Thursday
22nd Dec 2016
Helga Stevens MEP will be standing for the presidency of the European Parliament because she wants to make it a place of open, transparent debate once again, where the voices of all 751 MEPs and the people they represent matter.
The COP22 conference in Marrakech proved the international community's readiness to realise the ambitious decisions of the Paris agreement. Now the task of policymakers is to pay attention to innovations that can help reach the goals that were set.
This EUobserver section provides a platform for EU stakeholders to communicate positions, views and activities.
The persistent and deep problems of gender discrimination and economic disadvantage can only be solved by concrete actions at both the national and the European level.
The size of the sharing economy has doubled between 2014 and 2015, according to the European Commission. Along with it are new business models that EU legislation have yet to keep up with.
The European Union is facing the crisis of its life. The economic crisis, the nationalist response to it, the euro crisis and the lack of solidarity shown towards refugees have brought the very spirit of Europe into question.
At the ALDE pre-summit meeting, Syria, Russia, the Turkey migration deal, the refugee crisis and Brexit were among the topics discussed. But Ceta was the big issue.
China hopes the EU will respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and play a constructive role in the resolution of the South China Sea disputes through bilateral negotiations rather than arbitration, says the Chinese Ambassador to the EU.
"The result of this referendum is a wake-up call which we should use to move forward," said Guy Verhofstadt, at the ALDE party pre-summit meeting, in response to the Brexit vote.
Russia's disinformation campaigns have become a homeland security issue inside the EU. Pro-Kremlin disinformation campaigns are not only targeted at Ukraine or the Baltic states.
Advancing towards a driverless future brings on a new set of challenges and questions on how connectivity and mobility will affect all aspects of life.
The ALDE group recently hosted a conference to discuss the EU-Cuba agreement and Cuba's path towards human rights and democracy. Civil society representatives from Cuba said the agreement failed to consult the people.
The world’s least corrupt country is not Denmark. It is Norway. A new Index of Public Integrity aims at measuring corruption levels around the world using big data and quantifiable criteria.
Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the European Liberals and Democrats, is very critical of the deal reached between Greece and its creditors.
China and the EU have shared strategic interests in maintaining the freedom and safety of navigation and promoting stability and prosperity in the South China Sea area.
"Terrorism and insecurity in Europe today is another proof that there is a lack of Europe," said ALDE Group leader, Guy Verhofstadt.
Europe needs secure, affordable and sustainable energy for all - the integration of power generation, heating, cooling, buildings, transport and ICT is part of the solution.
At the ALDE pre-summit on 17 March, liberal leaders agreed that EU-Turkey cooperation is necessary but will not solve the refugee crisis without also having a European Border and Coast Guard.
A year after the murder of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, the ALDE Group in the European Parliament hosted a series of events to commemorate his fight for a free and democratic Russia.
The ALDE Group recently hosted a hearing on the human and economic impact of the refugee crisis on the EU transport sector, which would be one of the hardest hit sectors if the Schengen system falls apart.
The Chinese economy is entering an era of the 'new normal' and shifting from high speed to medium-to-high speed growth, said the Minister of the Chinese Mission to the EU.
The Southern Gas Corridor, one of the biggest pipelines ever conceived, presents severe risks and locks in a fossil fuel model instead of promoting a de-carbonised future, NGOs say.
The announcement of the European Commission’s circular economy package in December 2015 has sparked a wave of debate across the packaging industry and beyond.
"We call it in the Netherlands 'the oilman' - who makes things more easy," says Hans van Baalen, about his role as president of the ALDE Party.
A rise in protectionist sentiment in Europe will only hurt the prospects of both China and the EU.
Liberals and Democrats consider that Europe is in an emergency situation and call on the European Council to adopt seven emergency measures to get a grip on the refugee crisis.
China has been reforming, improving and transforming, making "good stories" for the benefit of its 1.3 billion people and the common good of humanity.
European Liberals and Democrats call for the protection of whistle-blowers at EU level.
The prevention of recruitment of EU citizens by terrorist organisations must lead to a discussion about the societal root causes of such a phenomenon, to be addressed through a long term strategy.
As the 5G era is drawing near, it is important to facilitate dialogue between the security and privacy communities, and all other parties who contribute to 5G technologies, in order to provide enough protection for the ‘everything-connected’ world.
2015 marked the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between China and the EU and witnessed comprehensive progress in China's diplomacy.
