The situation in Ukraine is becoming critical, and the EU must respond quickly, said Bulgarian Finance Minister Asen Vassilev as he urged his colleagues in the EU Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) to speed up the use of frozen Russian assets.

Polish President Andrzej Duda was surprised at the EU Commission's 'double standards' when it comes to the rule of law violations in Poland, such as changes to public media but no reaction to the arrest of two ex-ministers, according to a conversation he had with the EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourová Davos.

A draft electoral manifesto of the EU centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) seen by Euractiv suggests cutting down on “EU bureaucracy” in key policy areas - such as tech, stating “we want to enable, develop, and utilise AI, not contain it or hinder it” - echoing mounting complaints across the bloc about overregulation, especially on green policies.

There needs to be another phase of reinvestment, like during the pandemic, and perhaps Eurobonds based on industrial priorities, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday in a special Davos conference address.

Two French MPs presented their military cybersecurity recommendations to their colleagues, building on the French position on procurement, cloud, and resource sovereignty, on Wednesday at the National Assembly.

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde launched a stinging attack on the economics profession on Wednesday (17 January), accusing analysts of having “blind faith” in their models, which often bear little connection to reality.

The parliamentary arm of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) wants to abolish state subsidies to channel the income from Germany’s carbon price to citizens, throwing a wrench into industrial policy ambitions.

The coalition government’s promise to legalise recreational use of cannabis in Germany by 1 April is under threat due to internal opposition within the ruling SPD, with high-ranking members speaking out publicly against it while others say they are sticking to the plan.

At a time the EU is on the hunt for carbon sinks, concrete carbonation offers strong opportunities to lock up carbon dioxide permanently, writes Emmanuel Brutin, Public Affairs Director of CEMBUREAU.

The European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change (ESABCC) published a new report on Thursday (18 January) analysing the main gaps in the EU’s post-2030 climate policy, with renewable energies and carbon capture identified as the most pressing issues requiring immediate action.

Poland's parliament on Wednesday (17 January) said it would create a committee of inquiry into alleged use of the Israeli spyware Pegasus by the previous populist government as well as police and secret services.

The Netherlands are planning to make a frigate available for the EU's new mission in the Red Sea to protect ships against attacks from the Houthis in Yemen, according to an announcement on Wednesday.

To reduce tensions and speed up the climate transition, the European Union needs to improve its offer on cooperation with other parts of the world, in particular the so-called ‘global South’, writes Mats Engström.

In this episode, the Beyond the Byline podcast looks into the EU’s plan to grant €87 million, alongside new equipment, to Egypt to manage migration in 2024, under a project initiated in 2022.

The liberal group in the European Parliament, Renew Europe, will elect its new president next Thursday (25 January) at 8 am, with the two candidates, the French Valérie Hayer and Dutch Malik Azmani, interim group President, as the top contenders. 

The leader of the recently-founded "Alliance Rurale" party in France, Willy Schraen, told Euractiv in an interview that if he is elected as an MEP, he aims to create a 'rural affairs' group in the EU House with like-minded lawmakers.

The European Commission said on Wednesday (17 January) it was "now going to start" the EU accession screening process for Ukraine and Moldova, with member states already wondering why the process for the two Eastern candidates had not started in December, as expected. 

In Borgen, the award-winning Danish TV series of the 2010s, the negative image of a career in the EU institutions was in the spotlight, with “In Brussels, no one can hear you scream” one of its well-known quotes.

To maintain online integrity in an election-heavy year around the world, tech leaders gathered in Davos debated on Tuesday evening (16 January) the recent rise of AI and its implications for misleading campaigns and deceptive content in the run-up to polls.

The European Parliament objected to raising the limit of the maximum quantity of residues of the insecticide thiacloprid, banned in the EU from 2020, on more than 30 products coming from third countries.