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Gerardo Fortuna

Europe News

EU and India chase down trade deal with wrangling over food

The fact that agriculture is now being formally addressed in EU-India trade negotiations signals that talks are edging toward the finish line, according to experts.

Health news

EU health agenda goes global in von der Leyen’s address

Is Ursula von der Leyen’s speech signalling a new direction for the EU health policy agenda?

Europe News

State of the EU? Von der Leyen has the mic — here’s how to follow

The Brussels bubble’s favourite back-to-school ritual is back after a year off due to EU elections. Here’s what to listen out for in this marathon speech.

Europe News

European Parliament tightens rules on access to its premises

The days of wandering freely through the European Parliament’s maze-like corridors are over: starting next week, journalists, diplomats and lobbyists will need an invitation to set foot in many parts of the institution.

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Sport

EU Commissioner slams plans to take European football games abroad

Playing regular-season European football games outside Europe would be a ‘betrayal’ of the sport’s identity and community roots, according to the EU Commissioner Glenn Micallef.

Europe News

Sliding doors: The EU that could’ve been with Draghi in charge

Mario Draghi rather than Ursula von der Leyen, was mooted to lead the European Commission in summer 2024. Facing Donald Trump over tariffs, unveiling the EU’s long-term budget, and setting out a different course for Europe, here’s how the EU might have looked if it had caught that train.

Europe News

EU, US release trade statement setting 15% tariff on EU exports

The joint statement, which comes nearly a month after the trade deal was struck, is being described as a "first step" by the EU side, which hopes to secure more tariff exemptions.

Nutrition

Green kiwis earn EU’s first-ever fruit health claim for keeping you regular

Kiwis are now EU-certified to keep your digestive system on schedule, becoming the first fresh fruit to get the bloc’s green light for health benefits.

Green News

Crackdown on 'forever chemicals' expands ahead of EU rules overhaul

As the EU prepares a broader reform of its chemical legislation, the European Chemicals Agency has updated its proposal to restrict “forever chemicals,” adding new sectors to the scope of its planned ban.

Europe News

Why Brussels doesn’t hate AC — but Europe still struggles with it

No, the EU hasn't banned air conditioning. So why do Europeans still resist it? Here's a policy look at Europe’s love-hate relationship with staying cool through the summer.

Europe News

EU Commission backs funding for Islam, Islamophobia research projects

The EU executive has pushed back against far-right criticism over the allocation of over €17 million in grants by the leading European Research Council (ERC) to Islam-related projects, insisting they won funding on scientific merit.

Europe News

The two faces of Ursula: Reinvention or deception at the EU's helm?

As Ursula von der Leyen beds down for her second term as European Commission president - almost unrecognisable from her first - many are wondering if she has truly changed course, or is simply revealing her true colours?

Business

Not even the EU knows if wine and spirits will be hit by US tariffs

With less than a day to go before the new EU-US tariff regime takes effect, the European Commission still doesn’t know for sure if the wine and spirits sector will be exempt.

Health news

Liver cancer cases could double by 2050, but 60% are preventable

Experts call for urgent global action on hepatitis, alcohol, and obesity as new data shows that while preventable liver cancer cases are on the rise, the right mix of policy, prevention, and public awareness could save millions of lives.

Health news

EU-US trade deal leaves future of pharma tariffs uncertain

Despite a new EU-US trade deal, tariffs on pharmaceuticals remain uncertain and unchanged for now, pending the outcome of a US national security investigation that could later impose duties of up to 15%.

Health news

EU Commission unlocks health funds but leaves civil society reeling from cuts

After months of delay, the European Commission has finally published its long-awaited 2025 budget programme for health, but civil society organisations say the delay and funding cuts have already caused lasting damage, forcing layoffs and halting key activities.

Europe News

Will the EU budget turn cohesion policy into regional 'Hunger Games'?

The EU’s proposed 2028–2034 budget risks turning the bloc's cohesion policy into a high-stakes competition for funding by merging it with other major spending areas, sparking concerns over reduced local control and lack of support for disadvantaged regions.

Health news

Brussels targets tobacco products with a new set of eurotaxes

In two separate announcements on the same day, the European Commission introduced a renewed push to curb tobacco use through higher taxation, a move expected to raise the price of cigarettes and other tobacco products across the EU.

Europe News

EU Commission shrinks agriculture share in record budget

Europe’s agricultural spending will face cuts compared to the current programming period under the new EU long-term budget proposal, while the European Commission insists farmers will still receive the same amount “in their pockets”.

Europe News

5 key ideas behind the EU Commission’s new farming rulebook

The EU long-term budget reform marks a turning point for EU agricultural policy, granting member states greater control in a partial renationalisation of the bloc’s farm subsidies.

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