Scoop: Berlin takes axe to deforestation law
Berlin has broken its weeks-long silence on one of Brussels’ most contentious green files, the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), siding with critics that warn the rules risk overburdening small firms.
Germany is now backing a one-year delay and a review clause to reopen the legislation by April 2026, according to an internal document seen by my colleague Sofia Sanchez Manzanaro.
The paper, circulated on Thursday, closely mirrors Austria’s proposal from last week and even nudges beyond the Commission’s line. It calls for easier requirements for “mixed businesses” – think hotels that also run forestry activities.
With Berlin on board, a Council majority supporting both a delay and a legislative do-over for further simplification could be within reach. France and Spain, however, were outspoken this week in rejecting any additional “simplification.” EU deputy ambassadors will take another swing at a deal next week, one EU diplomat told Sofia.
Another omnibus fight looms
Brussels has barely caught its breath from one omnibus showdown and another is already taxiing for take-off. Even before the Commission officially unveils its new Digital Omnibus package, the leaked draft has sparked fierce division.
The document foresees sweeping revisions to EU tech law – particularly around AI and data protection – and progressive groups are fuming, my colleagues Claudie Moreau and Maximilian Henning report.
The final version is expected on 19 November, but the political lines have already hardened. The S&D, Renew Europe, and Greens have fired off sharply worded letters to the Commission condemning plans to loosen GDPR safeguards and ease the processing of personal data for AI training. Lawmakers warn the shift risks undermining citizens’ fundamental rights for the sake of “innovation.”
Cyprus scrambles to secure Brussels route
Cyprus may soon need a runway of its own in Brussels. With its EU Council presidency kicking off in January 2026, the island nation faces a very down-to-earth problem: there’s no direct flight to the EU capital during winter. Diplomats warn the lack of a Nicosia–Brussels connection could ground logistics and complicate the travel crucial to the rotating presidency.
To fix that, the island’s Department of Civil Aviation is finalising a €4.7 million contract for a direct Larnaca-Brussels route, one Cyprus official told Rapporteur. Greece’s Aegean Airlines, the sole bidder, is set to operate the link from December 2025 to November 2026, ramping up to five weekly flights during the presidency months.
Clean bill for the EPP group
The EU’s top prosecutor has dropped corruption investigations into the European People’s Party, finding no evidence of criminal wrongdoing, my colleague Elisa Braun reports.
The probe centred on allegations of misuse of EU funds linked to the 2019 European Parliament election campaign of Manfred Weber, the EPP leader and one of Brussels’ most influential political figures.
Lawmakers spar over secret ballots
Pro-European groups are pushing back against what they see as an escalating misuse of secret votes on high-stakes files – a tactic they argue is eroding transparency in the European Parliament.
The latest flashpoint came during the vote to cut EU emissions by 90% by 2040, when a secret ballot was called. The rule allowing such votes is meant to let MEPs vote their conscience, but critics argue it’s increasingly being weaponised to sow division and dodge accountability.
“Perhaps some of you are ashamed of the decisions you're making. But it is not democratic. It is not transparent to continually ask for secret votes,” said Socialist leader Iratxe García Pérez, backed by the Greens, Renew, and even the EPP.
The group leaders plan to raise the issue at the Conference of Presidents, the Parliament’s leadership body. Any move to change the rules of procedure would first require discussion there before proceeding to the constitutional affairs committee.
MEPs back proxy voting for mothers
An overwhelming majority in Parliament approved changes to the EU’s electoral rules, allowing pregnant MEPs to delegate their votes to another lawmaker for up to three months before birth and six months afterwards.
“It’s a big step for equality,” said liberal lawmaker Sigrid Friis, who attended Thursday’s vote with her newborn. The new rules, however, would apply only to mothers. Fathers and co-parents are excluded.
The narrow scope could place the reform at odds with legislation that Parliament itself helped shape. A 2019 directive on paternity rights aims to ensure that “each parent is able to exercise their right to parental leave effectively and on an equal basis.”
Sixty centrist and progressive lawmakers have sent a letter to Denmark, which holds the rotating Council presidency, seen by Rapporteur, urging capitals to implement the changes swiftly.
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