UK MEPs sit for last time in Strasbourg as Catalan duo make debut

In the State of the Union this week we look at how Ursula von der Leyen won support for the make-up of her new commission by MEPs

In this week's state of the union, newly elected president of the European People's Party Donald Tusk says he will take on populists and nationalists.

In our State of the Union this week, we report that Hungary and the UK are the two outstanding countries with no confirmed EU commissioner. Meanwhile in Spain, political negotiations continue aimed at forming a government. Talks follow last Sundays inconclusive election result.

In this special edition of State of the Union, we took out the red sofa to ask people about their thoughts on the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, we speak to an MEP who lived through it as a young girl and look at the business of new walls in Europe.

In the State of the Union, we look at the delay to Brexit that Boris Johnson promised wouldn't happen, the call from MEPs for EU sanctions for Turkey and the farewell to Tusk and Juncker.

Brexit enters a new urgent phase, while the EU slammed Turkey's offensive in Northern Syria, we round up the week in Brussels and beyond.

In this edition we look at how Commissioners-to-be had a delicate balancing act as MEPs grilled them on their possible portfolios and how new Brexit plans launched a new blame game. From political circus acts to real ones, we look at how European circuses want to be taken more seriously.

In this edition of State of the Union we look at privacy vs freedom of information online as well as how Europe should deal with populism.

This week was an embarrassing one for Europe's leaders - from a podium shaming for Boris Johnson, to ex-Italy PM Matteo Renzi quiting the ruling democratic party, rocking the new government. And, the Spanish prime minister was tongue-tied as he faces fresh elections for the second time this year.

In this edition of State of the Union: a new look Commission ruffled feathers in the Bubble, Europe and Britain make plans for No Deal and we look at political literature for your Autumn reading lists.

For those of you who love to follow the Brexit drama, this week couldn't have been more gripping.Also this week, the hearings with the nominees for the EU top jobs began with arguably the most prominent candidate: Christine Lagarde, the head of the IMF. That's in this edition of State of the Union.

Politically, it was a brutal end to this year's summer vacation, the G7 summit in Biarritz. Meanwhile, Belgium remains without a government. A private company launched a sort of a giant blind date to discuss the political divides. All this and more in State of the Union.

This week we look at how the new Commission President hopes to get gender balance among the nominees for her Commissioners. And we look at how people remembered Boris Johnson's time as a correspondent in the Belgian capital.

Making Her-story - the election of Ursula von der Leyen marks history with the first female head of the European Commission

Von der Leyen finished her meetings with political groups in Brussels, but it's unclear if she will win the absolute majority of votes in Strasbourg. In other news, Angela Merkel decided to change protocol to prevent her from shaking. All this and more in the State of the Union.

The week was marked by controversies of behind-closed door deals and democratic deficits as EU leaders chose the next nominees to lead the continent into the next five years. It was also the first week new MEPs took up their seats and a fair few rhetorical fireworks ensued.

This week in State of the Union: another NGO boat in a Mediterranean standoff with Italy saw the EU Commission calling for migrants to be disembarked. A corruption report saw Hungary in the spotlight for refusing its publication, and we looked at how Brexit is affecting expats in Brussels.