The “need to find a strategic buyer” for the Lukoil Neftochim refinery in Burgas and possibilities of reducing dependence on Russian gas and oil in the Balkan region were discussed by a Bulgarian government delegation during its visit to the US, the Finance Ministry said on Wednesday.

Germany said Wednesday (14 February) it would probably prolong the checks on its eastern border it launched last autumn to curb migration, and extend the controls to all borders when it hosts the Euro 2024 football tournament.

Despite new US sanctions against the Arctic LNG 2 project, Russian LNG exports to Europe have reached record levels. Russia continues to make money on LNG by avoiding sanctions through suspicious companies and corrupt links, writes Mykola Kolisnyk.

The European Commission has promised to speed up the approval of the reprogramming of Portugal’s National Strategic Plan for the implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), said the Portuguese Farmers’ Confederation, which met with Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski on Wednesday, but noted that the ball is now in the government’s court. 

Poland is expected to face further delays in receiving the first tranche of €6 million allocated under the Recovery and Resilience Plan as the government and the European Commission struggle with unresolved issues, Polish media reported.

Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders said Wednesday (14 February) he has asked a new official to revive talks on forming a Dutch government, almost three months since the election.

Sumar platform leader and Labour Minister Yolanda Díaz will travel to Palestine to sign several bilateral agreements, demand a ceasefire, and condemn the “hypocrisy” of the international community in the Middle East conflict, official sources confirmed on Wednesday.

With NATO defence ministers gathering in Brussels on Thursday (15 February), the meeting is being overshadowed by former US President Donald Trump’s recent remarks Washington might not protect European allies who are not spending enough on defence from a potential Russian attack.

NATO's European members have embarked on a mission to prove they are stepping up their burden-sharing efforts, in a bid to preempt the risks of a new Donald Trump presidency and preserve the alliance's unity in the face of the most serious security challenges since World War Two.

The German economy is performing “dramatically bad”, the country's economy minister Robert Habeck (Greens) said at a trade fair in Leipzig on Wednesday (14 February), with the government now only expecting a 0.2% growth rate for 2024.

Kyiv won’t be intimidated by Poland’s “attempts to stigmatise” their food production amid tensions at the border and further blockades planned by Polish farmers, Ukraine's trade representative Taras Kachka said on Wednesday (14 February).

Greece has launched its own Rare Disease list, in Greek. Until now, no detailed classification existed for new rare diseases in the Greek language. The list is an analytical archive of every rare disease, and its sub-categories, including genetic mutations.

While it is expected European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will announce her bid next week to be the European People’s Party (EPP) lead candidate in the EU elections, the road to a second stint in the Berlaymont is not expected to be smooth.

France’s former president Nicolas Sarkozy was found guilty of illegal campaign financing by the Paris Court of Appeal on Wednesday (14 February), and given a one-year prison sentence.

The EU executive is currently conducting a comprehensive evaluation of the EU legislative framework on tobacco control, the so-called Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), including via wide public consultations. The existing Directive covers traditional cigarettes and novel products such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco and has imposed severe restrictions.

Political decisions about the future of novel tobacco and nicotine products in Europe will be made by the next European Commission, EU spokesperson Stefan de Keersmaecker told EURACTIV, punting tobacco firmly beyond June's elections.

Malnutrition impacts almost two-thirds of Slovak patients in hospital care, according to new research. The survey found that despite the extra costs malnutrition creates for the healthcare system, interventions remain minimal.

The co-president of the Greens/EFA European parliamentary group, Philippe Lamberts, rebuked recent warnings by the head of Belgium's central bank that the green transition will make Europe poorer

French police found that Alexandre Benalla, a former aide to Emmanuel Macron, was involved in businesses that struck private security deals with Russian oligarchs and personally benefitted from some of the proceeds – including when he still worked at the Elysée.

Researchers at Ireland’s University of Limerick have discovered a new species of bacteria resistant to antibiotics. The discovery was made at UL’s School of Medicine and identified a novel antibiotic-resistant bacterial species capable of colonising patients in a hospital setting.