On May 14, EU member states took the last hurdle to a stricter, controversial migration and asylum pact after nearly a decade of wrangling. The overhaul comes into force from 2026. However, 15 EU countries already expressed a desire to clamp down on illegal migration even further in a letter to the European Commission on Wednesday.
On his first European tour in five years, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited European leaders in France, Serbia and Hungary. While relations with Belgrade and Budapest are blossoming, Paris – and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen – failed to persuade the Chinese leader to soothe the EU’s concerns over global trade and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
On May 9, the calendar marks Europe Day, commemorating the Schuman Declaration in 1950. The historical plan was a proposal to place the French and the West German production of coal and steel under one single authority, which would later become the European Union. Less than a month out from the European elections, what does this Europe Day have in store?
Two decades of EU membership are a reason to celebrate. On May 1, 2004, ten Eastern European states joined the bloc – the EU’s biggest enlargement to date. However, amidst the festivities, attention turns to regions like the Western Balkans, who are still on the waiting list for EU accession.
The leader of the liberal group Renew, Valérie Hayer, is ready to continue the current coalition with the People’s Party and the S&D. However, a coalition with the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) is out of the question, she told the European Newsroom.
On Monday, EU foreign and defence affairs ministers met in Luxembourg to discuss assistance for Ukraine and further sanctions on Iran in light of both its recent strike on Israel and its support of Russia’s war against Ukraine.