Today in the EU

Members of the EU now have to respect legally binding targets, regarding national efforts to restore degraded land and sea ecosystems, compiling with the newly endorsed Nature Restoration Law. 

It was highly politically controversial, with the text risking failing to be approved multiple times in the past few months. Austrian Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler, even voting in favour, sparked a national political crisis.  

In this episode, host Giada Santana and Agrifood reporter Sofia Sanchez Manzanaro analyse how the Nature Restoration Law became such a controversial issue and the latest developments in the trade war tensions between the EU and China.  

Additional reporting by Sofia Sanchez Manzanaro.

Today, the heads of state and government of the 27 European Union member states will meet at an informal European Council dinner, and one of the topics on the agenda will be who will take the EU top jobs.

The meeting comes at a crucial time, just after the European Parliament Elections which have shaken up the balance of power and will see new, and old faces vying for key positions in the bloc's various institutions.

In this episode, host Giada Santana and politics hub editor Aurelie Pugnet discuss the power games that could take place over the dinner table.

The European Commission announced new trade tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles on Wednesday (12 June), in the hope of opening negotiations with China. So far, the anticipated decision has only managed to irk Beijing's ire. Will Europe’s move trigger an expensive domino effect for its industrial market? 

In this episode, host Giada Santana and economy and transport reporter Jonathan Packroff analyse the costs and likely outcomes of the EU-China's head-to-head.  

Farmers and the agricultural sector were one of the key issues in the political debate before the European elections. With the vote now behind us, we’re looking into what the new parliamentary composition means for the sector in this mandate. Who will sit on the Agri committee and will the electoral promises to farmers be kept? 

To shed some light on what will happen with the agri sector, I’m joined by our agrifood reporter Sofia Sanchez Manzanaro.

Despite a series of recent scandals, Germany's far-right AfD party achieved its best national result in history in the European elections on Sunday (9 June).  

However, the internal situation doesn’t look as rosy: AfD's lead candidate Maximilian Krah, implicated in various scandals, will not be included in its EU delegation, as the party hopes this could improve its chances of joining the far-right ID group. But where will we see AfD positioning itself, and how will it impact national and EU politics? 

To understand what is happening with AfD we invited in the studio Kjeld Neubert, Euractiv’s politics reporter in Berlin.

On Sunday night, Emmanuel Macron called for snap elections. The decision follows the European election results, which confirmed the victory of Rassemblement National and the clear defeat of the president’s party, Renaissance. Can Macron's surprise political gamble halt the growing success of the far right? In this episode, host Giada Santana and reporter Théo Bourgery-Gonse analyse what will come out of France’s political storm, with original comments from Greens co-chair Melanie Vogel, and RN youth director Pierre Romain Thionnet.  Plus additional reporting from Paul Messad and Nathan Canas.  

More than 360 million European citizens had the right to vote in this weekend's European Parliament elections. Across Europe, the overall turnout was around 51%, and the results had knock-on effects on individual countries. 

Who were the big winners according to the latest exit polls, who were the losers, what happens with the non-affiliated, and in which EU countries were these make-or-break elections?

To talk about what happened during the election night we’re joined by Aurelie Pugnet, Euractiv’s Politics Editor, with comments from Bas Eickhout (Greens/EFA), Manfred Weber (EPP), and Assita Kanko (ECR).

European elections often reflect national concerns. Slovakia, Czechia, Latvia and Malta are no exception. In this episode, journalists Aneta Zachova, Liene Lusite and Alice Taylor explain turnout trends, projections and what drives the electoral campaign in the latest countries to close their polls.

On the second day of the European elections, the Irish and the Czech went to the polls to decide who they want to represent them in the upcoming European Parliament. Although the turnout in Ireland was relatively high, the exit polls weren’t published, while the Czechs will be voting today as well.

To better understand how the Irish voted, what the key issues are, and which MEPs may be staying in Brussels, we spoke with Euractiv’s editor, Donagh Cagney.

The European elections have officially started. Yesterday, around 44 percent of Dutch citizens went to the ballot to cast their vote. We're here with the latest polls, projected seats, and all the highlights from last night. 

We're joined in the European Parliament by Rene Moerland, Euractiv’s publisher, with comments from Bas Eickhout, Spitzenkandidat for the European Greens, Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, lead candidate of D66, and Reiner van Lanschot, lead candidate and co-lead of Volt for The Netherlands.

[Additional reporting by Max Griera]