Talking Europe

While EU member states and their populations look forward to receiving their country’s slice of the €800 billion recovery fund, work continues to dole out money from the Cohesion Policy pot. This is the part of the EU budget which funds projects ranging from highways to universities – with the aim of "levelling up" European regions. The EU Commissioner for Cohesion Policy Elisa Ferreira speaks to FRANCE 24 as calls grow for action against member states, including Hungary, that are seen as degrading rule of law.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi has responded to allegations that the Libyan coastguard fired shots at migrants, telling FRANCE 24 that if confirmed, this would be "extremely grave". The German charity Sea-Watch released aerial images on Thursday of what it says is a Libyan coastguard vessel firing at migrants in the Mediterranean and possibly trying to ram their boat. At the time of recording, it has not been verified whether this was indeed the Libyan coastguard.

As we record this programme, we're mid-way through the Euro 2021 football tournament and a couple of weeks away from the Tokyo Olympics – both pushed back from last year when health officials deemed it too dangerous to hold mass sporting events. The fact that they're finally happening is a sign of normal life returning. But beyond the elite level, sports are yet to fully restart, with restrictions in place for many activities.

"Indefensible" – that's how former Italian prime minister Enrico Letta has described the position of Hungary's leader over the rights of LGBT people. The issue was the big topic of discussion as EU leaders gathered for their latest summit in Brussels this past week. A controversial new law in Hungary, banning what it calls the "promotion" of homosexuality to young people, was condemned by 17 EU leaders.

It's one of the most evocative forms of travel: the night train. And for many climate activists in Europe, sleeper services could be a fast track to reducing carbon emissions. 2021 has been designated "European Year of Rail" - 12 months intended to promote train travel in all its forms as a sustainable and innovative mode of transport.

It’s one of the longest-running deadlocks in the European Union: the question of whether all EU member states should help with relocating asylum seekers. Slovakia is one of the EU states which has long refused to take people in while their asylum requests are examined. We hear from Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok, who doubles down on his country's stance.

It's now coming up to five years since the referendum in the United Kingdom that eventually took the country out of the European Union. The negotiations were arduous and resulted in an eleventh-hour agreement on the future relationship on Christmas Eve of 2020. Since then, the deal has come into force, with big changes for some – like commercial fishing fleets on both sides of the English Channel and Brits with second homes in the EU, to name just two examples.

Slovenia's foreign minister has pushed back against suggestions that rule of law is in jeopardy in his country – this after various episodes, including its failure to send prosecutors to the new European Public Prosecutor's Office. The head of the office, Laura Codruta Kovesi, said earlier this week that this "seriously undermines the trust in the effective functioning of the management and control systems for EU funds in Slovenia".

EU member states need to get their vaccination programmes moving at top speed if they are to avert a new wave of Covid-19 infections in the autumn. That's the view of Dr. Andrea Ammon, head of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Dr. Ammon tells FRANCE 24 that vaccinations are progressing "steadily", with "progress every day". However, with around 46 percent of EU citizens having received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, she says "it's still not enough of the population".

Ireland's Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe tells FRANCE 24 his government wants to find an agreement on a global corporate tax rate, an initiative spearheaded by US President Joe Biden. Earlier this week, he had said that Ireland would oppose much of the European Commission's plan for a more unified corporate tax regime across the EU. "I would make the case that tax competition – but within certain boundaries – is part of how smaller and medium-sized countries can be competitive," the minister explained.