandals in Sofia

By: EBR | Monday, May 29, 2023

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s name has been brought up in the latest Bulgarian political scandal after a five-hour recording

For the EU, “the biggest problem is not so much unemployment” but rather labour shortages. Indeed, “many sectors are desperately looking for employees and cannot find them because people do not want to work there or do not have the right skills”, he added.

Employment commissioner favours EU-wide four-day work

By: EBR | Friday, May 26, 2023

The European Union should push for implementing a four-day working week, namely for sectors with labour shortages, EU Commissioner for Employment and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit

The new media law is meant to increase transparency in media ownership and strengthen the sector’s pluralism.

EU Council advances on source protection, fund transparency in media law

By: EBR | Friday, May 26, 2023

A new compromise text on the European Media Freedom Act from the Swedish EU Council Presidency proposes changes to areas including the threshold of application for transparency rules on the allocation of public funds