EU Observer

Can Péter Magyar convince the EU Commission to release Hungary’s funds?

EU money could soon flow again to Hungary. The new prime minister, Péter Magyar, hopes to seal a deal this week to unfreeze €10bn in EU funding. To achieve that, Magyar needs to present reforms…

Will the Western Balkans ever join the EU?

In 2003, the EU promised the Western Balkans that they would one day become members. More than two decades have passed, and they are still out. Why are they still waiting? And will that day…

Can Meloni win a special EU deficit exception for Italy’s soaring energy costs?

Why should defence spending benefit from budget flexibility, but not energy crisis spending? That’s the question Giorgia Meloni is asking the European Commission. The Italian prime minister wants authorisation to increase Italy’s public deficit in…

Does the victory of Péter Magyar mean the end of the Hungarian veto in the EU?

Hungary is waking up to a new leader this morning — one who is almost 20 years younger than Viktor Orbán, but not an outsider, nor someone entirely politically-opposed to the previous leadership. As we…

Will the EU carbon market pay the price of the energy crisis?

Europeans are looking for answers to the energy crisis. Several EU member states are proposing to revise how the carbon market works, so that it weighs less on prices. But could this actually make a…

What to expect from the provisional application of the EU–Mercosur agreement

The EU-Mercosur trade deal has faded from the headlines. Yet, a major milestone is on the horizon: after 25 years of negotiations, the agreement is set to enter into force in the coming weeks. But…

Is the alliance between right and far-right parties the new norm in Europe?

The right has once again joined forces with the far right in the European Parliament to push through a major text on migration. Since the 2024 elections, this pattern has been repeating itself over and…

Are we serious about regulating AI?

AI can be tricked into saying almost anything. That’s what a BBC journalist recently discovered. He found an easy way to make AI say whatever he wanted. Are authorities doing enough to regulate AI? At…

After Trump’s climate rollback, how solid are the EU’s green rules?

US president Donald Trump has just announced that his administration no longer recognises that a range of greenhouse gases poses a threat to public health and the environment. Meanwhile, the leaders of the EU, considered…

Listen: Trump’s threats deepen differences between Macron and Merz

Germany and France have been trying to maintain a friendship since the 1960s — a friendship that is supposed to guide the rest of the continent. However, this doesn’t really work anymore. Why do they…

Listen: Belgium, Slovakia and Norway will determine the EU’s reparations loan plan

The EU has been working on a plan to use frozen Russian state assets to help keep Ukraine afloat. Since Russia’s invasion in 2022, around €185 billion in Russian assets have been immobilised in Europe,…