Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash MEPs are due to vote in favour of the final report of an inquiry committee on Pegasus and similar spyware (PEGA), calling for the EU regulation that stops the abuse of spyware by member states. They say that spying on political opponents, journalists or lawyers is illegal and against fundamental EU values. When…
Photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash The European Commission and the European Investment Bank have announced €18 billion of financing under Global Gateway, Europe’s investment strategy for partner countries. This will boost investment in Global Gateway’s priority areas – climate action, clean energy and connectivity – in Europe’s partner countries around the world. In particular, these projects will aim…
Photo by Amol Tyagi on Unsplash. A new Brussels to Berlin night train is due to start services from next month. The first service of European Sleeper is scheduled to depart on 25 May. The launch comes amid growing enthusiasm in long-distance trains across Europe, as the travelling public look for more sustainable alternatives to aviation. The service,…
Photo by Yellow Cactus on Unsplash The International Trade Committee in the European parliament has given its green light on for another one-year suspension of EU import duties on Ukrainian exports to support the country’s economy. Members of the International Trade Committee approved a proposal to renew the suspension of import duties, anti-dumping duties and safeguards on Ukrainian…
Photo by Stephanie LeBlanc on Unsplash The EU’s €90 million preparatory action on defence research (PADR) was only partially useful in priming the EU for significantly ramping up its defence spending and paving the way for the €8 billion European Defence Fund (EDF), according to a report by the European Court of Auditors. Projects funded under the PADR…
EU political elites “advancing” Gazprom’s agenda and Hungary’s “susceptibility” to Russian intelligence activities are among several examples named in a new report which has been drafted by MEPs. The EU needs a coordinated strategy against foreign interference and information manipulation (FIMI), including measures to enforce better existing provisions to fight it, say MEPs in the…
Photo by Kyle Mackie on Unsplash An ambitious overhaul of EU animal welfare laws is possible, reveals the Brussels-based publication Agra Facts. A leaked preliminary analysis written by the European Commission’s own civil servants is said to include the option to ban caged farming in Europe and to minimise animal suffering on farms, including during transport and slaughter….
The leader of an EU body has pledged its “full support and solidarity” to Ukraine. The President of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), Vasco Alves Cordeiro spoke after he met with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. Cordeiro was taking part in the International Summit of Regions and Cities, convened by the Ukrainian authorities,…
Photo by Yukon Haughton on Unsplash A former senior British MEP says he fears the world is “drifting” towards another war. The gloomy assessment by Richard Balfe, now a life peer in the UK, comes amid mounting tensions in various parts of the world. As well as the ongoing war in Ukraine, recent weeks have seen increased tension…
Photo by Kristin Snippe on Unsplash A formal campaign has been launched for overseas UK parliamentary constituencies who will represent British citizens living abroad. The campaign gets underway as the UK government abolishes the legal bar, which currently prevents Britons who have lived outside the UK for more than 15 years, from voting in UK elections. The move…
