European Commission finds German automakers illegally colluded on emissions technology

German car giants VW, Daimler and BMW colluded to restrict the development of technology to clean emissions from passenger cars, the European Commission said in preliminary findings from its antitrust probe.

German conservative politician Manfred Weber will not be the next president of the European Commission, according to a German newspaper. EU leaders have been wrangling for weeks over who should get the top job.

The European Parliament voted in favor of Ursula von der Leyen's new commission on Wednesday, after a months fraught with uncertainty for the German lawmaker. The new commission will take over on December 1.

The European Commission has unveiled a €750 billion aid package to help the EU recover from the coronavirus pandemic. The plan will require unanimous backing from all 27 nations in the bloc.

The European Commission has put forward a five-year plan to address challenges facing the LGBTQI community. The EU executive has long been at odds with right-wing governments in the bloc over LGBT+ rights.

Poland's spending plans for billions of euros in pandemic recovery funding has been cleared by the EU's executive. But Warsaw must still make changes to ensure judicial independence before any payments can be made.

The executive body of the European Union has recommended that Ukraine be granted EU candidate status. Kyiv has sought candidate status since 2014.

A new report from the UN's International Labour Organization (ILO) shows that more than 27 million people are engaged in forced labour around the world. This Tuesday, Brussels is announcing new rules to ban goods made with forced labour or those imported into the bloc. The ILO report also raised alarm over the working conditions of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in the western Chinese region of Xinjiang.

The EU executive is recommending the bloc's member states give Bosnia-Herzegovina candidacy status, subject to reforms. The Commission said the Western Balkans "belong in our family."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed a "Net Zero Industry Act" to boost clean tech. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, she also vowed to support Ukraine "as long as it takes."