Unions rally against new ‘EU Inc’ race-to-bottom on labour laws and pay
‘EU Inc’, or the 28th regime, started as an EU project to facilitate the expansion of small companies. Now, trade unions warn it could erode years of hard-earned labour rights.
EU politics
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Dutch fossil-fuel exit plan shows EU struggle to set binding deadlines
The Dutch fossil fuel phase-out plan falls short of outlining clear deadlines, as EU countries struggle to fulfil the 2050 climate neutrality goal.
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German minister slams Costa over EU budget, says he has ‘completely lost touch with reality’
Time is running out for member states to move closer together on the next seven-year budget, with EU leaders aiming to strike a deal by the end of the year. But efforts by European Council president António Costa to bring capitals together in recent weeks have so far yielded little result.
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Poland’s pushback drive and EU asylum ‘emergency’ plan put rights ‘on a cliff edge’, warns Europe’s top rights chief
Poland is taking credit for a new so-called European emergency response framework, announced last week by the European Commission president. Details are scant but Poland is seeking to loosen UN rules on pushbacks, citing article 33(2) of the 1951 Refugee Convention.
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Auditors find EU cyber‑attack response is weakened by overlapping systems and secretive member states
Europe spent billions building a common cybersecurity defence. Yet a new audit has found that when a major cyber incident strikes, the EU’s response is not united.
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Irish regulator hits Google with €403m GDPR fine over invasive location tracking
The consumer-rights group which filed complaints against the tech giant lashed out at the “disproportionate” time taken for the Irish privacy watchdog to protect sensitive location data.
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THIS WEEK: Next budget and protectionist industrial policy on EU agenda as EPP chief visits CeutaAs EU ministers clash over how protectionist Europe’s new industrial push should be, EPP chief Manfred Weber is flying to Spain’s north African enclave. Meanwhile, Trump’s wars, tariffs and tensions with allies are also set to dominate the UN General Assembly, with Ukraine, Gaza and Iran high on the agenda.
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Civil partnership from abroad not enough to stay in EU country, according to ECJ preliminary opinion
As Romania does not recognise same-sex partnerships, having a partner there is not a basis for residency, according to a European Court of Justice opinion on Thursday.
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EU plans Europe‑wide social media age limits, but can Brussels really police Big Tech?
A revolution in tech, or another Brussels-bred measure that will fall flat on enforcement? Such has been the debate surrounding the EU’s new social media ban for teens, though it is still pending review by law-making bodies.
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Von der Leyen’s ‘European values,’ paid for by private equity, powered by Claude
Ursula von der Leyen talks about European sovereignty and keeping Europe’s fate in European hands, but the model she presented for achieving that sovereignty relies heavily on non-European technology and global capital.
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Turkey’s anti-LGBTI+ crackdown draws meek EU criticism
Turkey has arrested dozens of LGBTI+ activists in nationwide raids, drawing meek criticism from EU officials and calls for Europe-wide solidarity protests on Friday.
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EU’s new cross‑border work rules favour recruitment, not workers, say critics
The EU’s single market has come up against a labour force-sized issue time and time again. A new bundle of regulations takes aim at streamlining hiring across the bloc, although critics worry this only facilitates recruiters while leaving workers still exposed to vulnerabilities in the workplaces
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Babiš’s ‘blind trust’ under fire: EU says Czech PM still benefits from Agrofert profits
Brussels’ objections could see millions in EU subsidies for Agrofert frozen or clawed back, while ordinary Czech farmers still receive direct payments under a system the commission deems less vulnerable to Babiš’s conflict of interest.
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What competitiveness experts expect from von der Leyen’s State of the Union
For our new report, Economic Competitiveness and European Citizens, we asked 11 experts from across Brussels and beyond 12 questions about Europe’s competitiveness debate. Download it for free here.
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Von der Leyen’s State of the Union speech risks making border pushbacks ‘normal’ EU migration policy
Ursula von der Leyen is expected to announce new migrant-busting proposals on Wednesday during her State of the Union speech in Strasbourg. Speculation is rising on what they could be, given the bloc has spent 10 years debating asylum reforms which only kicked into force three months ago.
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What should a more competitive Europe deliver for its citizens? Download our free report
Download EUobserver’s first Stakeholder Report, which brings together people working on European policy to examine the choices facing the EU and what they mean for citizens.
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THIS WEEK: Canada’s Carney attends von der Leyen’s State of the Union, as new talks on Russian frozen assets for Ukraine return to EU agendaEuropean Commission president Ursula von der Leyen will outline her vision for the EU in her annual State of the European Union speech, as Canada’s Mark Carney edges closer to Brussels and away from Washington. Curbs on teenagers’ use of social media and measures to counter hybrid threats are also on this week’s agenda.
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Early poll suggests Swedes reject far-right party in electionA poll by the SVT public broadcaster showed Kristerssen’s liberal-rightwing bloc trailing with 46.8 percent, compared to 51.3 percent for the left-green alliance of former socialist prime minister Magdalena Andersson.
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[Interview] ‘Not everyone wants to come to Europe’, says IOM researcher warning against migration panic
From who cares for Europe’s elderly to who picks its crops, Pablo Rojas Coppari argues that closing regular migration routes today will silently undercut the continent’s own ageing societies tomorrow.
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Victims of online harm fear von der Leyen will backtrack on child social‑media ban
This year’s State of the Union address was expected to contain social media restrictions to greater safeguard children in light of sustained harm, and sometimes, deaths. Recently, however, Ursula von der Leyen’s tune seems to have changed.