Analysis
Expert analysis, features and profiles of key topical issues in the European Union.
EU economic forecasts
The European Commission issued its latest grim economic forecasts for the 17-nation eurozone and the wider 27-member European Union on Friday.
Bees: Nature's little helpers under threat
Bees play a key role in human food production, pollinating more than two-thirds of the world's 100 most important crop species and providing a free service valued at tens of billions of euros.
Crisis-battered Iceland seen halting EU talks
The European Union's economic woes most likely helped Iceland's eurosceptic centre-right opposition oust the leftist government as voters in the crisis-battered nation failed to see the value in joining the bloc.
Grim Greek fate for Syrians fleeing civil war
For most people, it was yet another Aegean Sea tragedy in which a group of would-be migrants in a small boat drowned while trying to reach Greece.
Iceland may skip EU mating dance after poll
The European Union is an exclusive club many countries are vying to join. But Iceland, as it goes to the polls, is having severe second thoughts.
Life is sweet for beekepers in Greece, but for how long?
In March, Greece voted in Brussels against a ban on pesticides considered harmful to bees. The Commission wants the insecticides banned for use on four major crops in a bid to prevent a collapse in the bee population.
Kosovo: key dates since independence
EU-sponsored talks finally produced a hard-won normalisation accord Friday between Serbia and breakaway Kosovo which was hailed in Brussels as a key step away from a violent past and towards closer ties with the EU.
Anti-euro party new wild card in German election year
A new anti-euro party in Germany is emerging as an election-year wild card and a potential threat to Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose coalition government is ruling with a narrow margin.
Cyprus braces for Russian cash exodus
Russian investors were shocked by having to contribute heavily to the international bailout of Cyprus, the east Mediterranean island which now faces a tall order in restoring its allure.
Cyprus hopes of gas lifeline by 2020 draw scepticism
Cypriot hopes that by 2020 the island will be earning desperately needed revenue from gas exports to pay off its mountainous debt met with scepticism from industry analysts gathered in Nicosia this week.
EU trainers bring ragtag Malian troops up to speed
At the foot of a hill by the banks of the Niger River a ragtag company of Malian soldiers crouch on the baked earth, Kalashnikov assault rifles poised.
With back against wall, Portugal pushes on with austerity
Despite the risk of aggravating the recession and unemployment, Portugal's government is wagering that following the austerity prescribed by its creditors will help it regain market confidence and avoid a second bailout.
Even BMW drivers seeking aid in crisis-hit Cyprus
The Cyprus Red Cross has long cared for the needy, but the island's financial woes run so deep that people unaccustomed to hardship are turning up for food aid -- including some who still drive BMWs.
Euro exit poses high risk option for Cyprus
An exit from the eurozone may look tempting for Cyprus in the throes of economic collapse but it poses a high-risk option for an island economy heavily reliant on imports, analysts say.
Serbia, Kosovo blame each other for talks failure
Serbia and Kosovo on Wednesday traded blame for the failure at EU-sponsored talks to reach an accord on how to ease long-standing tensions, but both say they are ready to do more to compromise.
Crisis? What crisis? - 'Only in Cyprus'
With a stoical calm, Cypriots have endured two weeks of a world headlines-hogging financial crisis which has crippled their small and mostly peaceful nation while also placing it firmly on the world map.
Russia tones down anger on Cyprus but questions remain
When the terms of the first and now abandoned EU bailout deal for crisis-stricken Cyprus were announced, Russian President Vladimir Putin bared his fangs to describe the proposal as "unfair, unprofessional and dangerous".
Bank workers in firing line as Cyprus bailout bites
As Cyprus reels under a bailout that painfully pares back its finance sector, many bankers, auditors and accountants are facing unemployment, with some being forced to consider leaving the island for good.
Cyprus businesses squeezed by bank closure
With banks in Cyprus closed for the 11th straight day on Tuesday, businesses were finding it increasingly difficult to operate, amid concerns some of them might even have to shut down.
Eurogroup chief faces heavy flak over Cyprus deal
Two months into the job as head of eurozone finance ministers, Jeroen Dijsselbloem's handling of the Cyprus bailout and his suggestion it might apply elsewhere have sparked sharp questions over the Dutchman's readiness for the post.