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What’s getting people talking across Europe? Find articles, analysis, background information, graphics and photos on the most important issues facing the EU.

Tourism

Photo: Andrea Pattaro/AFP
Photo: Andrea Pattaro/AFP
A man sunbathes surrounded by a barrier tape to set a secure social distance space at the Nord Beach in Gandia, near Valencia on July 1, 2020. - The European Union reopened its borders to visitors from 15 countries but excluded the United States, where coronavirus deaths are spiking once again, six months after the first cluster was reported in China. (Photo by JOSE JORDAN / AFP)
A man sunbathes surrounded by a barrier […]
Beachgoers pack the beach in Brighton, on the south coast of England, as temperatures head towards a predicted 37C on August 7, 2020. Photo: Glyn Kirk / AFP
Beachgoers pack the beach in Brighton, o […]
Honduran woman, Sonia Herrera, 52, pictured during an AFP interview at her home in Madrid on June 25, 2020. Photo: Javier Soriano / AFP
Honduran woman, Sonia Herrera, 52, pictu […]
Holidays in the coronavirus-era

Coronavirus

Eine Bundespolizistin zieht sich am Grenzübergang zur Schweiz vor einer Kontrolle eine Atemmaske auf. In der Coronavirus-Krise führt Deutschland am Montag umfassende Kontrollen und Einreiseverbote an den Grenzen auch zur Schweiz ein.
Eine Bundespolizistin zieht sich am Gren […]
A healthcare worker uses a swab to collect a sample at a temporary testing centre for the novel coronavirus in Madrid on August 17, 2020. - Just seven weeks after bringing its first coronavirus wave under control, experts say Spain is once again in a "critical" situation with the worst infection rate in Western Europe. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP)
A healthcare worker uses a swab to colle […]
President of the European Commission Ursula Von der Leyen attends an EU summit, held via video conference.
President of the European Commission Urs […]
A night train of the Osterreichische Bundesbahnen (OBB) Austrian railway company stands on a platform at the railway station in Gries am Brenner at the Austrian-Italian border, on February 23, 2020. Photo: Johann Groder / APA / AFP
A night train of the Osterreichische Bun […]
Europe put to the test by the pandemic

Transportation and mobility

Foto: Boris Roessler/dpa
Foto: Boris Roessler/dpa
The aerial view shows parked airplanes at the airport Duesseldorf, western Germany, on May 8, 2020. (Photo by Ina FASSBENDER / AFP)
The aerial view shows parked airplanes a […]
A night train of the Osterreichische Bundesbahnen (OBB) Austrian railway company stands on a platform at the railway station in Gries am Brenner at the Austrian-Italian border, on February 23, 2020. Photo: Johann Groder / APA / AFP
A night train of the Osterreichische Bun […]
Honduran woman, Sonia Herrera, 52, pictured during an AFP interview at her home in Madrid on June 25, 2020. Photo: Javier Soriano / AFP
Honduran woman, Sonia Herrera, 52, pictu […]
The European Union in motion

European election

ARCHIV - ILLUSTRATION - Ein Mann steckt am 20.02.2014 in in Frankfurt (Oder,Brandenburg) eine Europafahne in den Schlitz einer Wahlurne.
ARCHIV - ILLUSTRATION - Ein Mann steckt […]
Former French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe (L) and newly-appointed Prime Minister Jean Castex react as they give a speech during the handover ceremony, in the courtyard of the Matignon Hotel in Paris on July 3, 2020. (Photo by Ludovic Marin / AFP)
Former French Prime Minister Edouard Phi […]
Newly elected mayor of Bordeaux, EELV green party's Pierre Hurmic (C), takes part in a meeting with members of his campaign team on June 29, 2020 in Bordeaux, southwestern France, a day after the second round of the French mayoral elections. (Photo by MEHDI FEDOUACH / AFP)
Newly elected mayor of Bordeaux, EELV gr […]
Where is the EU headed?

Energy

Abendröte schmückt den Himmel am Freitag (11.10.2002) am Kohlekraftwerk Mehrum (Kr. Peine) bei einer Temperatur um drei Grad und scharfem Ostwind. In der Nähe dieser Anlage drehen sich viele Windräder auf den landwirtschaftlichen Flächen. dpa/lni
Abendröte schmückt den Himmel am Freit […]
Turkey has once again extended the search for gas in contested waters of the eastern Mediterranean by the research ship Oruc Reis. Photo: Ozan Kose / AFP
Turkey has once again extended the searc […]
A handout photo released by the Greek National Defence Ministry on August 26, 2020 shows ships of the Hellenic Navy taking part in a military exercise in the eastern Mediterranean on August 25, 2020.
A handout photo released by the Greek Na […]
The aerial view shows parked airplanes at the airport Duesseldorf, western Germany, on May 8, 2020. (Photo by Ina FASSBENDER / AFP)
The aerial view shows parked airplanes a […]
The journey from a coal union to the energy transition

Health

Protesters held a rally in Warsaw to oppose the abortion ruling by the Constitutional Court. Photo: Wojtek Radwanski / AFP
Protesters held a rally in Warsaw to opp […]
Thousands of Spanish flags, representing the Spanish victims of COVID-19, are pictured on Patacona beach in Valencia, on October 4, 2020. - Spain has so far claimed more than 32,000 lives and 790,000 infected in the highest infection rate in the European Union. (Photo by Jose Jordan / AFP)
Thousands of Spanish flags, representing […]
Air pollution obscures the view of the London Eye in central London on April 9, 2015. Photo: Ben Fathers / AFP
Air pollution obscures the view of the L […]
Facing new risks

Environmental pollution

Foto: Sigrid Harms/dpa
Foto: Sigrid Harms/dpa
The shadow of a beetle is seen on a back side of a leaf in a garden outside Moscow on August 2, 2019. Photo: Yuri Kadobnov / AFP
The shadow of a beetle is seen on a back […]
Air pollution obscures the view of the London Eye in central London on April 9, 2015. Photo: Ben Fathers / AFP
Air pollution obscures the view of the L […]
The sun reflects off a stream on the dried out riverbed of La Loire river in Montjean-sur-Loire, western France, on July 30, 2020. Photo: Jean-Francois Monier / AFP
The sun reflects off a stream on the dri […]
Working towards a cleaner union

EU budget

Foto: dpa
Foto: dpa
Thousands of Spanish flags, representing the Spanish victims of COVID-19, are pictured on Patacona beach in Valencia, on October 4, 2020. - Spain has so far claimed more than 32,000 lives and 790,000 infected in the highest infection rate in the European Union. (Photo by Jose Jordan / AFP)
Thousands of Spanish flags, representing […]
President of the European Commission Ursula Von der Leyen attends an EU summit, held via video conference.
President of the European Commission Urs […]
Euro banknotes displayed next to an EU flag in Lille, northern France, on March 22, 2019. Photo: Philippe Huguen / AFP
Euro banknotes displayed next to an EU f […]
A new framework for funding the future of Europe

Brexit

EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier reports on last week's European summit during plenary session at European Parliament in Brussels on October 21, 2020. Photo: Olivier Hoslet / Pool / AFP
EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnie […]
03.02.2020, Hamburg: A British (r) and a European flag stand on the window sill in the office of the Brexit Coordination Office of the Hamburg Senate Chancellery. Photo: Christian Charisius/dpa +++ dpa-Bildfunk +++
03.02.2020, Hamburg: A British (r) and a […]
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen outside 10 Downing Street in central London on January 8, 2020, ahead of a meeting. Photo: Tolga Akmen / AFP
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson a […]
Britain’s divorce from the EU

Trade

Photo: dpa
Photo: dpa
EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier reports on last week's European summit during plenary session at European Parliament in Brussels on October 21, 2020. Photo: Olivier Hoslet / Pool / AFP
EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnie […]
epa05558458 British Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox delivers his speech during the WTO Public Forum 'Inclusive Trade', at the headquarters of the WTO in Geneva, Switzerland, 27 September 2016. EPA/SALVATORE DI NOLFI
epa05558458 British Secretary of State f […]
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen outside 10 Downing Street in central London on January 8, 2020, ahead of a meeting. Photo: Tolga Akmen / AFP
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson a […]
Internal market flourishes, but protectionism looms

Digitalization

Netzwerkkabel hängen am 14.02.2013 in Jülich (Nordrhein-Westfalen) im Forschungszentrum an der Rückseite des Supercomputers Juqueen. Europas schnellster Rechner, Juqueen, geht offiziell an den Start. Mit einer maximalen Rechenleistung von 5,9 Petaflops kann der Supercomputer sechs Billiarden Rechenoperationen pro Sekunde durchführen. Foto: Oliver Berg/dpa +++(c) dpa - Bildfunk+++
Netzwerkkabel hängen am 14.02.2013 in J […]
Under an interim proposal, digital giants like Facebook and Google would pay a 3% levy on ad sales. Photo: Damien Meyer / AFP
Under an interim proposal, digital giant […]
A 1 Euro coin pictured in Dortmund, western Germany, on January 27, 2020. Photo: Ina Fassbender / AFP
A 1 Euro coin pictured in Dortmund, west […]
A picture taken on December 28, 2016 in Vertou, western France, shows the logo of US electronic commerce and cloud computing company Amazon. (Photo by LOIC VENANCE / AFP)
A picture taken on December 28, 2016 in […]
A connected continent

Eurozone

ILLUSTRATION - Griechische Euro-Münzen stehen am 07.01.2015 in Köln (Nordrhein-Westfalen) auf einer EU-Fahne. Die Bundesregierung entwickelt einem Medienbericht zufolge konkrete Strategien für einen möglichen Austritt Griechenlands aus der Eurozone. Foto: Oliver Berg/dpa +++(c) dpa - Bildfunk+++
ILLUSTRATION - Griechische Euro-Münzen […]
PICTURE TAKEN IN HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE (HDR) MODE The power plant "Neurath" run by coal from the brown coal open cast mine Garzweiler is pictured on October 24, 2014 in Rommerskirchen, western Germany. The power plant is operated by German energy giant RWE. AFP PHOTO / PATRIK STOLLARZ (Photo by Patrik STOLLARZ / AFP)
PICTURE TAKEN IN HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE (HDR […]
A 1 Euro coin pictured in Dortmund, western Germany, on January 27, 2020. Photo: Ina Fassbender / AFP
A 1 Euro coin pictured in Dortmund, west […]
Euro coins lie on a Euro flag.
Euro coins lie on a Euro flag.
Many states, one currency

Elections

A pedestrian walks past a billboard in west Belfast on December 8, 2017 erected by Republican Party Sinn Fein calling for a special status for Northern Ireland with respect to Brexit and no hard borders in Ireland. Photo: Paul Faith / AFP
A pedestrian walks past a billboard in w […]
Britain's main opposition Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn talks to students at Lancaster University on November 15, 2019 regarding the party's plans to deliver free full fibre broadband if they win the general election. Photo: Peter Byrne / Pool
Britain's main opposition Labour party l […]
The populist challenge

Migrants

Refugees from Kara Tepe camp on the Greek island of Lesbos board a ferry at the port of Mytilene on September 28, 2020
Refugees from Kara Tepe camp on the Gree […]
(L-R) Dutch PM Mark Rutte, European Council President Charles Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen participate in a last roundtable discussion following a four-day European summit at the European Council in Brussels, Belgium, early July 21, 2020. Photo: Stephanie Lecocq / Pool / AFP
(L-R) Dutch PM Mark Rutte, European Coun […]
An aerial photo shows migrants in a dinghy wearing life jackets as they illegally cross the English Channel from France to Britain on September 11, 2020. - The number of migrants crossing the English Channel -- which is 33,8 km (21 miles) at the closest point in the Straits of Dover -- in small inflatable boats has spiralled over the summer of the 2020. According to authorities in northern France some 6,200 migrants have attempted the crossing between January 1 and August 31, 2020, compared with 2,294 migrants for the whole of 2019. (Photo by Sameer Al-DOUMY / AFP)
An aerial photo shows migrants in a ding […]
A new home in Europe?

Europe's youth

Schüler der Edith-Stein-Schule präsentieren am 06.09.2017 in Erfurt (Thüringen) die selbstgestalteten Wahlplakate für die U18-Bundestagswahl. Foto: Martin Schutt/dpa
Schüler der Edith-Stein-Schule präsent […]
(FILES) In this file photo taken on August 10, 2020 people dance and attend a rave party, on an agricultural land in Causse Mejean, in the heart of the Cevennes National Park, southern France, despite the limitation of gatherings linked to COVID-19, the novel coronavirus. - The summer has been marked by hundreds of 'free parties' in France, in spite of the COVID-19 outbreak, AFP reports on August 23, 2020. (Photo by Pascal GUYOT / AFP)
(FILES) In this file photo taken on Augu […]
Rentrée des classes en Serbie. Photo: Andrej Isakovic/AFP
Rentrée des classes en Serbie. Photo: A […]
A young woman hula-hoops among people enjoying an open air party in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 1, 2020. Photo: Geoffroy Van der Hasselt / AFP
A young woman hula-hoops among people en […]
Endless opportunities or no future?

EU enlargement

ARCHIV - Zwei Männer feiern am 01.01.2007 vor einer EU-Fahne den EU-Beitritt Rumäniens in Bukarest. EPA/ROBERT GHEMENT (zu dpa Berichterstattung vor dem EU-Gipfel) +++(c) dpa - Bildfunk+++
ARCHIV - Zwei Männer feiern am 01.01.2 […]
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon speaks to members of staff and contractors as she tours the NHS Louisa Jordan field hospital, set up at the Scottish Events Campus (SEC) in Glasgow on April 10, 2020, to potentially help with extra patients caused by the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. - The disease has struck at the heart of the British government, infected more than 60,000 people nationwide and killed over 8,000, with a daily death toll in England of 866 reported on April 10. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / POOL / AFP)
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeo […]
A health employee wearing a protective jumpsuit disinfects a local tram in Zagreb as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19 caused by novel coronavirus on March 13, 2020. - Since the novel coronavirus first emerged in late December 2019, more than 135,640 cases have been recorded in 122 countries and territories, killing 5,043 people, according to an AFP tally compiled on March 13, 2020 based on official sources. (Photo by Damir SENCAR / AFP)
A health employee wearing a protective j […]
European flags are waving in front of the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels. Two days before Britain's withdrawal from the European Union, the European Parliament also ratified the EU withdrawal agreement at a meeting in Brussels and finally sealed the brexit.
European flags are waving in front of th […]
The Union is growing

Defence and security

25.04.2018, Brandenburg, Schönefeld: Das zweistrahliges Mehrzweckkampfflugzeug Dassault Rafale aus Frankreich ist bei der Raumfahrtausstellung (ILA) ausgestellt. Bis Sonntag präsentierten 1100 Aussteller aus 41 Ländern ihre Neuheiten von Flugzeugen über Drohnen und Flugtaxis bis hin zu Raketentechnik. (zu dpa "Ein Kampfjet für Europa - Berlin und Paris gehen in Rüstungsoffensive" am 26.04.2018)
25.04.2018, Brandenburg, Schönefeld: Da […]
Turkey has once again extended the search for gas in contested waters of the eastern Mediterranean by the research ship Oruc Reis. Photo: Ozan Kose / AFP
Turkey has once again extended the searc […]
A police officer looks at a destroyed house after shelling in the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region's main city of Stepanakert on October 7, 2020. Photo: Aris Messinis / AFP
A police officer looks at a destroyed ho […]
Men step away from an unexploded rocket in Stepanakert, the main city in the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region on October 6, 2020. Photo: Aris Messinis / AFP
Men step away from an unexploded rocket […]
A continent's preparations for a world of challenges

Food and agriculture

The shadow of a beetle is seen on a back side of a leaf in a garden outside Moscow on August 2, 2019. Photo: Yuri Kadobnov / AFP
The shadow of a beetle is seen on a back […]
EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier reports on last week's European summit during plenary session at European Parliament in Brussels on October 21, 2020. Photo: Olivier Hoslet / Pool / AFP
EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnie […]
Farming machinery on a field in the east of Germany. Photo: Patrick Pleul/dpa
Farming machinery on a field in the east […]
Feeding a continent

Europe's Workforce

Photo: dpa
Photo: dpa
A waiter waits for customers at a restaurant in Barcelona on October 14, 2020. - Bars and restaurants are to be closed across Spain's northeastern Catalonia region for the next 15 days to slow rising coronavirus infections, the regional government said. (Photo by LLUIS GENE / AFP)
A waiter waits for customers at a restau […]
Thousands of Spanish flags, representing the Spanish victims of COVID-19, are pictured on Patacona beach in Valencia, on October 4, 2020. - Spain has so far claimed more than 32,000 lives and 790,000 infected in the highest infection rate in the European Union. (Photo by Jose Jordan / AFP)
Thousands of Spanish flags, representing […]
The aerial view shows parked airplanes at the airport Duesseldorf, western Germany, on May 8, 2020. (Photo by Ina FASSBENDER / AFP)
The aerial view shows parked airplanes a […]
Tensions between the poor and the rich

Populism

Foto: dpa
Foto: dpa
Italian Lega party leader Matteo Salvini addresses the Senate in Rome on February 12, 2020. Photo: Filippo Monteforte / AFP
Italian Lega party leader Matteo Salvini […]
Italian PM Giuseppe Conte (C), flanked by Deputy PM and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini (L) and by Deputy PM and Minister of Economic Development Luigi Di Maio (R), delivers a speech at the Italian Senate, in Rome, on August 20, 2019
Italian PM Giuseppe Conte (C), flanked b […]
Simple answers to complex questions

Climate change

El vicepresidente de la Comisión Europea, Frans Timmermans, da detalles sobre la Ley Climática Europea el 4 de marzo de 2020 en Bruselas. Fotógrafo: John Thys / AFP
El vicepresidente de la Comisión Europe […]
The shadow of a beetle is seen on a back side of a leaf in a garden outside Moscow on August 2, 2019. Photo: Yuri Kadobnov / AFP
The shadow of a beetle is seen on a back […]
The sun reflects off a stream on the dried out riverbed of La Loire river in Montjean-sur-Loire, western France, on July 30, 2020. Photo: Jean-Francois Monier / AFP
The sun reflects off a stream on the dri […]
Tackling global warming

Terrorism and security

(FILES) This file photo taken on January 16, 2018 shows Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny during an interview with AFP at the office of his Anti-corruption Foundation (FBK) in Moscow. - Tests carried out on Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny provide clear proof that he was poisoned by a chemical nerve agent, the German government said Wednesday, September 2, 2020, demanding explanations from Moscow. (Photo by Mladen ANTONOV / AFP)
(FILES) This file photo taken on January […]
File photo taken on January 7, 2015 shows hooded gunmen Cherif Kouachi and his brother Said Kouachi facing police officers near the offices of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris. Photo: Anne Gelbard / AFP
File photo taken on January 7, 2015 show […]
AI (artificial intelligence) security cameras using facial recognition technology are displayed at the 14th China International Exhibition on Public Safety and Security at the China International Exhibition Center in Beijing on October 24, 2018. (Photo by NICOLAS ASFOURI / AFP)
AI (artificial intelligence) security ca […]
The EU's fight against terror