Category: Democratic Governance and Rule of Law
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Circular Economy Act Draft Points To Recycled Content Thresholds
Rotterdam: The Circular Economy Act is still a draft idea rather than law, and the Commission was expected to propose it later in 2026, according to an industry report published…
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European Research Area Act Tests Whether Capitals Back 3 Percent
Leuven: The European Research Area Act is due from the Commission in 2026, and the reports reviewed for this article do not confirm whether the proposal has been tabled yet.…
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RESourceEU Action Plan Bets On Stockpiles And Scrap Export Curbs
Kiruna: The RESourceEU action plan gives the Union a toolkit to cut its dependence on imported critical raw materials, and its first deadlines are now arriving in 2026. The Commission…
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EU Civil Protection Mechanism Turns 25 With Over 900 Activations
Athens: The EU Civil Protection Mechanism turned 25 in 2026, and the Commission marked the anniversary on 23 October with a tally of more than 900 activations since 2001. Commission…
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Parliament Seeks €194 Billion For The 2027 EU Budget Before Talks
Riga: The 2027 EU budget now has two competing price tags, after the European Parliament voted on 21 October 2026 to ask for €194 billion in commitments and €203.3 billion…
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Enlargement Roadmaps Name Four Candidates And Set A Six-Month Test
Podgorica: Enlargement roadmaps are the centrepiece of the Commission’s 2026 enlargement package, adopted on 4 November 2026 for the four candidates furthest along in accession talks. Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine and…
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Hungary Child Protection Law Ruling Puts Commission Under Pressure
Budapest: The Hungary child protection law has been found incompatible with European Union law by the Court of Justice, and campaigners now want the Commission to force its withdrawal. Brussels…
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Pact on Migration and Asylum Applies As Return Rules Take Shape
Nicosia: The Pact on Migration and Asylum has applied in every member state since 12 June 2026, and attention has turned to the separate rules on returning people who have…
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Right To Repair Directive Deadline Passed In July With Status Unclear
Porto: The right to repair directive reached its transposition deadline on 31 July 2026, and consumers now ask what has changed in shops and workshops. Directive (EU) 2024/1799 obliges member…
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Platform Work Directive Deadline Of 2 December Finds Capitals Unready
Milan: The Platform Work Directive must become national law by 2 December 2026, and published tracking suggests that most member states are running late. Directive (EU) 2024/2831 was adopted in…
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National and Regional Partnership Plans Would Replace 14 EU Funds
Lublin: National and Regional Partnership Plans are the centrepiece of the Commission’s proposal for cohesion money after 2027, and Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto used the opening of the 24th European…
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Tobacco Taxation Directive Faces Its Make-Or-Break Ministers Meeting
Stockholm: The Tobacco Taxation Directive faces a decisive test on Monday 9 November 2026, when EU finance ministers meet in Brussels for their next ECOFIN session. Ireland, which holds the…
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Peat Cutting Dispute Sends Ireland And Slovenia Before EU Court
Galway: Peat cutting in Ireland has landed the country before the Court of Justice of the European Union, after the Commission referred it for failing to comply with the Environmental…
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Tourism Overnight Stays Hit 471.1 Million In First Quarter Of 2026
Valletta: Tourism overnight stays in the European Union reached 471.1 million in the first quarter of 2026, up 3.4% from the same period of 2025, according to monthly accommodation data…
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Carbon Contracts For Difference Fund Germany’s Industry Shift
Duisburg: Germany can now pay heavy industry to cut emissions through carbon contracts for difference, after the European Commission approved a €5 billion state aid scheme on 7 May 2026.…
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Slovak State Aid Scheme Gives Cleantech Makers €1 Billion In Support
Bratislava: The Slovak state aid scheme worth €1 billion won European Commission approval on 17 June 2026, giving the country a large fund to attract factories that make clean technologies.…
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OLAF Recommendations Led To Zero Bulgarian Charges From 2021 To 2025
Sofia: No charges have been brought in Bulgaria on OLAF recommendations between 2021 and 2025, according to the annual report of the European Anti-Fraud Office presented on 20 April 2026.…
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Space Act Talks Stall Over Dual-Use Satellites And National Security
Redu: The Space Act is still far from finished, according to the Cypriot Presidency of the Council, after space ministers reviewed progress on the proposal on 29 May 2026. The…
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European Universities Alliances Share €145.6 Million In Bridge Funding
Kildare: The European Commission has selected 20 European Universities alliances for funding under the 2026 Erasmus+ call, in a result announced on 9 July 2026. The alliances will share a…
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SET Plan Conference In Cork Tests Europe’s Clean Energy Tech Edge
Cork City: The 20th SET Plan conference opened in Cork on 4 November 2026 and runs until 5 November, bringing Europe’s energy researchers, industry leaders and officials to Cork City…
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Scientific Advice Demand Jumps 26 Percent In EMA Mid-Year Report
Leiden: Requests for scientific advice and protocol assistance rose to 485 in the first half of 2026, up from 384 in the same period of 2025, according to the EMA…
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Producer Prices Rise 2.5% In The Euro Area As Cost Pressure Builds
Mersch: Producer prices in the euro area rose 2.5% in September 2026 compared with August, according to the first estimate that Eurostat published on 5 November. For the wider European…
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Fertiliser CBAM Fight Leaves Farm Ministers Divided Over Costs
Dijon: The fertiliser CBAM dispute split EU agriculture ministers on 30 March 2026, when six governments asked for the carbon border levy to be suspended for fertilisers and the Commission…
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RESourceEU Plan Pairs Stockpiling With Scrap Export Curbs On Metals
Karlsruhe: The RESourceEU plan commits the Commission to spend up to €3 billion over the next 12 months on projects that can supply critical raw materials in the short term.…