EU Institutions

EU nomination shows up Hungary’s struggling health service

The European Union's decision to name a Hungarian as its health commissioner has raised eyebrows in his country, which itself has crumbling hospitals and no health minister.

EU elections: what’s next

Following the European elections in May, MEPs and EU member states will shape the transition into the new term. These are the next steps towards the formation of the Parliament and the Commission.

INFOGRAPHIC: EPP is third largest party at EU summits

As EU leaders gather today (17 March) for yet another summit, trying to fix the migrant crisis, successive elections in member countries have dwarfed the largest political force in the EU following the 2014 European elections.

The European Peoples’ Party, who is the largest in the European Parliament with 251 MEPs out of the total of 751, is now the third force, by the number of its heads of state and government sitting at the summits. The most influential leader of the EPP is without any doubt the German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The Socialists and Democrats, who have 190 MEPs, are now the number one force at summits.

But perhaps more surprisingly, the liberals, who have only 70 MEPs in the European Parliament and are the fourth largest political group there, are now the second largest force at EU summits.

Spain’s left-wing parties reject new Rajoy government

Spain's two biggest left-wing parties ruled out supporting a government led by the ruling People's Party (PP) on Monday, complicating Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's efforts to build a coalition to stay in power after a tight general election.

Splintered Spanish vote heralds arduous coalition talks

A historically fragmented vote in Spanish elections on Sunday (20 December) heralded weeks of talks to form a coalition government, with neither Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's conservatives nor left-wing parties winning a clear mandate to govern.

EU leaders silent on growing risk of an ISIS chemical attack

Plans to address the risk of a terrorist attack with non-conventional weapons are not part of the EU summit on 17-18 December, despite the growing risk of a such an attack by ISIS on European soil, according to analysts and EU institutions.

Juncker stakes leadership on Schengen survival

Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker today (16 December) staked his leadership on preserving the EU's passport-free Schengen zone, saying member states had to adopt controversial plans for a new border control force.

Poland demands apology after Schulz calls judicial changes ‘coup’

European Parliament chief Martin Schulz yesterday (14 December) compared the political situation in Poland to a "coup", drawing the anger of the Polish government which is locked in a battle against the country's top court.

Irish to be given full official EU language status

Although it has been an official language of the EU since 2007, Irish will now be gradually upgraded to a full working language of the European institutions.

Corruption accusations heat up Spanish election debate

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, whose Peoples’ Party (PP) is caught up in judicial probes over corruption, again chose to stay away from a televised debate yesterday (6 December), ahead of the 20 December parliamentary elections.

EU leaders to clash over Nord Stream 2 at summit

EXCLUSIVE / The issue of Nord Stream 2 will be discussed at the 17-18 December EU summit, but the exchange is unlikely to go very far because the countries opposing the project use legal arguments which are not widely accepted, analysts told EURACTIV.

Liberal ALDE party elects Hans Van Baalen as new President

MEP Hans van Baalen (VVD), a Dutch member of the European Parliament, was elected the new President of the ALDE Party at the ALDE Party Congress in Budapest on Saturday (21 November), triumphing over former Estonian Commissioner Siim Kallas.

29 journalists take European Parliament to court

Twenty-nine journalists have filed 27 complaints with the European Court of Justice against the European Parliament, which allegedly refused to give information on how MEPs spend their allowances

Spain suspended election campaign after Paris attacks

The terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday (13 November) has prompted the temporary suspension of Spain's election campaign. EURACTIV Spain reports.

European elections reform backed by MEPs from three groups only

Only MEPs from the EPP, the Socialists & Democrats, and ALDE have voted in favour of making the next European elections more “European”, according to a study published by VoteWatch Europe yesterday (12 November).

Parliament leaders sign joint refugee letter ahead of Valletta summit

The heads of three political groups in the European Parliament sent a joint letter yesterday (9 November) to the 28 EU leaders urging them to back the European Commission’s proposals on refugees. EURACTIV Greece reports.

Commission defends role as sole guardian of fiscal discipline

Amid growing concerns in Berlin, Frankfurt and The Hague about flexible interpretations of the Stability and Growth Pact, the European Commission ruled out the possibility of transfering the assessment of national budgets to an independent external body.

Ex-Commissioner Dacian Ciolos to be Romania’s next PM

EXCLUSIVE/ Dacian Cioloș, the former Commissioner for Agriculture in the executive led by José Manuel Barroso, will be Romania's new premier, two credible sources told EURACTIV today (5 October).

Ponta resigns as NATO holds Bucharest mini-summit

Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta resigned today (4 November) following street protesters, as the death toll from a weekend Bucharest nightclub fire climbed. The events coincided with Bucharest hosting a NATO mini-summit.

Juncker backs Schulz bid for Parliament chair

EXCLUSIVE / Martin Schulz has launched a discreet campaign to remain President of the European Parliament for a third consecutive term. One of his most fervent supporters is Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission President.

Conservative think tank lobbies for keeping Russia sanctions

The Martens Centre, the think tank of the centre-right European Peoples’ Party, issued appeals for maintaining the EU sanctions against Russia, on the grounds that Moscow is not fulfilling its obligations under the Minsk agreement.

ECB attacks Commission’s easing of fiscal rules

The European Central Bank has criticised the Commission's easing of EU fiscal rules as "counter-productive", in its latest economic bulletin published Monday (2 November).