News

Elections 28-03-2024

Far-right and liberals continue tight race for third place: EU elections projection

Est. 3min

A tight race for the EU Parliament’s third place continues, as the liberal Renew Europe group has now recovered the lead over far-right ID and nationalist-conservative ECR group, both lurking right behind, according to Europe Elect’s latest projection for Euractiv. 

France must not cave to Brussels on renewables, says ex-energy minister Pannier-Runacher

Est. 4min

France should continue refusing to include renewable targets in its energy-climate plan, which is due to be submitted to the European Commission in June, the country's former Energy Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher said on Tuesday (26 March).

Armenia 28-03-2024

Armenia’s exports to Russia raise concerns over sanctions circumvention

Est. 7min

Despite deteriorating political relations between Armenia and Russia, bilateral trade has flourished, leaving Western partners wondering over Yerevan's approach to sanctions.

Global Europe 28-03-2024

Macron, Lula hail defense ties at submarine launch

Est. 4min

President Emmanuel Macron and counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday (27 March) celebrated the launch of Brazil's third French-designed submarine, which will help secure the country's immense coastline, dubbed the "Blue Amazon."

Migration 28-03-2024

Migrant crossings to UK hit new record, heaping pressure on Sunak

Est. 2min

More than 4,600 asylum seekers have arrived in Britain on small boats so far in 2024, a record total for the first three months of the year and giving Prime Minister Rishi Sunak a fresh political headache.

Politics 28-03-2024

Commission on alert after unexpected changes in Greece’s EU-funded HPV testing

Est. 5min

In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about Didier Reynder's bid for the presidency of the Council of Europe complicating matters for Spain, Bavaria's premier breaking with his party over the tarriffs on China, and so much more.

Global Europe 28-03-2024

Ireland to intervene in South Africa genocide case against Israel

Est. 3min

Ireland said on Wednesday (27 March) it would intervene in South Africa's genocide case against Israel, in the strongest signal to date of Dublin's concern about Israeli operations in Gaza since 7 October.

Global Europe 28-03-2024

Putin says Russia will not attack NATO, but F-16s will be shot down in Ukraine

Est. 3min

Russia has no designs on any NATO country and will not attack Poland, the Baltic states or the Czech Republic but if the West supplies F-16 fighters to Ukraine then they will be shot down by Russian forces, President Vladimir Putin said late on Wednesday (27 March).

Politics 28-03-2024

Romania’s pretext for not taking steps to reduce energy consumption slammed

Est. 3min

Romania's justification for not implementing measures to reduce energy consumption in recent years, as other EU countries have done, is not convincing, argues Energia Inteligentă, a Romanian professional energy association.

France’s Total gives up exploration of Bulgaria’s largest gas field

Est. 2min

French multi-energy company TotalEnergies is withdrawing from oil and gas exploration in the potential Khan Asparuh field in northern Bulgarian waters of the Black Sea, an annual report by the project's other partner, Romania's OMV Petrom, quoted by Bulgarian Capital Weekly, reads.

Politics 28-03-2024

Portuguese parliament elects PSD MP as speaker in fourth vote

Est. 2min

Social Democrat MP José Pedro Aguiar-Branco (PSD, EPP) was elected parliament speaker on Wednesday, with 160 out of 230 MPs in favour at the fourth attempt.

Politics 28-03-2024

Reynders’ Council of Europe bid complicates renewal of Spain’s top legal body

Est. 3min

EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders' candidacy for the presidency of the Council of Europe has further complicated the negotiations over the renewal of the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) between Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's ruling PSOE party and right-wing Partido Popular (PP/EPP), which have so far been mediated by Reynders.

Politics 28-03-2024

EU elections: Italian centre-left rallies behind ‘United States of Europe’ bid

Est. 2min

Former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi (Italia Viva) and the leader of +Europa party, Emma Bonino plan to run at the European election with a joint “United States of Europe” list.

Politics 28-03-2024

French MPs adopt bill on foreign interference

Est. 2min

Lawmakers in the French National Assembly on Wednesday backed a bill proposed by President Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance party to combat foreign interference by a large majority of 171 votes to 25.

Global Europe 28-03-2024

Czechs sanction Medvedchuk, website over pro-Russian EU political influence

Est. 2min

The Czech government on Wednesday (27 March) sanctioned two people including pro-Russian Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk and the news website voiceofeurope.com for leading a pro-Russian influence operation in Europe, the Czech Foreign Ministry said.

Politics 28-03-2024

Commission on alert after unexpected changes in Greece’s EU-funded HPV testing

Est. 6min

Some 2.5 million Greek women could face long waits in accessing testing for human papillomavirus (HPV), a leading cause of cervical cancer, as a government initiative, financed by the EU, unexpectedly changed the technical requirements for healthcare companies to participate and is set to be scrutinised by the European Commission.

Politics 28-03-2024

Bavarian EPP chief defies party line on EU’s China tariffs

Est. 2min

Bavaria’s Minister-President Markus Söder broke with his centre-right party line and spoke out against EU tariffs on Chinese goods during a visit to China on Wednesday, where he also criticised the French.

Politics 28-03-2024

Poland on track to face ‘explosion’ of public debt, Commission, expert warn

Est. 3min

Poland’s public debt is set to rise to almost 80% of the country’s GDP by 2034, according to the European Commission’s latest report – an assessment economist Jakub Sawulki finds pessimistic, although he warns that current trends do point to skyrocketing public debt.

Economy 28-03-2024

Foreign firms’ losses from exiting Russia top $107 billion

Est. 4min

The corporate exodus from Russia since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine has cost foreign companies more than $107 billion in writedowns and lost revenue, a Reuters analysis of company filings and statements showed.

Economy 28-03-2024

EU says plan to ensure critical raw materials supply is not aimed at China

Est. 5min

A senior European Union official denied that the bloc’s recently agreed-upon plan to diversify its supply of strategically critical raw materials targets China, a move interpreted as aimed at easing increasingly fraught relations between Beijing and Brussels

Global Europe 28-03-2024

Russia says it is hard to believe Islamic State could have launched Moscow attack

Est. 3min

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday (27 March) that it was "extremely hard to believe" that Islamic State would have had the capacity to launch an attack on a Moscow concert hall last Friday that killed at least 143 people.

Special ReportAdvocacy Lab Content

Consumers must be at heart of EU energy-saving interoperability efforts, says VizLore director

Est. 9min

Europe has ample new technologies to improve energy efficiency and save CO2, but getting those technologies connected and used efficiently is problematic, said Milenko Tošić, director of innovation at VizLore Labs Foundation.

Advocacy Lab Content

Biodiversity experts alarmed by resistance to reversing ecosystem degradation

Est. 5min

As uncertainty mounts on the adoption of the Nature Restoration Law (NRL), biodiversity experts sound the alarm against further resistance to reversing decades of ecosystem degradation.

Special ReportAdvocacy Lab Content
Health 27-03-2024

Yes, to pet-friendly EU policies, but do we need a commissioner for animals? asks Kaljurand

Est. 6min

MEP Marina Kaljurand (S&D) has questioned whether the European Commission should include a commissioner dedicated to animals, despite the proven benefits of pet ownership.