EU Reporter

The Commission has just confirmed that it is suspending certain payments under Cohesion funding and the European Regional Development Fund to the Czech Prime Minister’s company Agrofert, due to the apparent conflict of interest surrounding Andrej Babiš' (pictured) role as PM and his business holdings. The Czech Prime Minister is the owner of the massive agribusiness, for which he set up a ‘trust’ ahead of becoming Prime Minister for the second time. The Greens/EFA Group have long highlighted the

The EU will not be able to take on tech juggernauts like the US and China if it relies solely on Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam and Stockholm. It must start treating Eastern Europe as a strategic partner if it wants to become a global technological power, writes Cristian Gherasim. The image of a global superpower is no longer synonymous with swarms of soldiers armed to the teeth. Modern wars are fought as much online as they are on the battlefield. Nations that will have a say in tomorrow’s world n

Sovereign wealth is typically measured by the size of reserves that allow a country to weather periods of crisis. However, for future generations, it is not only the amount left in financial accounts that matters. Of equal importance is the state of the country they inherit alongside these savings: the quality of its schools and hospitals, the condition of utility networks, roads, energy, and other core infrastructure. For Kazakhstan, this question holds special significance. Revenues from na

Six months into the US-Iran war, and as Europe grapples with finding a solution to a crisis that has spread across the region, Iranian activists across the Islamic Republic risked their lives last week by taking part in demonstrations, impromptu parades and acts of disobedience to mark the 62nd anniversary of the founding of Iran’s leading pro-democracy opposition group. What makes this particularly relevant for Brussels is that Europe is examining ways not only to contain the immediate crisis,

Commission adopts EU Guidelines on exclusionary abuses of dominance

New figures from member states show that businesses are increasingly using the simplified VAT rules for cross-border e-commerce. New figures from member states show that businesses continue to make increasing use of the simplified VAT rules for online sales. Five years after the EU’s VAT e-commerce rules entered into force, the latest figures also show continued growth in VAT declared through the One Stop Shop (OSS) and Import One Stop Shop (IOSS) schemes. The VAT e-commerce package, which

The EU energy label, as provided for by Regulation (EU) 2017/1369, aims at promoting the uptake of more efficient energy-related products. It aims to help consumers make informed choices by facilitating comparisons of product alternatives with different features. The label focuses on the energy efficiency of the product during the use phase, but can also include other environment-related aspects. View more  Publication details Published: 2026 Corporate author(s): Directorate-Gener

An international sports camp bringing together nearly 100 young Ukrainian athletes from ten different sports has concluded in France. The camp was held at the initiative and with the support of Philippe Lamblin, President of the Hauts-de-France Athletics League, in partnership with the Ukrainian side. The Kyiv City State Administration, “The Future for Children” Charitable Foundation with its Olympic Dreams project, and the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine with the nationwide

This year has proved that the era of the strongman is undoubtedly upon us. Littered throughout the highest offices across government and international organisations, they have proved time and again that due process is for suckers and that you, too, can bribe your way to the desired outcome. Take Gianni Infantino who is seeking to sell off 20% of the world’s most cherished football tournament. He, like Trump, has dug in his heels, choosing to strategically dole out favours, and then use their

Minorities say they fear a rise in anti-Roma rhetoric following predictions of Germany’s AfD surge in Sunday’s Saxony-Anhalt election. As Germany heads into a closely watched state election in Saxony-Anhalt this Sunday, 6 September, with the AfD polling above 40% and potentially within reach of an outright majority, right groups say they are “growing concerns over what its increasing electoral strength means for minorities and Germany’s and the EU’s democratic norms and values.” Anna Mirga

As crypto casinos look for their next wave of growth, industry sources suggest Lucky Rollers may be exploring expansion into new international markets, with Korea and Thailand mentioned as regions the platform is reportedly evaluating as part of a broader push into Asia, alongside signs of growing interest in Europe. A region with growing crypto adoption Southeast and East Asia have seen some of the fastest growing cryptocurrency adoption rates globally, driven by younger, digitally native

It’s one of the most anticipated arts events in the UK and the starting pistol is set to sound on Herefordshire Art Week. h.Art 2026, as it is affectionately called, runs from 5 to 13 September and is hailed as a “celebration of local creativity”. The event takes place right across Herefordshire and its neighbouring borders where hundreds of artists will open their doors to share their work.  h.Art is widely seen as being special for art lovers,offering personal encounters with som

31 August marks an important milestone for the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU, as member states reach the final implementation deadline for the reforms and investments set out in their national recovery and resilience plans. This is a defining moment for the EU's unprecedented common response to two major crises: the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As NextGenerationEU enters its final phase, the focus now turns to completin

On 30 August, the world marked the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, a date intended to rescue the missing from oblivion and remind states that no human being should simply vanish into the machinery of power. In Balochistan, however, remembrance carries the cruelty of the present tense. On July 24, 2026, Jiand Baloch, a student leader and chairman of the Baloch Students Organization, disappeared after being taken away under circumstances that, according to Amnesty Inte

Kazakhstan has revised its oil production plan for 2026 from 98 million to 96 million tons due to the impact of attacks on the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), Qazinform News Agency quotes Energy Minister Erlan Akkenzhenov as saying. According to him, Kazakhstan initially planned to maintain last year's production level of 99.5 million tons and approach the 100 million-ton mark. "With the attacks in January and the continued attacks in June and July, we lost approximately 3.5 million t

Understanding the EU sustainable blue economy's structure, performance and challenges in comparison with international competitors is the objection behind a new study, which needs participants for a survey. The study is on competitiveness of EU sustainable blue economy sector: focus on ocean observation technologies, and is conducted by Cogea srl on behalf of the European Commission. under Framework Contract CINEA/2021/OP/0011 (Lot 2). . Input will help ensure that future EU policies,

On 1 September in Brussels, Fisheries and Oceans Commissioner Costas Kadis and Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport Commissioner Glenn Micallef jointly hosted the Youth Policy Dialogue ‘How to make Arctic youth participation more inclusive’. The ten young participants were selected via the EU-funded project Youth Together for Arctic Futures, a workstream under the EU Arctic Youth Dialogue initiative. During the discussion, they will share their experiences and ideas on how the

Good afternoon, I want to start with a simple message – thank you, this is a message for all of you, at my side or in the background. Dear Commissioner, dear Director-General, to the staff from the ERCC and ECHO, thank you for being here when Europe needs you most. As you have said – and I learned a lot in this hour here - day and night, 24/7, weekends and on holidays, whenever a crisis strikes, the team is there. The work you do protects people and most importantly saves lives. When a countr

The European Commission, on behalf of the European Union, has carried out an EU-Bonds auction on 31 August. The results of this auction are as follows:  EU-Bonds13/10/20312.875%EU-Bonds12/12/20363.250%EU-Bonds12/12/20403.625%ISINEU000A4EXVK3EU000A4ERVC2EU000A4EJF17Competitive auction31/08/202631/08/202631/08/2026Settlement competitive auction02/09/202602/09/202602/09/2026Non-competitive auction01/09/202601/09/202601/09/2026Settlement non-competitive auction03/09/202603/09/202603/09/2026M

If you are developing technologies that could shape the future of defence, this is your opportunity. Registrations are now open for the 5th edition of the EUDIS Defence Hackathon, taking place onsite from 15 to 17 October 2026 across eight locations in Europe. Engineers, startups, researchers, developers and defence professionals are invited to join one of Europe's flagship defence innovation initiatives, work on real operational challenges and connect directly with experts, industry leaders