Proposed European pharmaceutical reforms aim to tackle, amongst others, healthcare access inequalities amongst Member States. However, some of the proposed changes may limit innovation and negatively impact patient access to medicines, highlighting the need for a balanced, pro-innovation approach.

Opposition party ANO of former prime minister Andrej Babiš won a resounding victory in 10 out of 13 regions in the regional elections while simultaneously making a strong showing in the Senate elections.

US Vice President Kamala Harris leads Republican rival Donald Trump by 5 percentage points in an NBC News poll that found that respondents have come to see her more favorably since she emerged as the Democratic candidate for president.

US presidential candidate Donald Trump cancelled his meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda without giving a reason but did post a message of support on social media.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in the United States on Sunday (22 September) to attend sessions at the UN General Assembly and urged his partners to help achieve "a shared victory for a truly just peace."

Former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont and representatives of the ruling Socialist Party met in Geneva on Friday in an attempt to smooth relations after the separatist leader's party voted against the ruling Socialists despite having previously agreed to back each other in parliament.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his party, the SPD, see themselves strengthened after winning a crucial state election in Brandenburg against the far-right, as the party of his newly minted challenger Friedrich Merz suffered heavy losses.

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) will have little time on Monday (23 September) to digest the results of the third round of local elections as he prepares for talks with car sector leaders on getting the country’s largest industry back on track.

Italy will formally present a proposal at a meeting in Brussels on Wednesday to bring forward to the first half of 2025 the review of the EU's 2035 ban on combustion engine vehicles, currently scheduled for 2026, announced Italy’s Business and Made in Italy Minister Adolfo Urso.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has asked  Environment Commissioner-designate Jessika Roswall to overhaul the EU's landmark REACH regulation, a move likely to expose her to a major grilling from the European Parliament’s Environment Committee (ENVI). 

World leaders are gathering in New York for the UN Summit of the Future, which UN Secretary-General António Guterres has described as a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" to reshape international institutions, even though leaders of the so-called Permanent Five will be absent.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democratic Party (SPD) narrowly beat the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the highly contested state elections of Brandenburg on Sunday (22 September), according to the exit polls, drawing in a record voting turnout of 74%.

Freshly nominated French Prime Minister Michel Barnier unveiled his new government on Saturday (21 September), appointing 68-year-old centrist MP Geneviève Darrieussecq as minister for health and access to care.

In this week's edition: A run-down of the key topics that will drive this year's UNGA.

The Danube peaked at a 10-year high in a heavily fortified Budapest on Saturday (21 September) with the water reaching the steps of parliament, after deadly Storm Boris lashed Europe.

Greece and Cyprus have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to press ahead with a subsea electric cable linking continental Europe to the East Mediterranean, the energy ministries of the two countries said on Saturday (21 September).

Newly-appointed French Prime Minister Michel Barnier presented his government on Saturday (21 September), largely maintaining the political course of previous pro-Macron administrations while making concessions to the far-right Rassemblement National (RN).

Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander and other senior figures in the Lebanese movement in an airstrike on Beirut on Friday (20 Septembe), vowing to press on with a new military campaign until it is able to secure the area around the Lebanese border.

Serbia's government ministers on Friday (20 September) agreed to reintroduce compulsory military service which was abolished 14 years ago. President Aleksandar Vučić praised the decision as an important step to improve the country's defence readiness.

Pro-European President Maia Sandu staged a city centre rally on Friday (20 September) to kick off her bid for re-election in a month-long campaign held alongside a referendum to cement her drive to join the European Union.