Belgium

Europe

US food giant Mondelēz fined €337.5m for breaching bloc’s antitrust rules

The EU executive has sanctioned the maker of products such as Oreo and Toblerone for restricting cross-border trade of chocolate, biscuits and coffee within the Single Market.

23/05/2024

Tech News

Clarity on head of AI Office likely after summer

EU Commission starts recruiting national experts, lawyers for AI Office.

23/05/2024

Healthcare

Home care workers see no retirement horizon, report claims

Report shows more than 60% of home care workers don’t believe their jobs are sustainable until retirement, flags low pay, long working hours and mental health challenges as main barriers.

23/05/2024

Space

Space cargo contracts offer ESA chance of relaunch, says astronaut

Faced with fierce competition in space from the US, China and India, Europe is stepping up its efforts to secure a place in the emerging space economy by boosting the development of its own space capabilities - but how, when and by what means?

23/05/2024

Economy

Minimum pay schemes freezing out Europe’s youth, says report

Young people face potential exclusion "by design" from access to minimum income schemes, says a new report, despite the latest available data showing that nearly one in five people aged 16 to 29 in the EU are at risk of poverty or social exclusion.

23/05/2024

Europe

€440k frozen in Italy over suspect scam by fake farmers

Italian authorities issued a freezing order against group of farmers alleging EU farming subsidies were claimed for gardeners.

22/05/2024

Culture news

Spotify is encouraging people to vote in the European elections

Spotify has launched a campaign to encourage users to vote in the upcoming European Parliament elections.

22/05/2024

Europe

Ombudsman probes Commission's senior staff 'revolving door'

The move of an experienced senior official to a private law firm has prompted a probe by Emily O’Reilly, responsible for investigating suspected maladministration.

22/05/2024

Food and Drink

How has Portugal's pastel de nata become Brussels favourite pastry?

There's soft power and there's sweet power. An initiative launched last year is spreading fast in Brussels and beyond after being backed by EU officials and European integration enthusiasts.

22/05/2024

Belgium

Von der Leyen spars with rivals on EU budget and Chinese trade war

With two weeks until European elections, candidates diverged on the size of the bloc’s trillion-euro spending, EU air defence, and whether to impose US-style punitive tariffs on Beijing.

21/05/2024

Earth News

Belgium makes last-ditch bid for deal on GMO deregulation

Belgium is looking to break a deadlock among EU governments over a proposed easing of regulation for GMO crops produced using the latest gene editing techniques, by addressing concerns over the patenting of novel seed varieties by agribusinesses.

21/05/2024

Earth News

Ministers give green light to new electricity market rules

EU governments have waved through new electricity market rules intended to limit price spikes, protect vulnerable consumers and businesses, and accelerate the deployment of ever more zero-emissions power capacity.

21/05/2024

Earth News

Member states agree on single entity to oversee hydrogen market

New rules lay ground for development of the first EU hydrogen market, eyeing 10m tonnes of domestic green production by 2030.

21/05/2024

Tech News

Give us time to implement laws, telecom ministers ask Commission

They also ask for a mid-term review to analyse the interplay between laws and sectoral updates.

21/05/2024

Space

Astronomers find new Earth-sized exoplanet 55 light-years away

The research team plans to study the exoplanet’s surface using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.

20/05/2024

Earth News

Uber offers London drivers cash incentives to switch to EVs

Ride hailing company to offer drivers EV drivers reduced rate charging.

20/05/2024

Tech News

How the world is grappling with AI: acts, pacts and declarations

This week is set to be an important one for AI with an international summit held in Korea and a sign-off on the AI Act in Brussels.

19/05/2024

Health news

How the love story between von der Leyen and Pfizer turned sour

From making her Europe’s vaccine saviour to becoming a skeleton in her closet: All the ebbs and flows in the love story between Ursula von der Leyen and big pharma Pfizer.

17/05/2024

Earth News

Commissioner touts imminent agreement with Serbia on raw materials

Last legal hurdles are being discussed before an EU-Serbia trade partnership to source lithium from the Jadar region comes to fruition.

17/05/2024

Tech News

Microsoft urged to answer EU questions on Generative AI

Failing to provide the Commission with an answer by 27 May could result in a hefty fine.

17/05/2024

Earth News

3 nations seek private input for €2.5bn critical mineral investment

The Raw Materials Funds announced by France, Germany and Italy will be operational before the summer break.

17/05/2024

Europe

First ruling farmer protesters to shake bloc’s agriculture policy

A farmers’ protest movement has entered a European government for the first time in the Netherlands. What will be its impact on EU policies?

17/05/2024

Economy

Economics chief cites no regrets despite green deal backlash

With fresh elections looming, senior officials are unrepentant for making climate change a priority of their five-year term.

16/05/2024

Tech News

Meta’s platforms hit with two more DSA investigations

The EU Commission starts probing platform's measures to protect minors.

16/05/2024

Economy

European Commission's Brussels Economic Forum tackles key issues

Top EU policymakers were discussing artificial intelligence and the green transition as the bloc heads to the polls in June.

16/05/2024

Tech News

No grace period for DSA compliance in Ireland – Interview

The Irish watchdog will go after breaches of EU platform rules, the new authority says.

16/05/2024