In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about France’s Macron faces backlash over U-turn on the legal definition of rape, the Spanish parliament OKing the amnesty law as right-wing opposition announces a block in Senate, and so much more.

The European Parliament President, Roberta Metsola, confirmed on Thursday (14 March) that she had instructed the Parliament's legal services to file a lawsuit against the European Commission over its decision to unfreeze €10.2 billion in funds for Hungary, but a rocky road lies ahead as Parliament now needs to build a solid case.

Two years into office, President Donald Trump authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to launch a clandestine campaign on Chinese social media aimed at turning public opinion in China against its government, according to an exclusive report by Reuters.

The Romanian government will neither adopt its National Integrated Energy and Climate Change Plan before the expected 30 June deadline nor will the country meet the EU’s renewable energy targets, an energy ministry official said on Thursday.

French defence company Thales likely won the bid to supply Bulgaria’s army with new 3D surveillance radars for €142 million - a 25% decrease from the €200 million price Thales initially wanted Sofia to pay for them.

Anti-government protests organised by Slovakia’s opposition parties, which have attracted tens of thousands of people in recent months, have resumed after a five-week break, citing the government’s constant attacks on Slovak democracy and the country’s reputation.

The Spanish parliament has approved a bill that would pardon Catalan separatists who committed unlawful acts between 2012 and 2023, but with the text now heading to the Senate, the party with a majority in the higher house, the right-wing Partido Popular (PP), has said it will try to block the process.

In light of the complex geopolitical situation, the numerous global challenges ahead of us, including the green transition, and the debate on the enlargement of the European Union (EU), citizens and businesses need to rely on a stronger EU to reinforce our values, rights, and vision of the future.

EU chief Prosecutor Laura Kövesi has said the Greek authorities are posing obstacles in her investigation over a train accident last year which killed 57 people, mainly youngsters.

Somali pirates who seized the Maltese-flagged bulk cargo ship Ruen in December may have used the vessel in the takeover of a Bangladesh-flagged cargo ship off the coast of Somalia two days ago, the European Union naval force said on Thursday (14 March).

Tensions are rising among the majority parties in Italy’s ruling coalition after a proposal by Matteo Salvini’s Lega (ID) to extend the maximum term of office for regional governors to three years failed to convince the right-wing coalition’s other partners - a move that could reshape the power dynamics within the government and Lega ahead of June’s EU elections.

The government’s recent proposal to extend compulsory military service from four to 11 months is “unrealistic,” mainly due to a lack of capacity, a leading union representing Danish armed forces personnel told Danish media on Thursday.

In an unprecedented move, outgoing members in the European Parliament of Germany’s far-right AfD have elected a new delegation chair, defying a direct request by the party leadership not to go through with it. 

Commenting on his recent statements on the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron said in a television interview on Thursday that France would “never go on the offensive” but reiterated his goal of making Russia lose.

As the vital relationship between Franco-German leaders Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron appears “broken”, hopes for a sustainable fix rest on the Weimar Triangle and even the return of an old nemesis.

On the latest episode of Euractiv’s Today in the EU we invited Georgi Gotev, our senior editor to take a deep dive into Bulgaria’s and Romania’s Schengen admission.

This week, together with the European Data Protection Supervisor Wojciech Wiewiórowski, we look at data protection issues, including the regulation concerning the detection and removal of online child sexual abuse material, as well as Frontex’s handling of migrants’ data, and the recent news regarding the European Commission's violation of data protection rules in its use of Microsoft.

There are more than 6,000 rare diseases, with 27 different healthcare systems governed by conflicting rules and principles, with no harmonisation for orphan medicines payments. Rare disease clinicians hope the Pharma Package will bridge regulatory gaps.

When done abusively to cut costs and circumvent regulations, subcontracting is detrimental to both the subcontracted workers and local workforces who end up approaching the negotiating table from weaker positions, says a leading European trade unionist.

Europe needs a Bio Act according to MEP Pernille Weiss (EPP). Weiss and other expert speakers at the European High-Level Summit on Biosolutions said failing to develop an effective biosolutions framework will lead to a stifling of innovation and growth.