EURACTIV News
Romania to seek EU compensation for East-West energy price gap
Romania will ask the Council for compensation for the much higher energy prices in its region compared to Western Europe, Romanian Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja said on Thursday, confirming his Greek counterpart's words that his country had joined forces with Greece and Bulgaria.
Categories: EurActiv
Sánchez pledges support to Venezuelan opposition leader amid diplomatic row
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Thursday pledged his full support to Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia, who has been in exile in Spain since Sunday, as he tries to find a way out of the South American country's political crisis.
Categories: EurActiv
Putin: West will be dragged into war if it lets Kyiv use long-range missiles
Vladimir Putin said on Thursday (12 September) that the West would be directly fighting with Russia if it allowed Ukraine to strike Russian territory with Western-made long-range missiles, a move he said would alter the nature and scope of the conflict.
Categories: EurActiv
Bulgarian president lobbies for large-scale Chinese business expansion in country
President Rumen Radev on Thursday insisted on the establishment of a direct flight between Sofia and Beijing and the opening of a Chinese bank branch to boost business ties between the two countries.
Categories: EurActiv
EU socialists softened their stance on the Italian executive VP pick
Opposition to Rafaele Fitto's bid to become vice-president of the executive in the next European Commission appears to be softening, with the socialist S&D group in the European Parliament, who had previously joined the Greens and Liberals in opposing the move, no longer speaking of 'red lines'.
Categories: EurActiv
German CDU calls for trial period for border rejections
Conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz (CDU-EPP) floated the idea of turning back refugees at the border whose first EU country of entry was not Germany for a three-month trial period - an idea that may sound familiar to the governing parties in Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition government.
Categories: EurActiv
New French PM dashes hopes of a EU-Mercosur deal by Brazil G20 summit
French Prime Minister Michel Barnier has strongly reiterated France's opposition to the EU-Mercosur free trade deal and confirmed his desire to seek a 'blocking minority', according to information obtained by Euractiv, dashing hopes of finalising the deal at the upcoming G20 summit in Brazil.
Categories: EurActiv
European ‘naivety’ could trigger industrial collapse, warns new Econ Committee Chair
Europe should stop being "naive" and step up efforts to support its faltering industrial base to compete with China and the United States, the newly elected chairman of the European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee told Euractiv in an interview.
Categories: EurActiv
EU committee rejects double standards on pesticide levels allowed in food
EU farmers must comply with strict production standards, and so should third-country producers if they want to export to the EU, according to the latest vote by the ENVI committee. Does this approach signal the start of a new, more protectionist agricultural policy?
Categories: EurActiv
Lagarde: Draghi report ‘formidable’ but ECB won’t change policy to boost EU competitiveness
European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde praised Mario Draghi’s “formidable” report on Thursday (12 September) but said that the responsibility for boosting Europe’s lagging competitiveness ultimately lies with EU governments rather than monetary policymakers.
Categories: EurActiv
Wagenknecht party and Fico’s Smer tease alliance, but ‘too soon’ for new EP group
Germany’s Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) and Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico's Smer have confirmed a new attempt to strengthen ‘left-conservative’ ties in the European Parliament, but said a new group is still some way off.
Categories: EurActiv
EU-UK energy relations: Deeper cooperation possible, depending on the politics
The new British government and the new Commission will have to sit down at the negotiating table for the revision of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), scheduled for 2026. An overview of the energy issues at stake between London and Brussels.
Categories: EurActiv
China uses LinkedIn to recruit academics for espionage, Czech intelligence warns
China poses a fundamental threat to Euro-Atlantic civilisation and is using various channels, including LinkedIn, to establish contacts and gain influence and know-how, the Czech Security Information Service (BIS) has warned.
Categories: EurActiv
EU think tank challenges Draghi, Letta recommendations for telecoms sector
The Centre on Regulation in Europe (CERRE) has challenged the recommendations of Enrico Letta and Mario Draghi for the EU telecoms industry, in a report released on Thursday (12 September).
Categories: EurActiv
The Brief – Von der Leyen can be persuasive, sometimes
Pursuing her goal for gender balance on the EU high table, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has been able to make smaller member states change their mind, as three of them withdrew their male candidate, however, gender balance is unlikely to be achieved.
Categories: EurActiv
Blinken leaves door open on Ukraine using Western missiles in Russia during Warsaw visit
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who visited Poland on Thursday (12 September), did not confirm that the United States will permit Ukraine to fire Western-supplied missiles into Russian territory, but left the possibility open.
Categories: EurActiv
One in three Europeans unable to afford medical care due to poverty, new survey suggests
Millions of Europeans are depriving themselves of essential goods such as healthcare and food due to lack of money, a new survey published by Ipsos and French charity Secours Populaire on Thursday (12 September) reveals.
Categories: EurActiv
Libya migration: Trafficking in folly
The EU is trusting those benefiting from human smuggling and trafficking through Libya to stop it. Unsurprisingly, the result is shaky and unsustainable, writes Anrike Visser.
Categories: EurActiv
EU court says Hungary broke competition rules by fixing food prices
The European Union’s top court ruled on Thursday (12 September) that a Hungarian decree setting regulated prices for basic foodstuffs undermines fair competition, in a dispute first brought before a national court by international retailer SPAR.
Categories: EurActiv
France’s Bruno Le Maire leaves government to enter academia
French Economic and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire announced on Thursday (12 September) that he would not stay in post after the new government is announced next week, taking on a professorship in economic policy and geopolitics at the University of Lausanne, saying "love you and leave you" in his farewell speech.
Categories: EurActiv