Marcos Jr. is the son of ex-President Ferdinand Marcos, who ruled the country for decades under a brutal autocratic regime. Mending frayed EU-Philippine relations will be a challenge for the new leader.

The proposals would make it obligatory for companies operating in the EU to try to detect and report such cases, replacing a voluntary system that Brussels considers insufficient. Critics have raised privacy concerns.

As the British government indicates it is preparing to deviate from the Northern Ireland Protocol – a key part of the Brexit deal – the European Commissioner overseeing EU-UK relations tells FRANCE 24 he is "appealing to the UK government to come back to the negotiating table". Maros Sefcovic spoke to our Europe editor Catherine Nicholson.

Hungary's government is "holding European Union decision makers hostage" by refusing to join an EU-wide embargo on Russian oil, according to Lithuania's foreign minister. This comes as EU leaders continue their efforts to gather support for a sixth sanctions package on Russia from all 27 EU member states. The government of PM Viktor Orban has claimed that an import ban on Russian oil would ruin the Hungarian economy. Lithuania's Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis tells FRANCE 24 that "Europe is weaker" as a result, and that he is "still hoping Budapest will be responsible in their decisions".

Rising energy and commodity prices resulting from Russia's war in Ukraine are slowing Europe's economic growth and increasing inflation.

Brussels has said a British proposal to effectively override parts of a Brexit deal with a new law is "not acceptable." The UK has proposed a new law to drop part of the Brexit agreement on Northern Ireland trade.

Russia's president has said banning oil imports from his country would be impossible for some dependent European states, after the EU failed to reach consensus to impose the measure.

The European Union plans to invest up to €300 billion to reduce its dependence on Russian fossil fuels, the European Commission announced.

The war in Ukraine has forced a major rethink of European security, with further enlargement of both NATO and the EU now on the table. Kyiv has asked for a fast-track procedure for EU membership. Moldova and Georgia have also applied. The EU has made it clear that Ukraine belongs to the European family. However, admitting several more nations would be highly challenging. And even before the war, the EU was already negotiating with candidate countries Albania, the Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey. We discuss how far the EU should grow, and how fast that process should be, with two MEPs.

German Economy Minister said the EU was close to finally agreeing on a ban on Russian oil imports as the war in Ukraine enters the fourth month.

Imagine using an EU-wide app to pay your bills, to access your local government services or to upload a medical file or a driving licence. You would log in with a unique, life-long ID number. To some, this might sound convenient – much like travelling smoothly across borders with a digital Covid-19 certificate. To others, it's the stuff of Orwellian nightmares – a step towards mass surveillance and control. Either way, plans for an EU digital identity are coalescing, with a "common toolbox" expected this September. We debate the issues at stake with two MEPs.

The European Commission says Croatia has met all the conditions to adopt the euro common currency starting in 2023. The planned switch will come less than a decade after the Balkan country joined the EU.