Today in the EU

In this episode of EURACTIV’s Beyond the Byline podcast, we look into European Council President Charles Michel’s recent announcement that he will step down from his current position and run in the European parliamentary election in June.

The prospect of Michel's potential election as an MEP introduces a complex timeline for selecting his successor and raises concerns about a potential power vacuum during Hungary's EU Council presidency.

We ask Euractiv's Global Europe Editor Alexandra Brzozowski, and comparative political analyst Catherine Fieschi: What can we make out of this surprise announcement? With the race underway, which other names are in the running for the EU's top jobs?

In this special year-end episode, our Beyond the Byline podcast, together with Euractiv’s Alexandra Brzozowski, Benjamin Fox and Julia Tar, takes a closer look at the key topics that shaped our coverage throughout the past 12 months.

As 2023 bids us farewell we look at its impact not only for the European Union and its policies but for the entire globe. The ongoing war in Ukraine continued to command our attention in 2023, underscoring the geopolitical tensions that persist in the region. But this year, a new war emerged in Gaza, further highlighting the complex challenges faced by the international community.

This year, the EU remained committed to supporting Ukraine, opening accession talks, and advancing its enlargement policy. A notable shift occurred as more member countries elected right-wing governments, sparking discussions on evolving dynamics.

The year concluded with the introduction of a migration pact, which pushed for comprehensive and EU-level solutions to processing new arrivals. Beyond Brussels, concerns arose about journalists and politicians falling victim to spyware, prompting the European Commission to advocate for increased regulation to safeguard privacy and security.

In this episode of EURACTIV's Beyond the Byline podcast, we look into the crucial discussions at the last European Council summit of 2023, on December 14th and 15th in Brussels.

Leaders from the 27 EU member countries are convening to address pivotal issues such as the bloc's enlargement strategy, the war in the Middle East, the EU's long-term budget, and security and defence concerns.

We talked to David Rinaldi, the director of studies and policy and Andriy Korniychuk the policy analyst on international relations at the Foundation for European Progressive Studies about what can we expect on Ukraine, EU enlargement and the bloc’s budget.

This week, the Beyond the Byline podcast takes stock of what's been happening at the UN's Climate Summit COP28, currently taking place in Dubai.

What can we expect from the negotiations? What's the world's reaction been to the summit, and what is currently topping the list of concerns for climate analysts and activists?

To answer these questions, we spoke with Preety Bhandari, senior advisor for Climate and Finance at the World Resources Institute and Claire Fyson, climate policy analyst at Climate Analytics, an international science policy institute.

This week, the Beyond the Byline podcast delves into the European Commission's recent decision to approve the release of 920 million euros as part of Hungary's recovery and resilience plan.

The decision raises concerns over incomplete achievements in areas such as judicial independence and anti-corruption measures. Commissioner Hahn's recent report acknowledges progress but underscores unmet milestones. Beyond the €900 million disbursement, a critical question emerges: Is Hungary, led by Viktor Orbán, strategically wielding its veto power on budget issues and Ukraine support to influence the release of €13 billion in cohesion funding? 

This potential manoeuvre is viewed as a substantial threat to recent strides in EU rule-of-law progress.

We asked Moritz Körner, MEP with the Renew Europe Group, about the Parliament's concerns regarding the rule of law and whether this decision is setting a precedent for other European countries that fail to meet the rule of law requirements.

In this episode, the Beyond the Byline podcast looks into the results of the Dutch elections, which saw the party of anti-Islam populist, Geert Wilders, lead the polls.

The success of Wilders' Freedom Party (PVV) signalled a notable rightwards shift in a country that's seen over a decade of centrist governance.

Geert Wilders is now positioned to lead talks for the next governing coalition, potentially becoming the first far-right prime minister of the Netherlands, with the PVV securing 37 seats in the 150-seat lower house of parliament — more than double his previous tally of 17 in the last election.

This outcome is sending shockwaves through Europe, where far-right ideologies are gaining momentum.

We asked Catherine Fieschi, a comparative political analyst with a focus on populism, authoritarianism and challenges to democracy and representation and a fellow at the Robert Schuman Centre, about the proliferation of far-right governments in the EU - and why Europeans are increasingly turning rightwards in the polls.

In this episode, the Beyond the Byline podcast dives into the upcoming Dutch elections. Who can win the race, and what will the election result bring to the Dutch and the European Union?

This Wednesday, 22 November, the Dutch are heading to the polls to vote in a snap parliamentary election. For the first time in 16 years, Mark Rutte, the previous prime minister whose government collapsed in July, is not running.

The Dutch political scene is somewhat messy and unpredictable, with potentially up to 18 parties winning seats in parliament, possibly heralding a long period of coalition-building talks.

But internationally, the expected change in leadership might also spell the end of the Netherlands playing a key role in making deals within the European Union, according to Sarah De Lange, a professor of political pluralism at the University of Amsterdam.

We ask De Lange why this is a landmark election, who will win the race, and what the outcome will mean for the Dutch and for the European Union.

This week, the Beyond the Byline podcast looks into the critical situation unfolding in Gaza's hospitals as Israel continues its military operations in the strip.

Medical centres - once a refuge for civilians - have been struggling to continue to operate with their fuel, electricity and medical supplies cut off. On Wednesday, the Israel Defence Forces raided Gaza's biggest hospital, Al-Shifa, saying that Hamas militants were hiding out beneath the building.

Doctors and aid workers on the ground have put out calls for a ceasefire, with the United Nations relief chief stating that "hospitals are not battlegrounds".

We discussed the critical situation in Gaza's medical facilities with Christian Lindmeier, a spokesperson at the World Health Organisation (WHO).

This week the Beyond the Byline podcast looks at Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's tour of the Western Balkans.

The EU executive chief talked to leaders of Western Balkans countries to encourage their governments to continue their hard work to meet EU membership standards, while warning that many are falling short of the requirements, and Brussels’ newfound appetite for enlargement might not last forever.

The six Western Balkan states of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia are all aspiring EU members. Accession for any of them looked a distant prospect until Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last spring got Brussels talking seriously about enlarging the EU again.

The European Commission's plan to reduce pesticide use has faced criticism from European farmers, primarily due to concerns about the availability of alternatives by 2030.

In response, a new target is being proposed to make the EU executive accountable for providing farmers with low-risk options and actively contributing to creating a robust market for such products.

European Parliament members (MEPs) want to set an ambitious yet achievable target, considering technical and market insights, and request the Commission establish a methodology for calculating it.ember states must set their national goals for increasing the sales of low-risk plant protection products and biological control.

We asked Green MEP Jutta Paulus how the Parliament's position has evolved regarding the reduction targets for chemical pesticides and more hazardous plant protection products, and what are the key disagreements between the conservative side of the Parliament and the Greens in the context of the compromise amendments discussed?