The European elections came and went – and with them all kinds of emotions across the political spectrum. While the pro-Europeans remain the strongest group in the European Parliament, the far-right gained ground. So much that French President Macron called for snap elections of the National Assembly.
From Thursday to Sunday, voters across the European Union will go to the polls to elect the next members of the European Parliament. Campaigns are in full swing and the far right is expected to gain ground in the Parliament – but in some member states, national issues appear to be taking centre stage.
In an interview with the European Newsroom on Wednesday, the lead candidate of the Party of European Socialists (PES) found stern words for Commission President von der Leyen’s European People’s Party (EPP) and stressed the importance of showing voters an alternative to the far right.
EU member states last week adopted the bloc’s landmark Artificial Intelligence Act, the first legislation in the world to tackle this cutting-edge technology. Now that the legislative phase is over, what challenges will countries face when implementing the unprecedented rules into national law?
In a bid to decrease dependence on Russian fossil fuels in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and disruptions in the global energy market, the EU launched the REPowerEU initiative in May of the same year. As the joint initiative just turned two, the European Commission released country reports tracking progress.
Last week, EU member states approved new rules for the bloc’s Common Agricultural Policy, which allows farmers to apply for subsidies, albeit subject to strict environmental rules. The concessions from Brussels follow months of protests by farmers across the EU – but the resistance to the EU’s flagship green ambitions is not over.