The decades-long struggle against racism and prejudice across Europe has been led by brave individuals, with the EU institutions following along in their wake. But often the warm words are not met by commitment, or representation.

https://euobserver.com/the-eus-unsung-heroes/arb81d026a

Many still see Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) as a fringe gathering of ultra-nationalists, with no risk to our political systems. In reality this 'MAGA roadshow' is now a venue for unofficial party diplomacy, turning into a soft-power lever that builds lasting connections among political elites and the think tanks and organisations, warns Zsuzsanna Végh.

https://euobserver.com/eu-political/arf8e81737

An EU trade deal with the United Arab Emirates will not preclude an agreement between the bloc and the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council and could be a “building block” towards a region-to-region pact, top trade officials said on Wednesday.

https://euobserver.com/eu-and-the-world/ar734b5ac9

A liberal British MEP, swept aside in the Brexit flood spearheaded by Nigel Farage, has some interesting ideas — and warnings — of where the EU is going wrong, and some remedies it should have tried years ago.

https://euobserver.com/the-eus-unsung-heroes/ar42486c76

Far-right movements across Europe are no longer confined to rallies or party platforms. They are shaping entire cultural ecosystems through music, fashion, food and wellness, and attracting new followers along the way. Researcher Katherine Kondor believes understanding these everyday influences is key to confronting their rise.

https://euobserver.com/the-eus-unsung-heroes/arffd5bd75

Russian steel king Vladimir Lisin is planning to sue the EU over its latest sanctions, amid a wider battle to protect his European assets.

https://euobserver.com/eu-and-the-world/arb7ab8c9b

Although Switzerland officially remains neutral, it has already expanded its participation in transatlantic and European security institutions over the past few decades, with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine only accelerating this trend.

https://euobserver.com/eu-and-the-world/arce9e22a5

Instead of a compensation-driven net-zero, focus on rapid fossil reduction with near-zero goals. Wood-based solutions could be valued for displacing fossil emissions and forests could be appreciated for providing wood—not for keeping it.

https://euobserver.com/green-economy/ar566da87e

At least 674 investment funds in Europe have removed or changed sustainability terms in their names — to avoid stricter new EU rules limiting fossil-fuel exposure, researchers find.

https://euobserver.com/green-economy/ar1d160abb

Serhiy Nigoyan’s name is hardly known outside Ukraine, but the 20-year-old is celebrated in a mural in the capital, Kyiv, and in Ukrainian songs, while the country’s leaders laid flowers at the Hrushevskoho Street memorial on the anniversary of his killing on 20 January 2014.

https://euobserver.com/the-eus-unsung-heroes/ar9f2abd01