Luxembourg makes public transport free

The EU is set to launch a new mission in West Africa in the fall, a German newspaper has reported. The combined military-civilian operation will aim to prevent instability triggered by jihadi groups.

North Macedonia has been waiting since 2005 for EU accession negotiations to begin. Greece finally lifted its veto in 2019, but Bulgaria continues to throw a spanner in the works.

A year ago, Russia stopped gas flows to the EU via the Nord Stream pipeline to inflict pain on the bloc for its overwhelming support for Ukraine. The weaponization of its gas supplies has ended up hurting Moscow more.

The EU foreign ministers met to discuss ways to help West Africa's ECOWAS regional group handle the military takeover in Niger. The meeting came the junta stripped the French ambassador of diplomatic immunity.

The wildfires raging in northern Greece are causing unprecedented devastation. Nature reserves have gone up in flames and livelihoods have been destroyed. Some Greeks have accused migrants of starting the blaze.

Europe seems to have ever fewer options as it watches West Africa experience a series of military coups.

Pro-EU President Salome Zurabishvili is facing possible impeachment after she visited leaders in the bloc. The current government is seen by the opposition as taking the country away from Europe and toward Russia.

Syrians were the biggest group seeking asylum in Europe in the first half of 2023, according to the bloc's asylum agency. The count didn't include Ukrainian refugees.

Iran has repeatedly targeted foreigners and jailed them for espionage. The European Union confirmed that a Swedish diplomat working for the EU has been held in Iran for more than 500 days.

Talking Europe hosts Pascal Lamy, co-ordinator of the Jacques Delors institutes, and a distinguished former head of the World Trade Organization and former EU Trade Commissioner. We discuss great power competition in today's world; the EU’s influence when it comes to global trade and regulation; the critical importance of Africa to Europe; and climate adaptation in the light of Lamy’s role as a member of the Climate Overshoot Commission.

Since 1999, turnout in elections to the European Parliament has reached 50 percent only once. But with so many critical transnational issues facing the people of Europe – energy, inflation, the green transition and the post-Covid economic recovery – could the 2024 election campaign energise voters and reverse the low turnout trend? Ahead of next June's polls, we put that question to two of the top experts on public opinion in France.

The UK has announced it's rejoining the European Union's flagship science funding programme, Horizon. In the wake of Brexit, London had been blocked from re-associating with the scheme, which is the world's biggest civil research and innovation programme. The UK government says the new deal gives local scientists "unrivalled opportunities" at a good price for taxpayers. We take a closer look.