Portugal moves to charge non-resident foreigners for public healthcare
Governing parties joined Chega to pass bills that would end free treatment for non-residents and for foreigners in the country illegally, though the measures are…
Bureaucracy
Latest reporting and analysis on bureaucracy.
EU leaders say the bloc must reform itself before taking in new members
Summit conclusions set no deadlines, leave the Commission's institutional proposals untouched and task ministers with further analysis.
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EU auditors warn greater flexibility in next long-term budget could make misuse harder to detect
ECA President Tony Murphy told Politico key elements of the plan would amount to greater reliance on national systems in a form of “self-policing”.
Albania closes its fourth EU accession chapter with 29 left to go
Tirana wants the talks wrapped up by the end of 2027, though the chapters that will decide the outcome, on the rule of law, are still open.
EU agrees to widen accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova after Hungary lifts block
The decision followed a vote in Kyiv on minority-language schooling that Budapest had demanded, while Montenegro closed three more chapters and now has 12 left.
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Foreign nationals make up nearly 40 per cent of Germany’s long-term welfare recipients
This chronic demographic accounts for roughly two in five of all employable welfare beneficiaries nationwide.
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Audi and parent company Volkswagen see big drop in sales
Volkswagen Group deliveries there plunged 38.5 per cent in the third quarter and are down 30.2 per cent year-to-date.
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Britain turns to Berlin to ease its way back towards Brussels
The UK is courting Germany before a summit with the European Union that will test how far London is prepared to go.
Iran summons French ambassador over policing of school protests
Tehran accuses Paris of double standards as France hits back by summoning the Iranian ambassador over an alleged disinformation campaign.
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Brussels seeks power to suspend new members’ voting rights for 15 years
Marta Kos presented a package of institutional changes designed to shrink national vetoes and the size of the College of Commissioners before the bloc admits anyone…
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EU and Morocco deepen security cooperation while Ceuta stays off the agenda
The readout of the Brussels meeting listed the Sahel, Iran and Ukraine among the subjects covered, though it carried no reference to the mass crossing of July 30.
Hackers access records of 8.8 million people in Denmark’s population register
The register holds about 11 million entries, including the dead and those who have left the country.
Hungary set to lift block on next stage of Ukraine and Moldova EU talks
Budapest would let two more negotiating clusters move forward if Kyiv passes a minority schools law, though Péter Magyar's veto on membership itself has not gone…
Anonymous staff accuse EESC leadership of contract-rigging cover-up and a hunt for whistleblowers
The latest letter, signed "All United Against Corruption" and circulated to members and staff, was reported by Rapporteur on October 2.
EU officials dismiss ‘absolute sh*t’ alternative to Microsoft Teams imposed by Brussels
Element Pro is described in the memo as an "internal back-up … that helps ensure our business continuity" if there is a disruption and the US-based service becomes…
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EU funding for me, but not for thee?
On Tuesday, judges at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) held hearings on a high-stakes financing dispute involving a controversial billboard and…
German taxpayers’ association lists worst 100 cases of public waste
The black book is not an official audit but still offers a telling insight into the choices Berlin made.
Commission proposes cross-border network to keep emergency services talking
Magnus Brunner says a firefighter who crosses an internal border today loses radio contact, though the new system would not start operating until 2030.
Rama says ‘science’, not ‘ideology’, will decide fate of Kushner project
Albania's Prime Minister used a Brussels platform to defend the Adriatic resort scheme that has brought protesters onto the streets since late May.
Brussels plans to bypass national vetoes in enlarged EU
Leaked drafts show Brussels intends to drop unanimity at most stages of accession and to cut nine countries out of the College of Commissioners.
Spanish Government approves housing decrees it lacks the votes to pass
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Trump claims ‘permanent control’ over Greenland security after signing Arctic pact
Copenhagen and Nuuk have insisted the agreement, signed on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, leaves Danish sovereignty and the islanders' right to self-determination…
BBC cuts 11 ‘racist’ Mitchell and Webb sketches from iPlayer anniversary release
Viewers and Reddit users noticed the gaps after the iPlayer upload. Neither Mitchell nor Webb has commented. BBC News said it had asked them.
Burnham presses for deeper EU ties as Ireland’s Martin visits Manchester
The British Prime Minister has used his first meeting with the Taoiseach since taking office to look ahead to a UK-EU summit, as London lobbies for relief from the…
Brussels admits Canada’s ‘associate member’ status has yet to be defined
The Commission insists the formula proposed for Ottawa is not accession and points to next month's summit as the first real test.
Metsola floats Australia and New Zealand as next EU ‘associate members’
The European Parliament President has described the untested status as a third way between full membership and candidate status.
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Von der Leyen ties her State of the Union agenda to fresh EU revenue
The Commission President asked member states for own resources in the next long-term budget, hours before the Parliament's biggest groups demanded rollbacks.
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Azerbaijani President Aliyev brands European Parliament ‘a den of corrupt officials’
Despite tensions, Azerbaijan remains a key energy partner for the EU Commission’s strategy to reduce dependence on Russia
Von der Leyen announces plan to make Canada the EU’s first ‘associate member’
The European Commission President made the announcement in front of Mark Carney during her State of the European Union address in Strasbourg, France.
Von der Leyen is ‘not up to the challenge’, says Charles Michel
A day before the Commission president delivers her annual State of the Union address.