EU forces 10-year-old USB-C charging point on everything mobile
The European Union’s imposition of the USB-C charging port on all items that make modern life possible, and yes explicitly including handheld mobile phones, portable…
Bureaucracy
Latest reporting and analysis on bureaucracy.
Bosnia security minister Nesic arrested on bribery allegations
Bosnia's security minister Nenad Nešić has been arrested along with six others on charges of organised crime including alleged money laundering, abuse of office…
Reynders gets double pension, gross worth €12,629 per month
Former European Commissioner of Justice Didier Reynders, being investigated for alleged possible money laundering, earns a double pension, it has been revealed.
Austrian state coalition plans to ban ‘gender-inclusive language’ in government
In the Austrian State of Styria, the right-wing Freedom Party (FPÖ) has said it planned to ban civil servants in Styria from using "gender-inclusive language".
German Christmas market tradition ‘killed off by EU law’
A decades-long Christmas market tradition in Germany has reportedly been killed off under European Union law.
Think-tank accuses EU of undermining rule of law
In a new report, the Hungarian Nézőpont Institute (Nézőpont Intézet) has taken shots at the European Union, accusing it of violating the rule of law.
Austrian Air Force grounded for days as flight controllers take time off
The Austrian military was rendered unable to monitor and protect the country’s airspace because its Air Force’s flight controllers had taken time off in lieu…
Half of Austrian companies consider leaving as competitiveness nosedives
More than half of Austria’s bigger companies are said to be considering moving their business abroad, according to a new study
Half a billion euros in German child-benefit sent outside the country, government says
More than €500 million in German child benefit allowance payments was sent outside the country in 2023, government data provided to local media outlets has shown.
Dutch government finds agreement on tougher asylum laws
The political leaders of the Dutch Government have found an agreement on tougher measures regarding asylum after an eight-hour meeting..
Migrant ‘return hubs’ are gimmicks, better just to close the borders
Immigration is not just the elephant in the European Union’s room. It is a horde of stampeding elephants, running at full speed toward the European establishment.
Transparency NGO warns of ‘superficial and opaque’ EC hearings process
NGO Transparency International EU has criticised the European Commission candidate audit process, saying it is rushed, superficial and opaque and casting doubt on…
European Ombudsman criticises EC over Tunisia migrant agreement
According to the European Ombudsman (EO) , the so-called "EU watchdog", the European Commission has not been transparent about the human rights information it…
Anyone left to hold the guns? Ukraine’s population drops by 10 million in 10 years
The Ukrainian population has fallen by eight million since the Russian invasion in February 2022, with a total of ten million since 2014 when the civil conflict…
Ukraine’s prosecutor general resigns amid draft-dodging scandal
Ukraine's Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said on Tuesday he had resigned to take responsibility for a scandal in which dozens of officials are alleged to have…
Belgium revokes work permits of imams over ‘foreign influence’ rules
Five Turkish imams who had been living in Belgium for four years face losing their jobs and possible deportation from Belgium due to a Flemish regulation designed…
EXCLUSIVE: European Parliament mulls home-made AI-generated Christmas cards
Bureaucrats working in the European Parliament have been asked to vote on whether the body should publish Christmas cards sporting AI-generated artwork, Brussels…
EU spending ‘waste of tax-payers’ money, insufficient safeguards, loopholes’ say auditors
While the European Commission has long maintained a rule against double funding — meaning that the same costs should never be paid for twice by EU funds — the…
Dispute in German government over cash for NGO migrant boats
"There was a clear announcement from the Bundestag that there would be no more taxpayers' money for this.
EXCL: final figure disclosed, 3,000 emails hit by European Commission outage
Around 3,000 emails were left undelivered earlier in October after a technical outage at the European Commission, Brussels Signal can report.
Italian Court rules migrants in Albania must return to Italy
The immigration section of Rome's court rejected the detention of migrants at the new hosting and repatriation centre in Gadjer Albania, the judge ruled on October…
ECHR fines Germany for deporting Syrian migrant to Greece
The European Court for Human Rights (ECHR) has ordered Germany and Greece to pay damages to a Syrian man who was deported by German police.
Poland’s Tusk says future of liberal democracy hinges on migration policy
The future of liberal democracy in the European Union depends on its response to migration, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in comments published on October…
French interior minister to restore ‘order’ by regularising working illegals
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau wants to regularise a large swathe of illegal migrants as part of the country's new 2025 immigration law.
EXCLUSIVE: EU official emails hit with four-day partial outage
The European Union's official email service was hit with a four-day partial outage between October 10 and October 14, documents seen by Brussels Signal have confirmed.
More like Ellis Island: Italy’s migrant-processing centres are not Guantanamo Bay
My great-grandfather left Italy in 1921 to sail to the United States.
French interior minister aims to scrap illegal migrant regularisation scheme
French interior minister Bruno Retailleau has announced plans to abolish the country's 2012 migrant regularisation programme.
Cities and regions on warpath against Brussels over EU funds centralisation
Local governments across the European Union are on the warpath amid attempts by Brussels to further centralise its control over cities and regions in the EU.
EP leaders rejig Commissioner hearings to avoid working holiday
The leaders of the European Parliament have rejigged their provisional schedule for the European Commissioner-designate hearings next month to avoid working on a…
Pot, black: Germany’s dodgy infrastructure leaves no space to attack Hungary’s spending
Germany's dodgy infrastructure spending has been put under the spotlight after politicians in the country used similar examples to claim Hungary was corrupt.