Romania's defence spending in 2023 reached 1.6% of the country's GDP, far below the 2.5% pledge made by President Iohannis at the NATO summit in Madrid in 2022, an official NATO report has found, TVR reported.

Bulgaria's largest party, GERB, has pulled out of negotiations to form a new government, despite an earlier agreement with the PP-DB to nominate former European Commissioner Maria Gabriel as prime minister, the party said on Sunday.

A Russian cruise missile briefly crossed into Polish airspace during an overnight air strike on the western regions of Ukraine, the Polish armed forces said on Sunday.

Oil prices rose in early Asian trading on Monday (25 March) on concerns over tighter global supply brought about by escalating conflicts in the Middle East and between Russia and Ukraine, while a shrinking US rig count added to upward price pressure.

Slovakia's former pro-Western foreign minister, Ivan Korčok, scored a surprise victory in the first round of the presidential election on Saturday, but the road to final victory over Robert Fico's coalition partner, Peter Pellegrini will not be smooth, and he will have to grapple with the ruling party's increasingly problematic foreign policy stance vis-a-vis Russia and Ukraine.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (PSOE/S&D) is “mistaken” if he thinks he can govern alone in defiance of the political line of the progressive Sumar platform led by Díaz, the junior member of the governing coalition, Sumar leader, Labour Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz warned on Saturday.

Madrid will continue to “firmly support” Ukraine, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (PSOE/S&D) reiterated in a telephone conversation with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday.

Lega leader, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, and French far-right leader Marine Le Pen have confirmed at an event in Rome that they will not support European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for a second term.

Belgian opinion polls show vast differences in voting behaviour between the country’s regions, with Wallonians being the least likely to go to the polls while the far right is gaining ground in Flanders.

The Ukrainian military said it hit two large Russian landing ships in attacks on the annexed Crimean peninsula early on Sunday (24 March), as well as a communications centre and other infrastructure used by the Russian navy in the Black Sea.

Malika Sorel-Sutter, known for her strong anti-immigration stance, will be the second candidate on the French far-right Rassemblement National party’s list for the European elections in June, making her the second candidate on the list formerly associated with the currently struggling right-wing Les Républicains party.

France’s right-wing Les Républicains (EPP) party took aim at President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance (Renew) and Le Pen’s Rassemblement National (ID) at the launch of the party’s EU election campaign in Aubervilliers Saturday.

The introduction of an EU-wide carbon price on heating and road fuels in 2027 should be reconsidered, Yasmin Fahimi, president of the German trade union confederation (DGB), said in Berlin on Saturday (23 March).

Simon Harris, who is set to become Ireland's youngest ever prime minister after being appointed party leader on Sunday (24 March), will be hoping his social media skills and fresh face can save his party's flagging fortunes as elections loom.

While European countries sent condolences and largely stayed away from commenting further on its implications, some fear the Russian terrorist attack could lead Putin to a more forceful response in Ukraine.

In the latest episode of our Today in the EU podcast, we are looking at how European elections have impacted French President Emmanuel Macron's policy choices. 

Welcome to EURACTIV’s Global Europe Brief, your weekly update on the EU from a global perspective. You can subscribe to receive our newsletter here. As the deadly Moscow attack shatters Vladimir Putin’s security promise to Russians, he’ll likely be looking for...

US President Joe Biden on Saturday (23 March) signed into law a $1.2 trillion spending package, keeping the US government funded through a fiscal year that began six months ago.

Russia said on Saturday (23 March) it had arrested all four gunmen suspected of carrying out a shooting massacre in a concert hall near Moscow, and President Vladimir Putin pledged to track down and punish those behind the attack.

A pro-EU former Slovak foreign minister scored a surprise victory in the first round of a presidential election on Saturday (23 March), setting up a run-off vote with a key ally of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico.