I am Italian and European, and I am not happy. As I write this there are 630 people on a ship trying to reach the only country, Spain, that has offered to welcome them.

Fantastic news has emerged from the European Parliament today, as the institution decides to ban plastic bottles from its premises.

MEPs meeting in Strasbourg last week were faced with a series of dramas that directed the flow of traffic of the political conversation.  Most notably there was Italy, which installed its new ‘populist’ government and Spain, which saw the ousting of Mariano Rajoy after a no-confidence vote and the swearing in of the socialist Pedro Sanchez. 

In the Carpathians, the largest remaining primeval forests in the EU are in danger. A unique natural heritage is disappearing inexorably, and only small parts remain protected. Unclear rules set by Romanian authorities and the suspicion of corruption in the forest management authorities have promoted ruthless deforestation.

The presentation by the European Commission of their proposal for the post-2020 EU budget was the central point of May’s first plenary session, which also included a debate with Belgian PM Charles Michel on the Future of Europe.

French President Emmanuel Macron won a fair share of praise but also a dose of criticism during his much-awaited ‘Future of Europe’ speech at Strasbourg’s plenary last week. It formed the centre-piece of proceedings that also included debate around protection for journalists, the Facebook Cambridge Analytica scandal, money laundering and other topics.

Support for the Dutch GreenLeft party (GroenLinks) surged in local elections last week. It is now the biggest party in 13 towns across the Netherlands, including Amsterdam and Utrecht.  

New tariffs on US steel and aluminium imports announced recently by US President Donald Trump have sparked fears of a global trade war.  European imports would be severely affected.