Public Affairs
Czech PM ditches Trump-inspired social media profile after Capitol assault
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš removed his red "Strong Czechia" hat inspired by US President Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" cap from his social media accounts on Thursday after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building.
Think tanks and ethics – a contradiction in terms?
Think tanks play an important role in our democracies, in policy-making and in public opinion, but black sheep tarnish the reputation of the whole sector. Developing and adhering to ethical principles could be a step forward but this needs to be incentivised, through funding and capacity building, writes Fabian Zuleeg.
Jean-Claude Van Damme saves life of puppy in fake pet passport row
Action movie star Jean-Claude Van Damme has come to the rescue of a three-month-old chihuahua, saving her from euthanasia on Monday (19 October) after a legal tussle between Norway and Bulgaria.
BlackRock case: Putting an end to conflicts of interest at European level
BlackRock's controversial contract to advise the European Commission should be put on hold and new transparency criteria introduced to prevent such conflicts of interest, writes Aurore Lalucq and a group of 58 MEPs.
Bronze statue of Melania Trump unveiled in Slovenia
A life-size rough bronze sculpture of US first lady Melania Trump was unveiled near her hometown of Sevnica in southeastern Slovenia on Tuesday (15 September) to replace a wooden figure which was set on fire in July.
EU trade commissioner Hogan mulling candidacy for WTO chief
European trade commissioner Phil Hogan is considering putting his name forward as a candidate to be the next director-general of the World Trade Organization, his spokesman said on Sunday (31 May).
Communication in times of a pandemic
With all events and activities cancelled from March to May (at least), and the planet literally holding its breath following the spread of the virus, what is the role of communication in an organisation that is not standing in the...
EU leaders must stand up to protect the news media sector
An open letter to EU leaders from more than 40 MEPs calls for immediate actions to support Europe's news media sector as it faces up to the sudden loss of advertising revenue caused by the COVID-19 crisis.
‘We’ll meet again’: Queen Elizabeth invokes WW2 spirit to defeat coronavirus
Queen Elizabeth told the British people on Sunday (5 April) that they would overcome the coronavirus outbreak if they stayed resolute in the face of lockdown and self-isolation, invoking the spirit of World War Two in an extremely rare broadcast to the nation.
France moves patients from swamped hospitals as death toll climbs
France used two high-speed trains and a German military plane to move more than three dozen critically ill coronavirus patients on Sunday (29 March) to ease the pressure on overwhelmed hospitals in eastern France.
Amid migrant crisis, Greece-Turkey conflict plays out on social media
Greeks and Turks are waging a proxy war on social media with photos, video and commentary purporting to show the other side behaving badly in a migrant crisis that has seriously strained already tense relations between Athens and Ankara.
MEPs irked by Greta visit despite virus ban
EU lawmakers on Tuesday (3 March) complained that a visit by eco-warrior Greta Thunberg to the European Parliament is set to go ahead despite a moratorium on all outside visits to the chamber.
Communications and identity: A make-or-break year for the EU
With one of its important members seceding, the EU is navigating dangerous and uncharted waters and will need to take a more proactive approach in terms of communication to ensure that the ship stays on course, writes Anthony Spota.
Revolving door rules must be enforced
The latest case of an EU banking official taking a lobbying job in the financial sector underscores the need to uphold rules to prevent revolving doors, write Luis Garicano and Paul Tang.
Oil and gas giants spent 250m on EU lobbying since 2010: green groups
The five biggest publicly listed oil and gas companies and trade groups representing them spent more than 250 million euros lobbying the European Union to influence climate action since 2014, environmental groups said Thursday (24 October).
Proper ethics rules can help bridge gap between citizens and Brussels
Sylvie Goulard’s example illustrates the kind of behaviour which has become unacceptable for European citizens. Europe needs to elevate its conflicts of interest assessment procedure and strictly regulate external activities, writes Manon Aubry.
Power-sharing puzzle solved: Who will chair parliamentary committees?
EURACTIV has pieced together the names of already designated and potential candidates for chairing the European Parliament’s 20 committees and two sub-committees, before their formal election on Wednesday (10 July).
European Elections 2019 – what now for racial diversity?
It is clear that ethnic minorities will remain vastly underrepresented in the European Parliament, and although this election brought a welcome increase in the numbers of racial and ethnic minorities elected, Brexit will roll back most of the gains, writes Sarah Chander.
Big firms pump up voters for EU polls
From Volkswagen to Spotify to Iberdrola, Europe’s biggest firms are urging people to vote in key European Parliament elections this weekend amid concerns that an anti-EU outcome could disrupt their business and hurt their bottom line.
Brunei accused of ‘abusive lobbying’ before critical EU vote
EU officials on Wednesday (17 April) accused Brunei of "rude" and "abusive" lobbying against a resolution condemning the Muslim-majority sultanate for imposing the death penalty for gay sex and adultery.
MEPs ask next Commission chief to oust Selmayr
After European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker ignored their previous calls, MEPs called on Tuesday (26 March) on the next Commission to review the controversial appointment of Martin Selmayr as secretary-general of the EU executive.
ExxonMobil faces EU Parliament ban after no show at climate hearing
ExxonMobil faces losing its lobby privileges at the European parliament after the company failed to show up for the first hearing into climate change denial. EURACTIV's media partner The Guardian, reports.
Beyond #metoo: We need to tackle violence against women and girls
Women and girls in South-Eastern and Eastern Europe live in danger. This is what a new survey published by the OSCE just ahead of this International Women’s Day tells us, says OSCE's Thomas Greminger upon publication of the new report.