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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.

Brexit Climate change Coronavirus Defence and security Digitalization EU budget EU enlargement Economy Elections Energy Environmental pollution Europe's Workforce Europe's youth Eurozone Food and agriculture Health Human rights Migrants Populism Terrorism and security Tourism Trade Transportation and mobility Women's rights

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... […]
A Ukrainian artillery unit fires towards Russian positions outside Bakhmut. Photo: Bulent Kilic / AFP
A Ukrainian artillery unit fires towards... […]
Ukraine has been using ageing Soviet-era T-64 tanks in the fight-back against Russian forces. Photo: Yasuyoshi Chiba / AFP
Ukraine has been using ageing Soviet-era... […]
A Leopard 2/A4 battle tank during a handover ceremony at the Tata army base in Hungary, on July 24, 2020. Photo: Attila Kisbedenek / AFP
A Leopard 2/A4 battle tank during a hand... […]

Brexit

Britain's PM Rishi Sunak and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen attend a joint press conference at the Fairmont Hotel in Windsor, west of London on February 27, 2023, following their meeting. Photo: Dan Kitwood / Pool
Britain's PM Rishi Sunak and European Co... […]
Employees work at Pecan Deluxe Candy's manufacturing site in Sherburn-in-Elmet, northern England on January 23, 2023. Photo: Paul Ellis / AFP
Employees work at Pecan Deluxe Candy's m... […]
A lorry passes an anti-'Northern Ireland Protocol' sign at Larne port, north of Belfast in Northern Ireland, on May 17, 2022. Photo: Paul Faith / AFP
A lorry passes an anti-'Northern Ireland... […]

Trade

Photo: dpa
Photo: dpa...
Britain's PM Rishi Sunak and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen attend a joint press conference at the Fairmont Hotel in Windsor, west of London on February 27, 2023, following their meeting. Photo: Dan Kitwood / Pool
Britain's PM Rishi Sunak and European Co... […]
A lorry passes an anti-'Northern Ireland Protocol' sign at Larne port, north of Belfast in Northern Ireland, on May 17, 2022. Photo: Paul Faith / AFP
A lorry passes an anti-'Northern Ireland... […]
The Baltic Performer, a 150-metre cargo ship operated by a Swedish subsidiary of the Russian company Baltic Shipping, arrives in the Swedish port of Helsingborg on April 4, 2022. Photo: Camille Bas-Wohlert / AFP
The Baltic Performer, a 150-metre cargo ... […]

Human rights

Activists demonstrate against human rights violations in Indian-controlled Kashmir, a region disputed with Pakistan, in Lahore on December 10, 2018 to mark Human Rights Day. (Photo by RIZWAN TABASSUM / AFP)
Activists demonstrate against human righ... […]
Spain's Equality Minister Irene Montero joined LGBTQ+ activists to celebrate after the Spanish Congress in Madrid approved the legislation on February 16. Photo: Oscar Del Pozo / AFP
Spain's Equality Minister Irene Montero ... […]
Migrants illegally cross the English Channel from France to Britain. Photo: Sameer Al-Doumy / AFP
Migrants illegally cross the English Cha... […]

Transportation and mobility

Foto: Boris Roessler/dpa
Foto: Boris Roessler/dpa ...
A scale model of a European Service Module (ESM) pictured inside an assembly hall during the Moon Media Day at the Airbus Defence and Space plant in Bremen, Germany, on February 9, 2023. Photo: Focke Strangmann / AFP
A scale model of a European Service Modu... […]
A driver charges his electric vehicle at a charging station in Monterey Park, California on August 31, 2022. Photo: Frederic J. Brown / AFP
A driver charges his electric vehicle at... […]
Die Anzeige vor der Einfahrt zu einer Tankstelle zeigt die Preise für Benzin und Diesel sowie Gas an. In der Nacht vom 31. August auf den 1. September endete eine vorübergehende Senkung der Energiesteuer auf das von der EU vorgegebene Mindestmaß.
Die Anzeige vor der Einfahrt zu einer Ta... […]

Economy

Ina Fassbender/AFP
Ina Fassbender/AFP...
A driver charges his electric vehicle at a charging station in Monterey Park, California on August 31, 2022. Photo: Frederic J. Brown / AFP
A driver charges his electric vehicle at... […]
Employees work at Pecan Deluxe Candy's manufacturing site in Sherburn-in-Elmet, northern England on January 23, 2023. Photo: Paul Ellis / AFP
Employees work at Pecan Deluxe Candy's m... […]
The French government plans to raise the retirement age from the current level of 62 to 64. Photo: Lionel Bonaventure / AFP
The French government plans to raise the... […]

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... […]
The European flag was in 1955 adopted by the Council of Europe as a symbol of Europe. Photo: Kenzo Tribouillard / AFP
The European flag was in 1955 adopted by... […]
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... […]

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... […]
Gas burning on a domestic hob. Photo: Loic Venance / AFP
Gas burning on a domestic hob. Photo: Lo... […]
Zahlreiche blau-schimmernde Gas-Flämmchen sind an einem Gasherd zu sehen. Die Gasversorgung in Deutschland ist aufgrund der anhaltenden Ukraine-Krise weiterhin Thema.
Zahlreiche blau-schimmernde Gas-Flämmch... […]
A pressure gauge at a gas terminal for the Nord Stream 1 pipeline in northern Germany. Photo: Odd Andersen / AFP
A pressure gauge at a gas terminal for t... […]

Food and agriculture

Employees work at Pecan Deluxe Candy's manufacturing site in Sherburn-in-Elmet, northern England on January 23, 2023. Photo: Paul Ellis / AFP
Employees work at Pecan Deluxe Candy's m... […]
Firefighters work at the site of a wildfire near Belin-Béliet, southwestern France late on August 11, 2022. Photo: Thibaud Moritz / AFP
Firefighters work at the site of a wildf... […]
Farmer Achille Crespiatico assesses damages to his corn field due to a severe drought in Spino d'Adda, as Italy is hit by the worst drought in 70 years. Photo: Piero Cruciatti / AFP
Farmer Achille Crespiatico assesses dama... […]

Europe's Workforce

Photo: dpa
Photo: dpa...
The French government plans to raise the retirement age from the current level of 62 to 64. Photo: Lionel Bonaventure / AFP
The French government plans to raise the... […]
Passengers stand near the Ryanair check-in counters during a strike at Barajas airport in Madrid. Photo: Oscar Del Pozo / AFP
Passengers stand near the Ryanair check-... […]
Croatia has already issued more than 51,000 work permits for foreign nationals this year. Photo: Denis Lovrovic / AFP
Croatia has already issued more than 51,... […]

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... […]
The logos of Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft are displayed on a mobile phone with an EU flag in the background. Photo: Justin Tallis / AFP
The logos of Google, Apple, Facebook, Am... […]
A customs officer and a drug detection dog pictured after a check at Antwerp port in Antwerp, on May 20, 2022. Photo: Valeria Mongelli / AFP
A customs officer and a drug detection d... […]
Tencent recorded its first-ever quarterly loss in August on the back of a crackdown on China's tech sector. Photo: Noel Celis / AFP
Tencent recorded its first-ever quarterl... […]

Health

Extreme drought has increased by nearly a third over the last 50 years, according to a report by The Lancet Countdown. Photo: Asaad Niazi /
Extreme drought has increased by nearly ... […]
Tourists cool off and drink from a fountain in front of the Pantheon in Rome. Photo: Andreas Solaro / AFP
Tourists cool off and drink from a fount... […]
The European Parliament holds a voting session after a debate in Strasbourg, eastern France. Photo: Patrick Hertzog / AFP
The European Parliament holds a voting s... […]

Populism

Foto: dpa
Foto: dpa...
Italy's new Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni prepares to preside over her government's first Cabinet meeting at Palazzo Chigi in Rome on October 23, 2022. Photo: Andreas Solaro / AFP
Italy's new Prime Minister Giorgia Melon... […]
Giorgia Meloni holds a placard reading "Thank You Italy" after her Brothers of Italy party, triumphed in the parliamentary elections. Photo: Andreas Solaro / AFP
Giorgia Meloni holds a placard reading "... […]
Lega (League party) leader Matteo Salvini (L) and Giorgia Meloni, co-founder and president of the Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy, speak at the annual "European House Ambrosetti" forum in Cernobbio, near Como, northern Italy on September 4, 2022. Photo: Miguel Medina / AFP
Lega (League party) leader Matteo Salvin... […]

Women's rights

Jussi Nukari/AFP
Jussi Nukari/AFP...
Italy's new Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni prepares to preside over her government's first Cabinet meeting at Palazzo Chigi in Rome on October 23, 2022. Photo: Andreas Solaro / AFP
Italy's new Prime Minister Giorgia Melon... […]
The European Parliament holds a voting session after a debate in Strasbourg, eastern France. Photo: Patrick Hertzog / AFP
The European Parliament holds a voting s... […]
German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends a meeting of the European People's Party in Berlin. Photo: Stefanie Loos / AFP
German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends ... […]

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 ... […]
A group photo, with European Council head Charles Michel in the middle and Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala on his right hand, of the EU informal summit in Prague CastleŽs Rothmayer Hall, Prague, Czech Republic, on October 7, 2022. (CTK Photo/Katerina Sulova)
A group photo, with European Council hea... […]
The ECB headquarters viewed from through the structure of a bridge in Frankfurt, western Germany. Photo: Daniel Roland / AFP
The ECB headquarters viewed from through... […]
Euro banknotes in Dortmund, western Germany. Photo: Ina Fassbender / AFP
Euro banknotes in Dortmund, western Germ... […]

Elections

Giorgia Meloni holds a placard reading "Thank You Italy" after her Brothers of Italy party, triumphed in the parliamentary elections. Photo: Andreas Solaro / AFP
Giorgia Meloni holds a placard reading "... […]
Lega (League party) leader Matteo Salvini (L) and Giorgia Meloni, co-founder and president of the Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy, speak at the annual "European House Ambrosetti" forum in Cernobbio, near Como, northern Italy on September 4, 2022. Photo: Miguel Medina / AFP
Lega (League party) leader Matteo Salvin... […]
France's President Emmanuel Macron gives a press conference with President of the European Council and President of the European Commission at The European Council Building in Brussels on June 24, 2022. Photo: Ludovic Marin / AFP
France's President Emmanuel Macron gives... […]

Tourism

Photo: Andrea Pattaro/AFP
Photo: Andrea Pattaro/AFP...
Russian tourists having their passport checked at the Nuijamaa border crossing with Finland. Photo: Alessandro Rampazzo / AFP
Russian tourists having their passport c... […]
Tourists gather on a bridge overlooking a dam on the Vuoksi river, near the Imatra Rapids in Imatra, Finland, on August 12, 2022. Photo: Alessandro Rampazzo / AFP
Tourists gather on a bridge overlooking ... […]
Croatia has already issued more than 51,000 work permits for foreign nationals this year. Photo: Denis Lovrovic / AFP
Croatia has already issued more than 51,... […]

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... […]
Several Western European nations have recently recorded their highest daily Covid case numbers in months, due in part to Omicron sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5. Photo: Stephane De Sakutin / AFP
Several Western European nations have re... […]
Croatia has already issued more than 51,000 work permits for foreign nationals this year. Photo: Denis Lovrovic / AFP
Croatia has already issued more than 51,... […]
Pupils from the "College Victor Hugo" secondary school in Colmar, northeast France, visit Edinburgh in Scotland on May 23, 2022 as part of a school exchange. Photo: Andy Buchanan / AFP
Pupils from the "College Victor Hugo" se... […]

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... […]
Pupils from the "College Victor Hugo" secondary school in Colmar, northeast France, visit Edinburgh in Scotland on May 23, 2022 as part of a school exchange. Photo: Andy Buchanan / AFP
Pupils from the "College Victor Hugo" se... […]
In a reception classroom, children sit apart from each other on a carpet where crosses have been marked out for them to sit on, in a teaching environment safe from Coronavirus for pupils and teachers at Brambles Primary Academy in Huddersfield, northern England on June 4, 2020, as the Government's recommencing of education for Reception and Years 1 and 6 classes gets underway. - Primary schools reopened the week commencing June 1, welcoming back children in Reception, year 1 and year 6 age groups, alongside priority groups. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)
In a reception classroom, children sit a... […]
(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... […]

Environmental pollution

Foto: Sigrid Harms/dpa
Foto: Sigrid Harms/dpa...
While fully electric cars have proved themselves in urban areas, many owners still suffer from "range anxiety" when it comes to long trips. Photo: Jens Schuter / AFP
While fully electric cars have proved th... […]
Festival-goers use a urinal on the opening day of the 19th Eurockeennes Festival in Belfort, France, on June 29, 2007. Photo: Jean-Philippe Ksiazek / AFP / File
Festival-goers use a urinal on the openi... […]
Schwarze Pumpe, 11.11.2021 - Luftbild Braunkohlekraftwerk Schwarze Pumpe der LEAG Lausitz Energie Kraftwerke AG. Der Ausstieg aus der Kohleverstromung soll bis 2038 erfolgen. || Mindestpreis 30 Euro
Schwarze Pumpe, 11.11.2021 - Luftbild Br... […]

Terrorism and security

Newly appointed EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Ilkka Salmi speaks during an interview at the EU headquarters in Brussels on December 7, 2021. Photo: John Thys / AFP
Newly appointed EU Counter-Terrorism Coo... […]
Greek policemen distribute food to migrants held at the Covid-19 quarantine area in Leros. Photo: Theophile Bloudanis / AFP
Greek policemen distribute food to migra... […]
Afghans board a military transport plane as they flee Kabul on August 24. Photo: Donald R. Allen / AFP-US Air Force / File
Afghans board a military transport plane... […]

EU budget

Foto: dpa
Foto: dpa...
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen (L) meets President of the Eurogroup, Paschal Donohoe, during the G7 finance ministers meeting in London on June 5, 2021. Photo: Alberto Pezzali / Pool
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen (L) m... […]
A family photo of the G7 Finance Ministers meeting at Lancaster House in London on June 5. Photo: Henry Nicholls / AFP-Pool
A family photo of the G7 Finance Ministe... […]
Combination of pictures created on January 12, 2021 shows a file photo taken on October 2, 2020 of Italian PM Giuseppe Conte at The European Council Building in Brussels (L) and then former Italian PM, Matteo Renzi, on March 5, 2018 at the PD headquarters in Rome.
Combination of pictures created on Janua... […]