The Brussels Court of Appeal has rejected Belgian lobbyist Frédéric Baldan's attempt to block Ursula von der Leyen from getting a second term as Commission president.

As EU Socialists urge Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to stick to the 2035 ban on new petrol cars, German Transport Minister Volker Wissing warned that refusing to reverse the ban would be a "gigantic electoral fraud".

China has rebuked the European Union over a statement about the South China Sea, saying the latter ignored historical and objective facts of the testy issue and "blatantly endorses" what it called the Philippines' violation of its sovereignty.

As leaders of political groups negotiate the composition of committees in the new European Parliament, Euractiv has identified eleven MEPs focused on energy and environment who are worth keeping an eye on.

As NATO leaders described Thursday's (11 July) summit in Washington as successful, they aimed to brush off concerns over the alliance's future following the November US presidential elections.

Finland's parliament is set to vote on a bill on Friday (12 July) granting border guards the power to turn back asylum seekers crossing from Russia, after more than 1,300 people arrived in the country forcing Helsinki to close its border.

The European Parliament, the biggest democratic institution in the world, now features three far-right groups. Two of them, Patriots for Europe and Europe of Sovereign Nations, emerged only this week, from the ashes of failed alliance negotiations.

The European Commission has urged private creditors to “swiftly” reach an agreement with the Ukrainian government to avoid Kyiv defaulting on billions of dollars in debt at the start of next month.

With the French legislative elections having created uncertainty about the shape of the next government, President Emmanuel Macron assured NATO allies and Ukraine behind closed doors in Washington that Paris remains committed to Europe's security.

The transfer of oversight of military supplies, training and reform of Ukraine's armed forces into NATO hands is to be completed "in the coming months" as leaders rush to protect the support from governments that may criticise it in the future.

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is expected to meet with former US president Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida after a NATO summit on Thursday (11 July), according to people familiar with the plans.

The European Parliament LIBE committee, which focuses on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, will be chaired by the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) although for now in the ongoing negotiations is with the hard-right ECR group.

For the first time since 2008, NATO's final communiqué on Wednesday (10 July) did not refer to Georgia become a member one day, a step that is seen as consequence of the recent deterioration of relations between Tbilisi and Western partners.

In a ruling published on Thursday (11 June), the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) upheld a request by NGOs for a ban on wolf hunting in Austria, authorised by derogation, at a time when EU Member States are struggling to agree on a common position on the issue.

Blame and reprimands followed Viktor Orbán's “Ukraine peace tour” to Moscow and Beijing, which he started as soon as Hungary took over the Presidency of the Council of the EU on 1 July.

Following consultations with the European Commission, Robert Fico's government decided to revise a controversial reform of the penal code, addressing EU concerns that Slovakia's newly reduced penalties and statutes of limitation, may inadequately protect the EU's financial interests.

France submitted its national energy-climate plan (NECP) to the European Commission, setting a target for the renewable share of gross final energy consumption, while the government has been fighting to have nuclear energy recognised as well.

The Bulgarian party Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) is threatened with exclusion from the European liberal party ALDE because of the destructive role of Delyan Peevski, sanctioned under the US Magnitsky act.

The European Commission legally bound Apple to commitments on Thursday (11 July) addressing previous competition concerns over its refusal to grant rivals access to NFC technology for contactless payments.

French President Emmanuel Macron needs the right-wing Les Républicains party to form a central coalition in the National Assembly, but the party remains sharply divided over whether to ally with him or the Socialists.