New European Bauhaus festival tackles affordable housing crisis
The third edition of the New European Bauhaus festival opened in Brussels this week, placing affordable housing at the centre of debates on democratic urban design.
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EU Parliament to vote on gene-editing, circular economy rules
Strasbourg plenary session next week will see MEPs vote on three landmark files alongside US trade deal. Gene-editing regulation and automotive recycling targets feature.
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EU Defence Readiness Omnibus Trilogue Enters Final Stretch in Brussels
Negotiators from the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Cypriot EU Council Presidency met in Brussels on Tuesday, 19 May 2026, for what officials described as a final-stretch round of trilogue talks on the so-called Defence Readiness Omnibus. The package, proposed by the Commission a year ago, aims to cut red tape, increase transparency…
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MEPs debate single market overhaul to remove barriers, boost SMEs and restore EU competitiveness
Strasbourg – The European Parliament debates this week with representatives of the Commission and Council a comprehensive plan to remove barriers in the single market, improve conditions for European businesses, and ensure their competitiveness in the global arena. The debate is one of the most anticipated of the 18-21 May plenary session and follows the…
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Strasbourg plenary week: Kaja Kallas faces Question Time on Iran, Israel and Syria as Parliament reviews EU foreign action
Strasbourg – The European Parliament opened its 18-21 May 2026 plenary session in Strasbourg yesterday, with President Roberta Metsola presiding over an agenda heavily focused on global security and trade challenges. The centrepiece of the week is the return of Question Time, with High Representative Kaja Kallas due to face MEPs on the EU’s strategy…
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Anglo American Sells Australian Coal to Dhilmar for $3.875bn
In short: Anglo American announced on Monday 18 May 2026 that it has agreed to sell its Australian steelmaking coal portfolio to UK-registered Dhilmar Limited for cash consideration of up to US$3.875 billion. The deal comprises a US$2.3 billion upfront payment and a price-linked earnout of up to US$1.575 billion over five years. Completion is…
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Brussels Watches as Starmer Fights for His Political Life
More than 90 Labour MPs have now publicly called for Sir Keir Starmer to resign as Prime Minister, following the catastrophic performance of the governing party in the 7 May 2026 English local elections. Labour lost roughly 1,500 council seats; Nigel Farage’s Reform UK gained 1,454 and took control of Essex County Council, Havering (its…
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EU-Mercosur Deal Enters Force: Tariffs Fall on Cars, Pharma, Food
Two and a half decades after negotiations first began, the EU-Mercosur trade agreement entered provisional application on 1 May 2026, immediately cutting tariffs on key European exports to Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay — a combined market of 260 million people and the world’s fifth-largest economic bloc by GDP. From day one, EU exporters of…
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Kallas Pushes EU Boost for Lebanese Army to Disarm Hezbollah
EU High Representative Kaja Kallas on Tuesday 12 May 2026 used the Foreign Affairs Council (Defence) in Brussels to press the case for increased EU funding to the Lebanese Armed Forces, framing the disarmament of Hezbollah and the restoration of state control across Lebanon as a direct corollary of European security in the wake of…
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EU Tightens Water Pollution Rules with Stricter PFAS Controls
New European Union rules updating the lists of pollutants in surface and groundwaters entered into force across the 27 Member States on Monday 11 May 2026, introducing stricter limits on a range of chemical contaminants and bringing entirely new pollutant categories — including microplastics and antimicrobial-resistance markers — into the regulatory perimeter for the first…
