European countries need to increase their defence budgets and the capacity of their defence industries beyond 2% of their GDP, Timo Kivinen said in his last speech as commander of the Finnish Defence Forces on Monday.

Greece’s independent Data Protection Authority has launched an investigation after numerous Greek voters living abroad complained that centre-right MEP Anna-Michelle Asimakopoulou (EPP) sent them pre-election emails without their consent.

French President Emmanuel Macron will be in Prague on Tuesday to meet Czech President Petr Pavel and Prime Minister Petr Fiala to reinforce a “political and strategic dialogue” over support for Ukraine.

A grouping of northern European countries on Monday (4 March) agreed to work on a new "customs partnership" to disrupt the supply of small boats used to carry migrants cross the Channel, Britain's interior ministry said.

The Communists of Russia party has asked the FSB security service and top prosecutors to investigate the possible involvement of Western intelligence services in the death of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in 1953, RIA news agency reported on Tuesday (5 March).

Germany's levy on cross-border gas trading puts the EU's energy solidarity at risk and hurts efforts to cut the bloc's reliance on Russian gas, the bloc's energy commissioner and deputy Czech PM told reporters on Monday (4 March) following a meeting of EU energy ministers.

The French government has included agriculture in its list of "short-staffed" sectors to facilitate the recruitment of non-Europeans already irregularly working in France as part of efforts to fill the labour gap.

France signed a bilateral agreement with Denmark on Monday (4 March) for carbon transport and storage, with more deals potentially yet to come, as part of efforts to meet its domestic carbon targets. 

British judges should protect Wikileaks founder Julian Assange from extradition to the US, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Monday (4 March) in an unusual intervention, adding that the proportionality of Assange’s punishment in the US was questionable.

The sharp drop in the EU's CO2 price, caused by high energy prices and political uncertainty, risks the carbon market's credibility – and becomes an obstacle to the bloc's industrial decarbonisation.

The sharp reduction in the EU’s trade deficit with China in 2023 does not provide evidence that the bloc is successfully “de-risking” from China but rather supports the claim that Beijing is itself seeking strategic independence from the West, experts told Euractiv.

A wiretap leak has prompted Germany to denounce an “information war” and accuse Russian President Vladimir Putin of trying to undermine unity in Berlin over its support to Ukraine.

Transport Brief

The European Commission announced on Monday (4 March) a €1.8 billion fine for Apple, saying the tech giant abused its dominant position for music streaming providers.

The top decision-making body of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) at its latest meeting failed to solve issues with trade-distorting measures and unsustainable practices in the agricultural and fisheries sectors nor restore a mechanism to enforce the global trade rules.

Centre right, conservatives and far right are opposing the introduction of mandatory anti-harassment training for members of the European Parliament (MEPs) at the beginning of their mandate, a source from the European Parliament close to the matter told Euractiv.

Recent signs point to a rekindling of relations between Turkey and the West, particularly on action relating to Ukraine. However, long-term energy dependencies indicate that Turkey and Russia will remain close partners for the foreseeable future, writes Francesco Siccardi.

Ukraine should become a full member of the EU's defence industry support scheme, which would also help use the country's expertise and bring Kyiv closer to membership, according to a European Commission draft proposal seen by Euractiv.

As the European Union undergoes a crucial revision of its Waste Framework Directive, there is a pressing need for bold and innovative strategies to address the crisis of waste incineration and landfilling, write Alex Darut and Janek Vahk.  

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