Venezuela has recalled its Spanish ambassador to Caracas for consultations this Friday (13 September) following Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles's (PSOE/S&D) declarations of “persecution” and “limitation of fundamental rights” against political opponents in the Maduro regime. 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen today (13 September) called for a new financial tool to reward nature protection, which takes inspiration from the EU's carbon trading scheme.

Google's efforts to fully comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) remains insufficient, travel and hospitality organisations attending two European Commission workshops this week, told Euractiv.

The French draft budget, prepared over the summer by the resigning government, proposes an 18% cut to official development assistance (ODA) to tackle a soaring public deficit, raising concerns among NGOs and political leaders who warn of the impacts on international aid.

Russia's FSB security service said on Friday (13 September) it had revoked the accreditation of six British diplomats in Moscow whose actions it said showed signs of spying and sabotage work.

Chinese and Russian defence officials on Friday (13 September) took swipes at the West at a military diplomacy forum in Beijing, with China pitching to the Global South and Russia saying the United States was shifting military conflicts to the Asia-Pacific.

Greece outlined measures to boost its lagging birthrate on Thursday (12 September), from vouchers and childcare benefits to tax breaks for new parents, although experts questioned the plan's effectiveness.

In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about the German opposition leader suggesting a trial period for border rejections, the Socialist group in the European Parliament softening its stance on the Italian executive vice-president pick, and so much more. 

Ukraine accused Russia on Thursday (12 September) of using strategic bombers to strike a civilian grain vessel in a missile attack in Black Sea waters near NATO member Romania, escalating tensions between Moscow and the military alliance.

It hardly goes unnoticed that Chinese companies are stepping up green investments in Europe.

Romania will ask the Council for compensation for the much higher energy prices in its region compared to Western Europe, Romanian Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja said on Thursday, confirming his Greek counterpart's words that his country had joined forces with Greece and Bulgaria.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Thursday pledged his full support to Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia, who has been in exile in Spain since Sunday, as he tries to find a way out of the South American country's political crisis.

Vladimir Putin said on Thursday (12 September) that the West would be directly fighting with Russia if it allowed Ukraine to strike Russian territory with Western-made long-range missiles, a move he said would alter the nature and scope of the conflict.

President Rumen Radev on Thursday insisted on the establishment of a direct flight between Sofia and Beijing and the opening of a Chinese bank branch to boost business ties between the two countries.

Opposition to Rafaele Fitto's bid to become vice-president of the executive in the next European Commission appears to be softening, with the socialist S&D group in the European Parliament, who had previously joined the Greens and Liberals in opposing the move, no longer speaking of 'red lines'.

Conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz (CDU-EPP) floated the idea of turning back refugees at the border whose first EU country of entry was not Germany for a three-month trial period - an idea that may sound familiar to the governing parties in Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition government.

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier has strongly reiterated France's opposition to the EU-Mercosur free trade deal and confirmed his desire to seek a 'blocking minority', according to information obtained by Euractiv, dashing hopes of finalising the deal at the upcoming G20 summit in Brazil.

Europe should stop being "naive" and step up efforts to support its faltering industrial base to compete with China and the United States, the newly elected chairman of the European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee told Euractiv in an interview.

EU farmers must comply with strict production standards, and so should third-country producers if they want to export to the EU, according to the latest vote by the ENVI committee. Does this approach signal the start of a new, more protectionist agricultural policy?

European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde praised Mario Draghi’s “formidable” report on Thursday (12 September) but said that the responsibility for boosting Europe’s lagging competitiveness ultimately lies with EU governments rather than monetary policymakers.