Following the collapse of the governments in Germany and France – the European Union’s two largest member states – Mario Draghi called for optimism in the face of the power vacuum he now sees.
Cigarettes, vapes and other tobacco products are damaging to peoples’ health across the globe. Smoking is among the leading causes for cancer and premature deaths in the European Union, claiming around 700.000 lives each year. The EU wants to combat the normalisation of tobacco use and create a smoke-free generation by 2040 but differences in tobacco rules across the bloc remain.
Viktor Orbán has put pressure on the European Commission with veto threats several times in the past. Last Friday, in a radio interview, he again threatened to veto in a row over frozen funds for Hungary. These will only be released by Brussels when the country implements more reforms to strenghten the rule of law.
On December 5, a group of 9 journalists from countries in sub-Saharan Africa visited the European Newsroom as part of a trip to Brussels organised by the European External Action Service (EEAS).
Shipbuilder Meyer Werft is a major employer in northern Germany. It was quick to welcome the European Commission’s decision to approve a rescue package involving the German federal government and the state government of Lower Saxony.