Europe News 'Time is of essence': Brussels urges countries to ratify recovery fund Commissioner Johannes Hahn says the EU will be ready to raise money on the capital markets by June but cooperation from the 27 member states is required. 14/04/2021
world news Poland and Hungary file complaint over EU’s rule of law requirements The two countries are challenging a mechanism that links EU funding with respect for the rule of law. 11/03/2021
Europe News European Parliament overwhelmingly passes €1.8 trillion EU budget The budget had been in jeopardy after both Poland and Hungary threatened to veto it over attempts to tie the release of EU funds to adherence to core EU values. 16/12/2020
View The rule of law deal that saved Angela Merkel’s legacy ǀ View In spite of her longstanding support for Viktor Orbán, German Chancellor Angela Merkel may have preserved her legacy after Poland and Hungary ended their blockade of the EU's historic budget. 13/12/2020
Europe News EU agrees €1.8 tr budget - but what brought Hungary & Poland onboard? The €1.8 trillion package includes the EU's seven-year budget (€1.1 tr) and the €750 billion COVID-19 recovery fund. 10/12/2020
Europe News Brexit and budget deadlock set to overshadow EU summit in Brussels It's crunch time in Brussels, as European leaders meet physically for the first time since October. 09/12/2020
Poland Feeling bl-EU? Budapest and Warsaw light up opposition to budget veto Budapest's Statue of Liberty and Warsaw's Palace of Culture and Science are to be lighted EU-blue for three days starting on Wednesday. 09/12/2020
Europe News 'Preliminary agreement' reached over EU budget veto, says Poland Polish President Andrzej Duda said a "preliminary plan" is now in place ahead of a crunch EU summit on Thursday. 08/12/2020
Belgium Hungarian MEP facing expulsion from EPP group over Gestapo comments Fidesz MEP Tamas Deutch compared EPP head Manfred Weber to the Gestapo amid an ongoing dispute between Hungary and the EU over the bloc's budget. 02/12/2020
Hungary Hungary and Poland maintain united front blocking EU COVID-19 fund Viktor Orbán and Mateusz Morawiecki met in Budapest to put pressure on EU leaders to abandon the plan linking EU funds to respect for the rule of law. 26/11/2020
Europe News Do Hungarians approve of Budapest's veto of the EU's budget? Hungary this week vetoed the EU's €1.8 trillion budget and coronavirus recovery package. What do Hungarians make of the move? 20/11/2020
state of the union Europe's week: Turmoil, trade and transatlantic relations A look back at Europe's week with our team in Brussels. 20/11/2020
world news EU summit: Stalemate continues but Hungary split on rule of law Some view this as a pivotal moment for the European Union, when leaders must stand firm against Hungary and Poland. 20/11/2020
Hungary Brussels budget standoff: can Hungary withstand an economic crunch? Brussels budget standoff: can Hungary withstand an economic crunch? 19/11/2020
world news Morawiecki and Orbán step up attacks on EU over rule of law debate The Polish and Hungarian leaders have been joined by Slovenia in rejecting the EU's plan to link funds to respect for the rule of law. 18/11/2020
Business COVID-19 must not lead to defence cuts, European defence chief warns European Defence Agency chief executive Jiří Šedivý says the EU must not repeat the budget reductions that followed the 2007-08 financial crash 17/11/2020
world news MEPs set to win extra €16 billion for EU budget in compromise deal The compromise on the EU budget settles an internal spending row which threatened to hold up funding to fight the coronavirus pandemic. 10/11/2020
world news EU budget: Long-term funding row in COVID-19 spotlight as talks resume The dispute between countries and MEPs over the 2021-27 budget has threatened to hold up funding allocated for the fight against the pandemic. 09/11/2020
Europe News French MEP goes on hunger strike over 'ridiculous' EU budget Talks over the EU's trillion-euro coronavirus recovery, which includes the EU budget, have been deadlocked between MEPs and the European Council over issues including the total amount, and the various cuts to EU policies. 29/10/2020
state of the union Europe's week: Green deal vs coronavirus recovery As Europe struggles to battle a second wave of coronavirus cases, the question is being raised over how far the EU can keep the Green Deal on track in light of the economic downturn. 23/10/2020
Europe News European researchers in shock as EU leaders cut funds for innovation EU leaders have slashed the Horizon 2020 funding destined for research and innovation — a decision deemed short-sighted by researchers for the future productivity and creativity of Europe. 29/07/2020
Europe News EU COVID-19 rescue fund: what safeguards are there against corruption? Leaders agreed a "historic" deal on the coronavirus recovery package, but how can the EU be sure that the money doesn't get into the wrong hands? 28/07/2020
state of the union Europe's week: a historic summit or sowing seeds of future discord? This week we look back at the marathon talks between EU leaders and the potential impact on relations between member states. 27/07/2020
Europe News MEPs threaten to reject €1.8 tr EU budget & COVID-19 rescue package As many as 465 MEPs were in favour of the resolution, 150 were against and there were 67 abstentions. 23/07/2020
Europe News Explainer: What is the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy? The EU has long been criticised for the generous subsidies it gives to its farmers. How is the money doled out, and how might the scheme be about to change? 20/07/2020
View Forget tying rule of law to the EU budget. It's better to add strings to EU funding later ǀ View Angela Merkel is right to be concerned about fuelling support for populist authoritarians by tying EU budget funds to the rule of law. But that doesn't mean the EU can't punish such regimes financially further down the line. 17/07/2020
