All European Union countries except Hungary warned Israel on Monday (19 February) against launching an offensive in Rafah that they said would deepen the catastrophe of some 1.5 million refugees crammed into the city on the southern edge of Gaza.

Ukraine's military said on Monday (19 February) its troops had taken up new defensive positions in the east after retreating from the captured town of Avdiivka and were repelling Russian attempts to develop the offensive thrust.

In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about pro-Russia forces highjacking farmers' protets in Czechia, the liberal FDP being increasingly more vocal about not agreeing with the government's economic policies, and so much more.

A US threat to hit financial firms doing business with Russia with sanctions has chilled Turkish-Russian trade, disrupting or slowing some payments for both imported oil and Turkish exports, according to seven sources familiar with the matter.

European and US oil majors have made record profits totalling more than €260 billion since the Russian invasion of Ukraine started in February 2022, according to NGO Global Witness.

EU Parliament chief Roberta Metsola will discuss the issue of Greece’s rule of law at a visit in Athens on Tuesday following a recent resolution which sparked intense debate in the Mediterranean country, an EU official told Euractiv.

Several hundred farmers protested in Čakovec and Đakovo to show solidarity with their European counterparts and inform the public about the problems facing Croatian farmers.

Chinese surveillance equipment, suspected of espionage in the US and UK, is being used by the Romanian Army in strategic locations, with the Defence Ministry assuring the surveillance systems are secure.

Bulgaria is delaying the delivery of 100 armoured personnel carriers to the Ukrainian army because the Defence Ministry has requested that NATO cover the transport costs, MPs from the ruling majority in Sofia told Euractiv Bulgaria.

The US has proposed a rival draft United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a temporary ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and opposing a major ground offensive by its ally Israel in Rafah.

With an EU Industrial Competitiveness Deal in the pipeline for the next mandate, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo invited European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to Antwerp on Tuesday (19 February) to consider the future of the EU's chemical industry.

Pro-Russian forces hijacked a farmers’ protest that saw some 500 tractors roll into Prague on Monday morning, as speeches criticising the EU and the Czech government prompted many farmers to leave.

Kyiv may limit imports of Polish agri-food production if Polish farmers do not stop blocking the country’s borders in Ukraine against the influx of Ukrainian grain and other products, government officials told Ukrainian media.

Ursula von der Leyen’s decision to re-run for the EU Commission presidency has prompted some positive reactions in several EU capitals, but her quest to secure enough support from governments may prove to be a delicate balance to strike. 

A Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine with his helicopter last year was found dead in an underground garage in Spain last week, his body riddled with bullets, Ukrainian and Spanish media reported on Monday (19 February).

Strong relations between Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who on Monday announced she was seeking a second five-year term, will be key to countering rising far-right anti-EU forces, Ignacio Molina, a senior researcher at the prestigious Elcano Royal Institute told Euractiv’s partner EFE in an interview.

Germany’s liberal FDP party is taking an increasingly confrontational stance on the economic policies of the three-way coalition government in which it is a junior partner, saying it has more in common with the conservative opposition.

Sweden is ready to talk with Hungary, which is still holding Stockholm's NATO accession, but its membership of the alliance is "not a matter of negotiation",  Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson told Euractiv.

The Dutch advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) field is highly fragmented and needs central coordination to unblock bottlenecks. Dutch researchers made the recommendations in a recent report offering insight gaining an efficient overview of ATMP regulations.

Swedish Members of the European Parliament welcome updated EU pharma legislation but remain divided on amendments, including on how to handle incentives for developing new antibiotics, though common ground for the Swedes exists on boosting the fight against antimicrobial resistance.