Our guide to Europe’s complexities, by breaking down and explaining political decisions, terms, events and processes into a reader friendly format.

A man walks past campaign posters for the upcoming European elections in Hendaye, southwestern France, Wednesday, May 22, 2019.

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Europe Decoded

Could crisis force European-wide issues into EU election campaigns?

Since 2019, the European Union has faced multiple crises -- does that mean that EU-wide issues will dominate the 2024 European election campaigns?

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Ukraine's list of "international sponsors of war" targets foreign companies that maintain active business in Russia.

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Europe Decoded

Ukraine has a list of 'war sponsors.' But how exactly does it work?

Ukraine's list of "international sponsors of the war" targets foreign companies that are still doing business in Russia despite pressure to pull out.

24/05/2023

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks during a media conference at an EU summit in Brussels, March 24, 2023.

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Europe Decoded

Here’s why Europe is watching Spain’s regional elections

This month's regional election in Spain sets the stage for the general election held six months later.

21/05/2023

A volunteer campaigns for candidate to lead EPP, Manfred Weber of Germany at the European People's Party (EPP) congress in Helsinki, Finland. 2018

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Europe Decoded

Future of spitzenkandidaten could rest on next year’s EU elections

European political parties will need to decide before next year's elections whether to run candidates for the EU's top executive role, even though the European Commission president was picked outside the process four years ago.

19/05/2023

French President Emmanuel Macron before a meeting at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, eastern France, Oct. 31, 2017.

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Europe Decoded

The Council of Europe has nothing to do with the EU. Here's what it is

The body, which counts 46 countries as members, is the oldest political organisation in Europe and was created three years before the European Coal and Steel Community.

15/05/2023

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Europe Decoded

Changing continent: The EU's population is declining, figures reveal

Eurostat's Demography of Europe report documents various factors affecting the lives of tens of millions of people.

11/05/2023

Several Chinese companies are suspected of selling sanctioned goods to Russia.

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Europe Decoded

EU sanctions on Russia face the next frontier

The EU is discussing plans to chase after those suspected of helping Russia evade international sanctions.

11/05/2023

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attends a military promotion ceremony, in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, April 4, 2023

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Europe Decoded

What to expect from Brazilian President Lula's visit to Spain

Brazilian President Lula’s remarks created divisions ahead of his first European trip even as Spain was hoping to deepen ties.

25/04/2023

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, right, greets Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni prior to a meeting at EU headquarters in Brussels, Nov. 3, 2022.

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Europe Decoded

Why Italy is struggling to find ways to spend €200 billion in EU funds

Italy has been promised €200BN from the EU, but is struggling to find ways to spend the money

20/04/2023

Italian Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini speaks during a press conference at the Foreign Press Club in Rome

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Europe Decoded

Is history repeating as Italy resurrects Messina bridge plan?

Italian environmental activists say they will continue to fight against the construction of the bridge.

14/04/2023

The European Union follows the One China policy, which means it does not recognise Taiwan as an independent, sovereign nation.

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Europe Decoded

Explained: Why the EU doesn't consider Taiwan a sovereign country

Despite lucrative trade ties and shared democratic values, the EU does not have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

13/04/2023

Flamenco dancer Belen Lopez performs at the "Corral de la Moreria" "tablao," or live flamenco venue, during International Flamenco day in Madrid, Spain.

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Europe Decoded

'Part of our heritage': Flamenco dancer applauds new legal protection

Ana Morales, a dancer who also represents the Flamenco Association, said anything that provided legal protection for this part of the nation’s cultural heritage was welcome.

13/04/2023

African residents in Ukraine wait at the platform inside Lviv railway station, Feb. 27, 2022, in Lviv, west Ukraine.

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Europe Decoded

Foreign students angry at being forced to return to Ukraine for exams

This is on top of foreign students who fled the war not being granted the same support from European countries as their Ukrainian peers.

09/04/2023

Tourists wear face masks as they enjoy a visit of the Valletta harbor in Malta on September 8, 2021.

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Europe Decoded

Climate change & human activity endangering Malta's water supply

The central Mediterranean archipelago is predicted to lose 16% of its groundwater through climate change and rising sea levels over the next 80 years.

06/04/2023

A protester holds a placard that reads, "49.3, reason to rebel", march at the end of a rally in Paris, 23 March 2023.

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Europe Decoded

Will France's pension crisis spark constitutional change?

Euronews spoke to constitutional experts about whether a sixth republic is on the horizon.

05/04/2023

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin was considered one of the most popular socialist leaders across Europe.

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Europe Decoded

Analysis: Sanna Marin's defeat puts European socialists in tight spot

The Finnish election adds a new chapter in a list of electoral defeats by socialist parties, including in Sweden, Italy and France.

04/04/2023

Relations between the European Union and China have taken a turn for the worse in recent years, particularly regarding Russia's war in Ukraine.

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Europe Decoded

Watch: The six friction points currently straining EU-China relations

Relations between the two powers have become visibly fraught, with suspicions and warnings voiced in public view.

03/04/2023

A Serval cat, a wild cat native to Africa, photographed at refuge near Alicante in southeastern Spain.

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Europe Decoded

'Gateway' Spain sees spike in protected animals trafficking

Last year, there was a 55% increase in the number of protected animals trafficked to Spain compared with 2021.

31/03/2023

Nuclear energy is considered a low-carbon resource but not renewable.

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Europe Decoded

Nuclear-made hydrogen sets the stage for the next EU fight

Member states are split on whether nuclear-made hydrogen should count towards the European Union's renewable energy goals.

28/03/2023

The EU's banking union was first pitched in 2012 but remains incomplete to this day.

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Europe Decoded

Explained: Why the EU's banking union is still unfinished business

The banking union was first pitched in 2012, at the height of the eurozone crisis, but the project remains incomplete to this day.

27/03/2023

The small hospital in Horenka, Ukraine, after being rebuilt.

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Europe Decoded

This rebuilt hospital makes case for green reconstruction of Ukraine

Horenka's hospital is one of an estimated 330 that have been destroyed across Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion. It is now more energy-resilient and efficient thanks to a solar-powered heat pump.

23/03/2023