French far-fight defeats Macron’s centrists

The French headed to the polls on Sunday (30 June) to decide on their next government after President Emmanuel Macron announced a snap election in response to strong performance for France’s far-right in the European elections.

Jordan Bardella’s far-right Rassemblement National emerged victorious in this first round of legislative elections, with a record score of 34%. But what messages is this result sending ahead of the definitive second round on Sunday (7 July), and what could the outcome me

Everything we know about the Draghi report

The forthcoming report by former Italian prime minister and former European central bank president, Mario Draghi, on the future of European competitiveness is a valuable opportunity to shape the EU policy agenda for the coming EU legislative term and beyond.

The report will focus on the EU’s aim to leverage its numerous strengths and competitive advantages while also tackling existing challenges and facilitating the twin transition towards a sustainable and digital economy.

But why has Draghi’

All that changed on election night

More than 360 million European citizens had the right to vote in this weekend’s European Parliament elections. Across Europe, the overall turnout was around 51%, and the results had knock-on effects on individual countries.

Who were the big winners according to the latest exit polls, who were the losers, what happens with the non-affiliated, and in which EU countries were these make-or-break elections?

To talk about what happened during the election night we’re joined by Aurelie Pugnet, Euract

Will the new Dutch coalition fight the EU or seek solutions?

Four Dutch parties, including Geert Wilders’ far-right Party for Freedom, have agreed on a government programme emphasising nationalism and a tougher stance on Europe.

They plan to seek opt-outs from some European policies, particularly migration, despite knowing these efforts will likely fail. Does this mean they’re going for a strategy of confrontation with Europe or one of cooperation? And will their Eurosceptical approach damage the country’s credibility in the EU?

To understand better the

EU elections: The influence of Eastern Europe on Brussels politics

Much has changed over the past two decades: The EU has evolved and expanded, with thirteen new members. The 2004 Big Bang enlargement altered Europe’s geopolitical landscape and, though its pace has slowed since then, new member states continue to influence and shape the EU’s agenda and policies.

In this episode, we’re looking together with Alexandra Brzozowski, Euractiv’s Global Europe editor, at what is happening in Eastern Europe and why the geopolitical weight of these countries is increasi

What will happen to the EU's 119 pending legislative files?

After the European Parliament elections in June, the fate of 119 legislative files unfinished in this mandate will hang in the balance.

The new parliament must decide whether and how to address these pending issues. This decision is expected to fuel political debates and shape the direction of EU policymaking in the upcoming five-year term, as indicated by recent polls.

But are all these files to be affected? To look into the fate of the unfinished files we are joined by Max Girera, Euractiv’s

Push for permanent RRF faces scrutiny amidst latest €600m fraud in Italy

In this episode of our daily ‘Today in the EU’ podcast, we take a deep dive into the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).

The EU’s economic chief Paolo Gentiloni called for turning the bloc’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) into a “permanent” resource, arguing that its temporary nature hasn’t helped the programme would unleash its full potential. However, the European Court of Auditors is warning about the risk of frauds when it comes to EU funds after cases of embezzlement were detec

VDL on tightrope: Indulging the right without losing the left

In this episode of our daily Today in the EU podcast, we are talking about Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s effort to gain support from both ends of the political spectrum.

Von der Leyen faces a tricky dilemma as she will have to woo right-wing voters, including new members of the European Parliament, without scaring away the left-of-centre parties, whose votes she needs to win her second term. But what will keeping this precarious balance look like for von der Leyen? How is she goin

Nature restoration law: Is it really the end for flagship Green Deal policy?

In the latest episode of Euractiv’s Today in the EU, we’re focusing on the nature restoration law, which has been at the forefront of discussions among national governments in the Council, while the European Parliament has seen its fair share of drama.

Despite the compromise reached between Parliament and national governments in February, which notably diluted the Commission’s original proposal, there is now not enough support amongst member states.

To break down what is happening with one of

NATO new era: Who’s fit for its top job?

On the latest episode of Euractiv’s Today in the EU, all eyes are on the NATO military alliance, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary with two new members: Finland and Sweden. Lying ahead in 2024 is a mission to maintain unity and find a new secretary general, all while navigating through the hot waters of helping Ukraine without being dragged into a war with Russia.

To break down who are the top candidates for the alliance’s top position and assess what lies in store for NATO in the futur

Political manoeuvring intensifies ahead of June EU elections

On the very first episode of our daily podcast Today in the EU, we are looking at the upcoming European elections.

Campaigns are heating up, with the political parties showing their claws ahead of polls opening in June. According to Euractiv’s polling provider, Europe Elects, the national-conservative ECR group is set to overtake the liberal Renew Europe group as the fourth-largest political force.

We sat down with Euractiv’s network journalist Max Griera to break down the numbers and trends a

European Parliament's presence on banned TikTok raises security concerns

The European Parliament wants to use TikTok to engage voters ahead of the EU elections in June. However, some are calling the move contradictory – as in March 2023, both the European Commission and Parliament banned TikTok from official devices. Despite their positions having since ameliorated, cybersecurity concerns persist.

We spoke with Julia Tar, Euractiv’s Technology reporter to find out about the transparency regarding its use and how can TikTok be safely used during the electoral campaig

Could Trump's NATO remarks threaten European security?

With NATO defence ministers gathering in Brussels on Thursday (15 February), the meeting is being overshadowed by former US President Donald Trump’s recent remarks Washington might not protect European allies who are not spending enough on defence from a potential Russian attack.

They also come ahead of the Munich Security Conference (16-18 February), the ‘Davos of defence’, where some of the world’s top security leaders meet to discuss crises and future threats.

We ask Alexandra Brzozowski, E

Greens: What’s the plan for June's European elections?

This week, the Beyond the Byline podcast looks at the Greens congress, their pro-electoral pledge and the candidates representing the party in the elections.

In anticipation of the European Elections this coming June, parties are gathering in congresses to finalise their candidate selections and strategies for their electoral campaigns.

Earlier this month, the European Greens convened their congress to finalise their manifesto and to select their lead candidates for the EU elections. We asked

Cutro shipwreck deemed not of particular interest by Italian authorities

This week, the Beyond the Byline podcast delves into the chain of events that led to the sinking of a boat carrying around 200 people off the coast of Cutro, southern Italy, on 26 February 2023 – in which at least 94 people lost their lives.

Italian officials at the Frontex monitoring room in Warsaw deemed the sighting of the migrant boat as ‘not of particular interest’ hours before it hit a shallow point in the water and sank, according to the Frontex incident report obtained by Euractiv.

We

EU wrestles with Israel over two-state solution

In this episode, the Beyond the Byline podcast looks into the EU’s new push towards a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

EU foreign ministers held a flurry of separate meetings in Brussels this week – with Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, his Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Maliki as well as other Arab ministers – to discuss how to achieve peace in the Middle East.

The EU’s peace plan ambitions hit a big wall in the face of Israel’s flat-out rejection.

Euractiv’s Gl

EU to grant €87m to Egypt for migration, raising implementation questions

In this episode, the Beyond the Byline podcast looks into the EU’s plan to grant €87 million, alongside new equipment, to Egypt to manage migration in 2024, under a project initiated in 2022.

The focus is on enhancing Egypt’s naval and border capabilities for surveillance and sea search and rescue. Previous funding supported border management, anti-smuggling efforts, and voluntary returns. Negotiations are also continuing to tie funding to the country for various sectors to International Moneta

The starting gun in the race for EU’s top jobs

In this episode of EURACTIV’s Beyond the Byline podcast, we look into European Council President Charles Michel’s recent announcement that he will step down from his current position and run in the European parliamentary election in June.

The prospect of Michel’s potential election as an MEP introduces a complex timeline for selecting his successor and raises concerns about a potential power vacuum during Hungary’s EU Council presidency.

We ask Euractiv’s Global Europe Editor Alexandra Brzozow

2023 wrap up: EU enlargement, migration pact and two wars

In this special year-end episode, our Beyond the Byline podcast, together with Euractiv’s Alexandra Brzozowski, Benjamin Fox and Julia Tar, takes a closer look at the key topics that shaped our coverage throughout the past 12 months.

As 2023 bids us farewell we look at its impact not only for the European Union and its policies but for the entire globe. The ongoing war in Ukraine continued to command our attention in 2023, underscoring the geopolitical tensions that persist in the region. But t

Dutch elections: Far-right victory and Euroscepticism

In this episode, the Beyond the Byline podcast looks into the results of the Dutch elections, which saw the party of anti-Islam populist, Geert Wilders, lead the polls.

The success of Wilders’ Freedom Party (PVV) signalled a notable rightwards shift in a country that’s seen over a decade of centrist governance.

Geert Wilders is now positioned to lead talks for the next governing coalition, potentially becoming the first far-right prime minister of the Netherlands, with the PVV securing 37 seat

VDL's Western Balkan tour: Promises and warnings on EU enlargement

This week the Beyond the Byline podcast looks at Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s tour of the Western Balkans.

The EU executive chief talked to leaders of Western Balkans countries to encourage their governments to continue their hard work to meet EU membership standards, while warning that many are falling short of the requirements, and Brussels’ newfound appetite for enlargement might not last forever.

The six Western Balkan states of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Monte

International Humanitarian Law: Who is eligible for protection?

This week the Beyond the Byline podcast takes a deep dive into the global rules governing warfare – or international humanitarian law, as it’s officially called. The rules, established in the wake of the Second World War, seek to limit the effects of armed conflict, guided by the 1949 Conventions that 196 states are party to.

To find out what the ground rules are, who is eligible for protection, and what happens when these rules are violated, we turn to Dr. Knut Dörmann, head of the delegation

EU's divisions on Gaza: Heading towards a change of tone?

This week, Euractiv’s Beyond the Byline podcast takes a look at the division sweeping across the EU amid mixed signals from officials on the Israel-Hamas war.

EU leaders held a virtual conference on Tuesday (17 October) to decide their common stance regarding the conflict that has exploded between Israel and Hamas in recent days. The talks came in the wake of criticism that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen overstepped her remit with her unequivocal support for Israel.

We aske

EU's sex work report: Key omissions

This week, Euractiv’s Beyond the Byline podcast looks into the hotly contested report on the regulation of sex work.

EU lawmakers adopted a report advocating the decriminalisation of people engaged in sex work, while suggesting the ‘punishment’ but not criminalisation of those who use their services.

The report, although lacking direct legislative impact, sparked controversy as it initially proposed the Nordic model, criminalising sex buyers, but later opted for a milder stance.

It also calle
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