MEP Roxana Mînzatu (PSD/S&D) was on Monday officially nominated by the Romanian government for the position of European Commissioner of an apparently "relevant" portfolio, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced at a press conference.

Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr is meeting with Portugal's centre-right government on Monday to formally signal his company's interest in the privatisation of state-owned carrier TAP, according to three sources with knowledge of the matter.

A law proposing that Russian citizens and entities be banned from buying property in Finland to minimise the security risk in times of crisis has been put forward by the Finnish Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen on Monday (2 September).

The EU is a far cry from the targets set out in the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030, with marine protected areas (MPAs) providing limited protection against human activities such as bottom fishing, according to a recent scientific study, while the Commission blames the Member States.

In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about the US-Bulgarian citizen arrested in Sofia for burning the Russian flag, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saying central Europe is key for EU defence, and so much more.

At least 47 people, including five children, were injured on Sunday (1 September) after Russian missiles struck a shopping mall and events complex in Ukraine's northeastern city of Kharkiv, officials said.

Romania's Ministry of Agriculture is working on an emergency decree to limit the markup on Romanian food products to 20%.

A woman with dual US-Bulgarian citizenship was arrested and then released for protesting outside the Russian Cultural and Information Centre in Sofia, writing "murderers" in chalk on the building and burning the Russian flag.

Most Poles want the army to shoot down potentially dangerous objects that enter their country's airspace, even if they are civilians, a recent poll has found.

President warns of 'deep crisis in European political systems'. The president of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, said on Sunday that there is an "end of a cycle" and warned of the "deep crisis" that European political systems are experiencing, arguing that it is necessary to "make ruptures." 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised Central Europe for its growing strategic importance in the EU and highlighted its role in building new European defence capabilities at a conference in Prague this weekend.

Russia will make changes to its doctrine on the use of nuclear weapons in response to what it regards as Western escalation in the war in Ukraine, state media quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying on Sunday (1 September).

Uncertainty has arisen in the Italian government over their position on Ukraine following the long-awaited summit of Italy’s three governing party leaders, intended to signal the trio’s alignment on the eve of the start of parliamentary work after the summer recess.

Massive protests swept Israel on Sunday (1 September) following the death of six hostages in Gaza as frustration mounted over the failure of the country's leadership to secure a ceasefire deal that would free Israeli captives.

French President Emmanuel Macron will meet former Socialist behemoth Bernard Cazeneuve amid ongoing prime minister appointment talks on Monday (2 September), according to confirmation obtained by Euractiv - a move that has sent the Socialist Party into a panic.

China will urge a summit of 50 African nations in Beijing this week to take more of its goods, before Western curbs kick in on its exports such as electric vehicles and solar panels, in exchange for more pledges of loans and investment.

The European Union accused China on Sunday (1 September) of taking "dangerous actions" against the Philippines, as Beijing and Manila blamed each other of deliberately ramming their coast guard ships.

Two months after snap elections, France remains still without a coalition or prime minister-elect, despite five days of government consultations.

Promising to uphold the “firewall” against the far-right AfD, the conservative CDU faces difficult coalition talks after state elections in Saxony and Thuringia, where it will be forced to work with left-wing newcomer BSW to form a majority coalition.