Photo by Shane Rounce on Unsplash A much-needed charity for Belgium’s English speaking community has seen a huge rise in referrals in the past two years. The Community Help Service, based in Brussels, provides a 24 hour helpline for people who feel the need to speak to someone about a personal problem, including possible mental health issues. The…
After years of enlargement fatigue, it is now time for the EU to truly recommit to the accession perspective of the Western Balkan region and accelerate the enlargement process. This is the main message MEPs are sent to participants of the EU-Western Balkan Summit in Tirana. The S&D Group hosted the high-level summit in Vienna. Among…
The EPP Group says it “strongly welcomes” the decision of the European Commission to insist that the Hungarian Government must do more to strengthen the rule of law. The group also says that the country should not receive any more EU money until remedial measures are fully in place. “This is an historic moment for…
Before Brexit the UK was renowned for ‘gold-plating’ EU laws with extra red tape. With a 7% drop in real incomes forecast over the next two years, and the UK needing to generate economic growth, the objective should be to roll back red-tape barriers to growth rather than adding to the burden – yet the…
“Generators of hope” – a campaign launched jointly by Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, and Dario Nardella, President of Eurocities – will bring practical aid to people in Ukraine, by delivering a massive supply of power generators at a time of urgent need. Following consecutive missile and drone attacks by Russia on critical civilian infrastructure of…
Brussels has been urged to “systematically align EU policies for the victory of Ukraine.”. The message, from centre right MEPs, comes with the war in Ukraine showing no signs of abating. In comments on Thursday, the EPP group also said the EU should start membership talks with Ukraine “as soon as possible.” The EPP statement…
Last week UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt unveiled an emergency budget to plug the £55 billion black hole in the nation’s finances. He accepted that the last seven years of growth would be erased and that the country will remain in recession for up to two years., writes Philip Bushill-Matthews . In the circumstances he had little…
Elderly people and those with a disability “must not be left behind” in Europe’s rush to digitilization, an international conference on transport mobility was told. The conference heard that new technologies such as artificial intelligence will have a crucial role to play in transforming Europe’s transport eco system. But, in any debate about the future…
It is 33 years since the Berlin Wall was torn down, in November 1989. It heralded the break-up of the old Soviet empire and a new hope for the fledgling democracies which would spring up across Central and Eastern Europe, writes Philip Bushill-Matthews. Some walls stayed firmly fixed: the ‘Peace Walls’ in Belfast and the…
The Commission has adopted a recommendation to the Council to authorise the opening of negotiations of upgraded European Border and Coast Guard Agency’s (Frontex) status agreements between the EU and Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, as well as with Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Commission is also adopting a new assistance package worth €39.2 million under the Instrument for…
