Alice Tidey

Europe News

MEPs back COVID pass extension to June 2023

The majority of EU member states no longer require other EU citizens to show proof of vaccination or a negative test to enter their territory.

05/05/2022

Europe News

MEPs refuse to approve Frontex's budget amid misconduct allegations

MEPs are withholding approval of Frontex's budget until they are allowed to see a report on alleged human rights violations by agency staff.

05/05/2022

Europe News

MEPs want to reform how they're elected. Here's how.

EU lawmakers have approved draft legislation to reform the bloc's parliamentary elections which they hope will lead to greater engagement and transparency.

04/05/2022

Europe Decoded

EU immigration is broken. Brussels is unlikely to fix it.

EU rhetoric concentrates on fighting illegal immigration when only a tiny fraction of new arrivals come to Europe illegally. The vast majority of skilled migrants are doing low-skill jobs despite Europe's growing labour shortage.

04/05/2022

Europe Decoded

EU anti-fake news agency starts debunking in Chinese

MEPs have meanwhile called for the bloc to adopt specific sanctions for cases of foreign interference and disinformation campaigns.

02/05/2022

World News

Frontex chief resigns over probe on human rights violations at borders

Fabrice Leggeri's resignation comes a day after an investigative report said the EU border agency had illegally forced back nearly 1,000 asylum seekers in the Aegean Sea.

29/04/2022

Europe Decoded

Poland and Bulgaria could manage without Russia gas but not for long

Gazprom's decision to switch off the taps won't hit consumers just yet but industries in Poland and Bulgaria are likely to be hit.

27/04/2022

Europe News

EU blasts 'blackmail' as Russia cuts gas tap to Poland and Bulgaria

Ursula von der Leyen called Gazprom's decision "yet another attempt by Russia to use gas as an instrument of blackmail" while Charles Michel said it was an "aggressive unilateral move by Russia'.

27/04/2022

World News

EU triggers rule of law mechanism for first time against Hungary

The Commission is coming after EU funds Orban and his allies are accused of having funneled away to line their pockets.

27/04/2022

Europe News

EU allows Spain and Portugal to cap electricity prices temporarily

The political agreement should result in electricity bills being temporarily halved for about 40% of Spanish and Portuguese consumers with regulated rates.

26/04/2022

Europe News

Brussels wants greater Eurojust role in Ukraine war crimes probe

The European Commission wants to boost Eurojust's role to enable the judicial agency to collect and store evidence of alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

26/04/2022

Europe News

'Significant win' for Brussels as France, Slovenia back pro-EU leaders

There were congratulatory messages across the EU27 as French voters backed Macron over Le Pen, and people in Slovenia preferred liberal newcomer Robert Golob to populist PM Janez Janša.

25/04/2022

Europe Decoded

How China's Ukraine stance may be final straw for eastern EU countries

China sent a special representative to Central and Eastern European countries this week to bolster relations, frayed by the conflict in Ukraine. Was it too little too late?

22/04/2022

Europe News

EU strikes deal to force tech giants to tackle disinformation

Some commentators have expressed concerns over the impact the key piece of legislation could have on freedom of speech.

22/04/2022

Europe Decoded

The EU needs lithium to help wean it off oil. But is there enough?

Lithium mining has been controversial in Serbia and Portugal, but it is integral to Europe's energy transition.

14/04/2022

My Europe Series

France election: Who's who in the race to unseat Macron?

Your guide to some of the leading candidates to be France's next president.

11/04/2022

Europe Decoded

EU member states can leave, but can the bloc kick one of them out?

The EU has not included such a procedure in its treaties — adding it now would take years and most likely fail.

08/04/2022

Europe News

Sanctions on Russian oil and gas a 'red line' for Hungary, says Orban

Hungary will block any EU attempts to put sanctions on Russian oil and gas imported into the bloc.

06/04/2022

Europe News

Hungary could lose out as EU moves to link cash to rule of law respect

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen told MEPs that Brussels and Budapest have been unable to find common ground over corruption issues in Hungary.

05/04/2022

Europe News

12 years of Orban: How the EU has failed to stop Hungary's backsliding

Twelve years of Orban: How the EU has failed to rein in Hungary's democratic backsliding

02/04/2022