Elena Sánchez Nicolás

Brussels

Editor-in-Chief at EUobserver

Editor-in-chief at @euobs in Brussels. Fan of data. President at @AEJBelgium. Tips? [email protected] My own views

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Articles

The political calculus behind the EU's shift on Ukraine agri-imports

2 days ago | euobserver.com | Elena Sánchez Nicolás |Sergi Pijuan

Times are changing. As special trade benefits granted to Ukrainian farmers following Russia's 2022 invasion are set to expire on Thursday (5 June), Ukrainian experts question the EU’s decision — while the country's farming unions predict potential losses of up to €1.5bn. The trade benefits, which suspended tariffs and quotas on Ukrainian agri-food exports to s... Enjoy access to all articles and 25 years of archives, comment and gift articles. Become a member for as low as €1,75 per week.
Flight delays, Moldova, 2026 budget and Nato meeting in focus This WEEK

5 days ago | euobserver.com | Elena Sanchez |Elena Sánchez |Elena Sánchez Nicolás

EU transport ministers will try to agree on changes to the current rules about air passenger rights and airline liability on Thursday (5 June). The revised proposal, which the European Commission adopted in March 2013, is far from dead. While member states in the Council have held many discussions on the topic for over a decade, they have not agreed on a general approach for negotiations with MEPs.And last week, EU ambassadors also failed to reach an agreement.
Saluting those in the fight against racism - Unity in diversity?

1 week ago | euobserver.com | Elena Sanchez |Elena Sánchez |Elena Sánchez Nicolás

The fight against racism and discrimination across the European Union is being spearheaded by multiple civil society organisations and individual activists rather than any one person, be it a European commissioner or other official. That’s no surprise because diversity is never about a single story, individual, or identity, and it requires a variety of p... Enjoy access to all articles and 25 years of archives, comment and gift articles. Become a member for as low as €1,75 per week.
Hungary’s independent media - ‘A battle of the wills, but worth the struggle’

2 weeks ago | euobserver.com | Elena Sanchez |Elena Sánchez |Elena Sánchez Nicolás

MagazineThis article features in The EU's Unsung Heroes, read the full magazine here. The Hungarian government of Viktor Orbán has been systematically undermining independent media, many of which have been pushed to the brink of closure or left struggling to survive under relentless political and economic pressure.
UK-EU summit, Russian sanctions and reforming carbon levy in focus This WEEK

2 weeks ago | euobserver.com | Elena Sanchez |Elena Sánchez |Elena Sánchez Nicolás

European leaders and UK prime minister Keir Starmer will meet in London on Monday (19 May) for the first formal EU-UK summit since Brexit, hoping to sign off on a new defence agreement and to improve post-Brexit trade ties. Starmer came to power in mid-2024, promising to "reset" relations between London and Brussels, and talks have been frequent since then.
EUobserver's new magazine - Closing the recognition gap

3 weeks ago | euobserver.com | Elena Sanchez |Elena Sánchez |Xavier Abu Eid |Daniel Hegedüs |Dániel Hegedüs |Elena Sánchez Nicolás

MagazineThis article features in The EU's Unsung Heroes, read the full magazine here. This year, EUobserver marks its 25th anniversary, and with this special edition, we are unveiling the first of two commemorative magazines. Rather than revisiting the key events of the century so far — as we did for our 20th anniversary edition — we wanted to do something different.
Pfizergate takeaways - a legal victory, and a win for transparency

3 weeks ago | euobserver.com | Elena Sanchez |Elena Sánchez |Elena Sánchez Nicolás

In a major blow to the European Commission’s credibility on transparency, an EU court ruled on Wednesday (14 May) that the institution was wrong to deny access to text messages about Covid-19 vaccine negotiations between its president, Ursula von der Leyen, and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla. Now questions over the commission’s likely future compliance with transpar... Enjoy access to all articles and 25 years of archives, comment and gift articles. Become a member for as low as €1,75 per week.
Tirana summit, CAP simplification and Pfizer vaccine texts ruling in focus This WEEK

3 weeks ago | euobserver.com | Elena Sanchez |Elena Sánchez |Elena Sánchez Nicolás

Leaders from a total of 47 European countries will attend the sixth European Political Community (EPC) summit at Tirana, Albania, on Friday (16 May). The gathering comes just a week after Moscow’s annual Victory Day parade, which drew controversy due to the attendance of Slovak prime minister Robert Fico and Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić — despite EU warnings.
The Spanish minister behind the push to halt arms deals with Israel

1 month ago | euobserver.com | Elena Sanchez |Elena Sánchez |Elena Sánchez Nicolás

Commercial and trade relations between Spain and Israel are triggering extreme tension inside the minority coalition government led by socialist prime minister Pedro Sánchez — revealling cracks in the country’s foreign policy, the administration's commitments, and its internal oversight mechanisms. The controversy escalated in late April when media reports dis... Enjoy access to all articles and 25 years of archives, comment and gift articles. Become a member for as low as €1,75 per week.
Netherlands adds voice to those calling for revision of EU-Israel deal

1 month ago | euobserver.com | Elena Sanchez |Elena Sánchez |Elena Sánchez Nicolás

The Netherlands is the latest member state to call for a revision of the EU's trade agreement with Israel, worth €46.8bn annually, due to concerns over human rights violations. In a formal letter dated 6 May, and seen by EUobserver, the Dutch foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp raised fears over Israel’s ongoing blockade of humanitarian aid and electricity to the... Enjoy access to all articles and 25 years of archives, comment and gift articles. Become a member for as low as €1,75 per week.