The European Commission says it is consulting with member states after Libyan authorities in Tripoli kicked out Doctors Without Borders, an aid organisation that has helped thousands in the country.

The European Commission says it has never been more committed to expanding the 27-nation family — but two decades of well-meaning promises and an endless waiting room for would-be members have created a process that is easy to hijack politically, and puts the EU’s credibility and political goals at risk

What does Europe look like when independent civil society is silenced, sidelined or slowly starved out of existence? This is not dystopian fiction. It is the logical end-point of a trend already visible in Brussels and in several capitals: a deliberate effort to delegitimise, defund and constrain those who defend the public interest.

EU states are struggling with upcoming border rules that critics say could led to detention-like centres. Under the new regime authorities will have only seven days to screen a prospective asylum seeker.

Today, we kick off an anniversary campaign to convince new supporting members to join EUobserver's mission of providing the information citizens need to safeguard EU democracy.

Russian spies are still active in the EU capital and have a "higher risk appetite" than before the Ukraine war — despite Belgium's efforts to push back against their plots.