German authorities stepped up border checks, arresting hundreds of people smugglers, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said. The operation has stopped nearly 18,000 migrants entering the country, she added.

It's not only in the US and UK that border protection is on the ballot. The European Parliament's vote on a migration pact was always going to be a nail-biter, especially two months out from EU elections. We ask about the close result and about burden sharing, this as the numbers of those crossing the Mediterranean hit their highest level since 2015.

China's wheat imports could decline in 2024, with shipment cancellations and delays raising concerns of weakening demand.

China's minister of commerce is in Europe for a week-long trip, with a focus on pushing back against accusations of unfair state subsidies in the Chinese electric vehicle sector.

The European Union is set to vote on a landmark reform of its asylum system to reduce irregular migration to the bloc. If adopted the new rules would come into effect in 2026.

Europe has joined international condemnation of China's aggression against Filipino vessels. However, the EU's position on coming to the Philippines' defense remains opaque.

The EU’s proposed defence reforms are not going to make a difference to Ukraine in the short term, warns Camille Grand, NATO's former assistant secretary general for defence investment.

There's no shortage of threats: from cyberattacks to fake news aimed at sowing confusion in the minds of EU citizens and voters. In this episode we look at the various disinformation techniques being used, as well as who the most vulnerable targets are, and what is being done to counter such attacks – not just by the European institutions, but also by non-governmental bodies and civil society.

Ukraine is the central theme of EU talks in Brussels, and notably whether Russian assets frozen in Europe should be diverted to Kyiv for the war effort. The support of the 27 states is increasingly under the spotlight as doubts persist over America's continued financing of the Ukrainian resistance.

The agreement renews for one year the tariff exemption granted in 2022, but adds oats — as well as eggs, poultry and sugar — to the list of products with import “safeguards” preventing cheap imports from flooding the market. Wheat and barley will not be added to the safeguard list.

In a deforestation case against Malaysia, the WTO has backed the EU in arguing that biodiesel made from palm oil should not count as a renewable biofuel.

Talking Europe interviews the chair of the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee, David McAllister. He believes the European Union has been too cautious for too long, and has not proactively defined and defended its interests in the world.