Category: EU Reporter

Italy’s economy depends a lot on the recovery fund, and on the bond buying scheme of the European Central Bank, and Meloni is ulikely torisk it for a “freedom fight” against the EU.

Finland says there has not yet been a dramatic increase in Russian nationals trying to enter Finland from Russia, noting just over 4,800 Russian nationals crossed the land border on the day of Vladimir Putin’s announcement of the draft.

While in 2015 the top-declaring companies spent roughly €90m between them on lobbying the EU, this figure increased to almost €120 million in 2022.

France has increased projected public expenditure for 2023 with another €7.5bn compared to the last draft in August.

With Italy heading to the ballot boxes this Sunday, let’s take a look at what EUobserver has published that can help understand the country’s swing to the (far)-right.

Should Georgia Meloni be considered neofascist? She insists she’s a patriotic conservative. And indeed, if she’s prime minister, she’s expected to respect Italy’s democracy — if only to keep money flowing from the EU.

Russians fleeing a military draft won’t get into Estonia or Latvia, posing questions what Finland, Lithuania, and Poland would do if there is a large exodus.

The EU has lifted some restrictions on the trade and financing of Russian coal and chemical to avoid an energy and food security crisis in poorer countries, but the upcoming ban on oil may have an even deeper impact.

Dutch leader Mark Rutte, the Belgian prime minister Alexander de Croo, and the EU Council chairman Charles Michel have urged calm after Russian president Vladimir Putin threatened to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia. “His rhetoric on nuclear weapons is something we have heard many times before, and it leaves us cold,” Rutte said. “It […]

The Strasbourg-based Council of Europe human rights watchdog on Wednesday rejected referendums “held at gunpoint by occupying forces” in several Ukrainian regions, urging the end of the war on the continent. “We reject this mockery of democracy and reaffirm our commitment to the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of our member state Ukraine within its internationally-recognised borders,” said the […]