EURACTIV News
French Greens urge Macron to form ‘anti-Mercosur coalition’
In a letter sent on Wednesday (31 January), France's Greens called on President Emmanuel Macron to form a coalition with EU countries that also oppose the EU-Mercosur deal in its current form - an idea Macron's camp has already dismissed as hopeless.
Categories: EurActiv
EU agrees unanimously on €50 billion financial aid for Ukraine
All EU leaders, including Hungary, agreed on Thursday (1 February) on a deal to provide predictable long-term financing to Ukraine, ending weeks of uncertainty after Prime Minister Viktor Orbán prevented a decision at a summit in December.
Categories: EurActiv
EU policymakers clinch toward agreement on broadband law
Ahead of the third political inter-institutional negotiation on 5 February on an EU regulation to speed up 5G and fiber roll out, co-legislators are dedicated to find compromises on the most political topics: the tacit approval principle and intra-EU communication fees.
Categories: EurActiv
World Court dismisses much of Ukraine’s case against Russia
Judges at the top UN court on Wednesday (31 January) found that Russia violated elements of a UN anti-terrorism treaty, but declined to rule on allegations brought by Kyiv that Moscow was responsible for the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014.
Categories: EurActiv
Putin to visit NATO member Turkey on 12 February
Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Turkey on 12 February to meet counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a Turkish official told Reuters on Wednesday (31 January), in what will be the Russian leader's first trip to a NATO ally since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Categories: EurActiv
Russia and Ukraine exchange prisoners despite plane crash last week
Russia and Ukraine said on Wednesday (31 January) they had completed another large prisoner exchange despite the crash last week of a Russian military transport plane that Moscow says was shot down by Ukraine carrying Ukrainian PoWs en route to a similar swap.
Categories: EurActiv
Polish opposition eyes regaining power by pressing for snap elections
In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about the German far-right AfD party backpedalling on ‘remigration’ ahead of a meeting with the Le Pen party, the Polish opposition eyeing regaining power by pressing for snap elections, and so much more.
Categories: EurActiv
The power of a network: how one innovation agency is behind thousands of groundbreaking start-ups [Promoted content]
This article introduces the EIT, outlines successes to date, explains how the EIT helps innovators to transform ideas into reality while mentioning some key initiatives related to relevant innovation challenges, before ending on plans for the future and an invitation to attend the EIT Summit 2024.
Categories: EurActiv
EU election flash poll: Conservative ECR on course to snatch liberal Renew’s fourth place
The national-conservative ECR group may overtake the liberal Renew Europe group as the fourth-largest political force in the European Parliament if the liberals’ downward trend persists, according to Europe Elects' latest projection for Euractiv.
Categories: EurActiv
Croatian journalists hold protests against the draft anti-leak bill
Several hundred journalists rallied in front of the government headquarters in Zagreb on Wednesday in protest against a bill tabled by Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic’s ruling conservative party HDZ (EPP), which seeks to criminalise leaks from ongoing corruption investigations.
Categories: EurActiv
Romanian government extends cap on food mark-ups for two months
Restrictions on commercial mark-ups to various essential foods were extended, as this measure has curbed speculative price increases, contributed to reducing inflation, and safeguarded the population’s purchasing power, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Wednesday.
Categories: EurActiv
Matovič announces presidential candidacy despite no desire to win
Former Prime Minister Igor Matovič, who gained EU fame for allowing Sputnik vaccines to be administered, which ultimately cost him his seat, threw his hat into the upcoming presidential elections but admitted it is not his ‘dream’ and that he is doing it to mobilise pro-democratic voters to support the right candidate.
Categories: EurActiv
Family of Swede held in Iran call for prisoner swap
The parents of a Swedish EU diplomat facing the death penalty in Iran on spying charges urged the Swedish government on Wednesday (31 January) to consider a prisoner swap to secure their son's release.
Categories: EurActiv
Czech winemakers urge EU dialogue on excise duty
An urgent dialogue on the future of European winemaking and a common EU approach towards the excise duty has been called for by the Czech Grape and Wine Producers Association in an open letter addressed to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Categories: EurActiv
Brussels mediates to unlock renewal of Spain’s top legal body
EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders met with Spanish Justice Minister Félix Bolaños in Brussels on Wednesday in a last attempt to mediate between the ruling Socialist Party and Partido Popular, the main opposition, to bring about the renewal of the judges’ governing body, which has been operating on an interim basis for over five years.
Categories: EurActiv
Swedish PM will discuss NATO bid with Orbán
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said he will “definitely” have the opportunity to talk to his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orbán to discuss Sweden’s NATO bid on the sidelines of the EU summit in Brussels, where much is expected of Hungary’s turbulent leader.
Categories: EurActiv
The election year of 2024 is the climate’s window of opportunity
40% of the world's population will be voting in the coming months. This is an opportunity for citizens around the world to call for more action to tackle the climate emergency, writes Mattias Söderberg.
Categories: EurActiv
Polish opposition eyes regaining power by pressing for snap elections
PiS party leader Jarosław Kaczyński is exerting pressure on President Andrzej Duda to call a snap election that might enable PiS to regain the power it lost to Prime Minister Donald Tusk last year.
Categories: EurActiv
Far-right AfD backpedals on ‘remigration’ ahead of meeting with Le Pen party
After Marine Le Pen (RN party) slammed the German AfD party for allegedly advocating for ‘remigration’, the party has tried to ease tensions among the EU far-right on Wednesday, ahead of an upcoming peace summit with RN representatives, with an official clarification saying there was previous confusion.
Categories: EurActiv
Russian scam for obtaining Bulgarian citizenship exposed
The Bulgarian counterintelligence agency SANS has been accused of failing to act on reports by a high-ranking local politician of a potential channel that allows Russian spies to infiltrate Europe by getting Bulgarian citizenship thanks to false documents.
Categories: EurActiv