From the capitals
The Brief, powered by VDMA – Red red line
In his State of the Union speech on Wednesday (21 April), Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West that if it crosses “the red line” with Russia, it should expect an “asymmetrical, swift and harsh” response.
Hungary to build Budapest campus of Chinese university with Chinese loan
The Hungarian government is planning to build a Budapest campus of the Chinese Fudan University with Chinese contractors, financed by a €1.25 billion loan from China, it emerged this month. The controversial project has sparked a row between the Hungarian government and the municipality of Budapest. EURACTIV's media partner Telex takes a closer look.
Electrify key highways to accelerate shift to battery-powered trucks: report
A modest investment into charging infrastructure along major European motorways could herald a shift to low-carbon electric road freight over long distances, according to a new report by the green NGO Transport & Environment (T&E).
Germany seeking to buy 30 million Sputnik doses from Russia
Germany is in talks with Russia to buy 30 million doses of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, said Saxony state premier Michael Kretschmer who discussed the issue with President Vladimir Putin on Thursday (22 April).
Climate law decisions and the phantom paper rocking the Western Balkans
This week on EURACTIV’s Yellow Room, we are talking about the outcomes of the climate law negotiations that concluded on Wednesday morning – the EU and US goals, the reactions, and what the future has in store. To find...
US Ambassador to Belarus stranded in Vilnius: ‘Goal remains getting to Minsk’
After it was announced last year that Belarus would get a US ambassador after a 13-year hiatus, the new US ambassador to Minsk Julie Fisher was denied entry and is based currently in Vilnius, from where she spoke to EURACTIV's partner LRT.lt.
Obesity must not become a new normal, MEPs warn
Participants of a launch event of a new European Parliamentary Interest Group on Obesity and Health System Resilience call on better obesities treatment management.
Poland seeks to nationalise coal plants so firms can finance green investments
The Polish government is planning to nationalise dozens of coal plants and use public money to keep them running to allow state-owned energy companies to invest in greener alternatives. EURACTIV's media partner, Climate Home News, reports.
US vows to cut its emissions at least 50% by 2030 ahead of climate summit
The US has vowed to cut its planet-heating emissions by at least half by the end of the decade, in a ramping up of ambition aimed at rallying other countries to do more to confront the climate crisis. EURACTIV's media partner, The Guardian Environment, reports.OpinionPromoted content
Testing, Developing, and Operating a Geothermal Energy Solution
Intention is to drill the deepest bore hole in Europe, generate green electricity and test new use cases for the technology. Slovakian company GA Drilling, Finnish company Finest Bay Area Development Oy and the Finnish Pyhäjärvi city owned development company...
EU scales up efforts to support the culture and creative industry
The Culture and Creative Industries (CCIs) have been among the hardest-hit branches by the COVID crisis, losing up to 90% of their revenues since the beginning of the pandemic. In this context, the EU is launching a new initiative to...
Reducing the use of antibiotics in the meat sector
The rise of antimicrobial resistance is a looming global crisis, threatening our ability to treat common infectious diseases, resulting in prolonged illness, disability, and death.
Most major companies failing climate targets: study
Fewer than one in four of the world's largest companies are on track to meet basic climate change targets, according to a new study published on Thursday (22 April) ahead of a US-hosted climate summit where world leaders are expected to announce new commitments to cut emissions.
EU action awaited as phantom paper further unhinges Western Balkans
A firmer stance from Brussels – noticeably missing last week – against a controversial document proposing border changes in the Western Balkans would help calm the growing anxieties in the region, analysts said. At the same time, regional and international...
Estonia ready to consider granting Navalny asylum
In today's edition of the Capitals, find out more about Italian football clubs abandoning the controversial Super League after the Brits had already abandoned ship, Croatian opposition parties calling for the health minister to go, and so much more.
Israel retaliates after Syrian missile lands near nuclear reactor
A Syrian surface-to-air missile exploded in southern Israel on Thursday (22 April), the Israeli military said, in an incident that triggered warning sirens in an area near the secretive Dimona nuclear reactor.
Australia says it cancelled state deals on China’s Belt and Road over ‘national interest’
Australia said a decision to cancel two accords between Victoria state and China on the Belt and Road Initiative was taken to ensure consistency in foreign relations and was not aimed at any country.
Commissioner: EU institutions to speak with ‘one voice’ at Future of Europe conference
European Commission Vice-President Dubravka Šuica has underlined that the three European institutions - Parliament, Council and Commission - will speak with "one voice" through the Conference on the Future of Europe.
Biden expected to recognize massacre of Armenians as genocide
US President Joe Biden is expected to formally recognize the massacre of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War One as an act of genocide, a move likely to infuriate Turkey.
Ukraine encourages Western allies to kick Russia out of SWIFT
Ukraine urged Western allies to show they were prepared to punish Moscow with new sanctions, including kicking Russia out of the global SWIFT payments system, to deter the Kremlin from resorting to more military force against Ukraine.
EU countries ready to start using J&J shot as deliveries resume
European countries prepared on Wednesday (21 April) to start using Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine and speed up their vaccination campaigns after Europe's drug regulator backed the shot and deliveries started trickling in after a week-long pause.
The ECB needs political guidance on secondary objectives
While EU Treaties clearly stipulate that the European Central Bank “shall support the general objectives of the European Union", politicians cannot simply stand by, hoping that it will use its discretionary power to act on them, writes Grégory Claeys.
Controversial far-right posters ignite Madrid election campaign
Spain's far-right VOX party has ignited the campaign for Madrid's upcoming regional election with a series of controversial posters taking aim at social benefits received by unaccompanied minors who arrive as migrants. EURACTIV’s partner EFE reported.