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As the EU moves to label energy from nuclear power and natural gas as "green" investments, Austria is gearing up to fight this, including with a legal complaint.

In today's edition of the Capitals, find out more about the Romanian PM being accused of plagiarism, Finland not joining the diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympic Games, and so much more.

A group of more than 100 billionaires and millionaires has issued a plea to political and business leaders convening virtually for the World Economic Forum: make us pay more tax.

Amidst rising military tensions between Ukraine and Russia, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock’s visit to Kyiv focused on the massive amounts of renewable hydrogen Germany aims to import in the future.

The impeachment trial of Albanian President Ilir Meta has been postponed to 1 February after the case judge at the Constitutional Court tested positive for COVID. The proceedings were originally scheduled to start on Tuesday. In a historical first, the...

Households in Kosovo could see their electricity bills double if a proposal by the Energy Regulatory Office (ERO) is approved. The ERO suggested doubling the price of energy for households that exceed more than 600 kW per hour. If accepted, the hike would hit...

Leaders of Croat political parties in BiH Bosnian submitted a proposal to the US and EU administrations on electoral reform, incorporating the relevant rulings of the European Court of Human Rights and the country’s Constitutional Court. The proposal will be...

The support that Serbia is giving to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina was essential for peace and stability in the region, Turkish President Rexhep Tayyip Erdogan has said in Ankara. He told a joint news conference...

Rio Tinto’s Jadar project, subject to nationwide protests last year, has been halted because it could not be granted an exploitation field permit, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić said on Tuesday. Brnabić told reporters that it was not just this...

New and higher natural gas prices for most households should enter into force after 1 April on the basis of the Croatian regulatory framework. Prices could be €500 per year more expensive. Asked how the government would respond to the...

A doctor was attacked on 17 January in a Bulgarian village over a COVID vaccine. One of the attackers was a wouldbe politician, who had been in prison for drug trafficking and participated in the anti-vax protest in front of the...

Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca allegedly copied almost a third of his PhD thesis, according to an investigation published Tuesday by Press One. The prime minister denies the plagiarism accusation, saying the work was completed according to the ”legal requirement at the...

Slovakia promised to cut down its methane emissions by 30% compared to 2020 levels by 2030 at the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, but it currently has no plan on how to achieve this. The same promise was given by...

The Immunity Committee has recommended the Czech parliament remove the parliamentary immunity of former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. If the parliament follows the recommendation, which is very likely, Babiš will face prosecution over alleged EU subsidy fraud. A vote on...

A number of Spanish CEOs have expressed concerns over the fair and proper management of EU financial resources to help mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the country’s battered economy, Spanish media reported. According to data revealed by...

Italy wants to lower the prices of bills by transferring renewable energy incentive costs from bills to the national recovery and resilience plan, Ecological Transition Minister Roberto Cingolani said during a meeting with the Senate Committee on Industry on Tuesday....

The EU directive to implement the minimum corporate tax rate agreed upon in the OECD deal is facing resistance as Poland and Hungary insist on linking it to another part of the OECD agreement.

Changing the mechanism of the EU carbon market is one of several ways to stabilise electricity prices and the energy market, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said. The EU’s current CO2 trading mechanism needs to be improved, so that price changes...

Science and Culture Minister Antti Kurvinen will attend the Beijing Winter Olympics around the time of the closing ceremony, Kurvinen confirmed in an interview with broadcaster YLE on 17 January. Unlike a growing number of countries, Finland will therefore be...

Irish officials signalled the potential end points for the COVID-19 restrictions currently in place on Tuesday, with Tánaiste Leo Varadkar voicing hope that almost all limits could be lifted by the end of March. A range of restrictions remain in...

Ghana has publicly dismissed reports that it is talking with the UK government to agree to outsource UK asylum applications to the West African country. In a statement on Tuesday, Ghana’s foreign ministry said: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and...

The practice of turning down citizenship applications that would result in EU citizens losing bloc citizenship violates EU law, the Court of Justice of the EU has ruled. The ruling comes after the practice of Austria’s public naturalisation authorities rendered...

Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right Rassemblement National party, detailed her idea for a “Europe of nations”, which she said contradicts the “worrying” project of President Emmanuel Macron. Le Pen wants to build a “European alliance of nations“, the...

For one of the world’s largest football leagues, 2022 has been the stage of massive changes: the Bundesliga finally has a new CEO, Donata Hopfen, who must now tackle the massive tasks that await it.

The revision of the European Union Blood, Tissues and Cells (BTC) Legislation brings an opportunity to strengthen its legal framework to encourage new approaches that will increase the collection of plasma across Europe.

A group of NGOs has urged the EU and broader international community to exempt humanitarian aid from sanctions imposed on Mali’s military government, warning that 1.2 million Malians face a food crisis.

US President Joe Biden's top diplomat will seek to defuse a crisis with Moscow over Ukraine when he meets the Russian foreign minister in Geneva this week following visits with Ukrainian leaders in Kyiv and European officials in Berlin.

The Saudi-led coalition killed 14 people in air strikes on Yemen's rebel-held capital, a medical source said Tuesday (18 January), after an attack by Huthi insurgents on the United Arab Emirates sent regional tensions soaring.

The first meeting between Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov and his North Macedonian counterpart Dimitar Kovacevski concluded amicably as the two leaders announced their commitment to opening a new chapter while sidestepping concrete answers to thornier questions on history and...

Warsaw wants to build ‘a coalition of countries within the EU that object to the Fit for 55 climate package, which the government says will severely affect less affluent EU citizens. “We are now building a coalition of countries that...

The risk of poverty increased from 16.2% to 18.4% between 2019 and 2020, according to provisional data from Statistics Portugal (INE) reaching almost two million people and with increases among women, the elderly, and families. The at-risk-of-poverty rate increased by...

It is high time to review the COVID-19 restrictions, said Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, citing the drop in the number of patients in intensive care units (ICUs). While intensive care admissions peaked at 82 on 6 January, numbers have...

Germany’s stance on the buildup of Russian troops at the Ukrainian border is clear, the country’s defence minister Christine Lambrecht said on Tuesday after meeting NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Berlin. Her comments came amid a series of course changes...

Slovenia and Taiwan are working on “exchanging representatives,” Prime Minister Janez Janša has announced, criticising China’s response to Taiwan’s decision to open a diplomatic representative office in Vilnius. The comments come as the EU is still struggling to find a...

Athletes travelling to next month's Beijing Olympics were warned on Tuesday (18 January) about speaking up on human rights issues while in China for their own safety by speakers at a seminar hosted by Human Rights Watch.

Three US lawmakers on Tuesday tabled the Banning Surveillance Advertising Act, a proposal aimed at banning the use of personal data for targeted advertising.

The European Commission's strategy to phase out combustion engines in favour of electric vehicles is a political choice that carries environmental and social risks, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said in an interview with European newspapers.

Studies of pregnant women found the two most widely used COVID vaccines pose no risk to mothers or babies, the EU's drug regulator said on Tuesday (18 January).

While MEPs are busy in Strasbourg with the mid-term renewal of high-level roles in the European Parliament, parties are asking themselves how to give health more room in parliamentary business.

During her official visit to Ukraine, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock spoke of "fundamental disagreements" with Russia, but spoke positively of Russia's agreement to revive the Normandy format.

Following the 2008 economic crisis, the EU socialists almost collapsed in successive elections across the bloc. Back then, they put the blame on the “grand coalition” they had formed with the centre-right.

Kazakhstan's Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi said on Tuesday (18 January) the situation in his country was normalising, following the unrest that shook it in the first days of the new year, and Russian troops, which he said helped prevent a possible coup d'etat, were withdrawing.

Two vaccines will soon be tested in France in response to the worst avian influenza outbreak Europe has ever faced, French Agriculture Minister Julien Denormandie has announced. The aim is for them to be approved for all 27 EU member states. EURACTIV France reports.

The recast of the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) represents a unique opportunity to increase energy savings in Europe. It can provide a structural answer to high energy prices while delivering benefits for society as a whole, such as more local...

EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski has branded the food import embargo instated by Belarus a ‘weapon’ that is part of a hybrid attack against the EU and vowed to support the member states most impacted by the restrictions.

As China is putting pressure on Lithuanian businesses and on other firms that deal with Lithuanian businesses, due to a row over diplomatic ties between Lithuania and Taiwan. The businesses themselves, however, remain silent.

Swedish trade unions cannot support EU wage legislation, and the issue risks undermining support for the EU project, argues Torbjörn Johansson.

The COVAX vaccination initiative donated its billionth vaccine on Friday (15 January) to much acclaim, but this is just half the original target.

Britain's financial watchdog said on Tuesday it had stopped four European firms from operating after they failed to provide information showing they had applied for a permanent licence to do business in the country.

Among the Fit for 55 legislative proposals, a package not short on contentious measures, the extension of the ETS to road transport and buildings stood out as particularly divisive. But there are signs minds are changing.