Sarantis Michalopoulos
Greece shocked by cold-blooded assassination of journalist
A famous Greek journalist covering police-related issues was assassinated on Friday in a mafia-style cold-blooded execution in front of his house, causing shock in Greek society.
EU countries fail to reach a common position on how to use the AstraZeneca jab
EU member countries have adopted different tactics on how to use the AstraZeneca vaccine, despite the Commission’s push for a coordinated approach.
Greek politicians bicker over Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has clashed with opposition leader Alex Tsipras over whether the country should order Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine outside of the European Union's vaccine framework.
EU auditing agencies should stand ready for 2022 budget, MEP says
Auditing and rule of law mechanisms should be ready to scrutinise how the first money from the Recovery Fund will be dispersed across the bloc in 2022, MEP Nicolae Ștefănuță told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
The Brief, powered by bp – Not that ‘smart’ after all
All it took was a few hours of warm weather and the Brussels parks were suddenly flooded with hundreds of young people on Tuesday as if there had never been any confinement. Similar pictures could be seen across Europe - a clear sign that people are reaching their confinement limits during this seemingly never-ending pandemic.
Greece, Cyprus frown at ‘too many carrots’ in draft EU declaration on Turkey
A common EU declaration on Turkey currently under discussion ahead of the EU summit on 25-26 March “does not reflect” the balanced approach of EU top diplomat Josep Borrell recent report, Athens and Nicosia have said.
RED II: EU Commission can’t see the wood for the trees, analysts warn
The revision of the Renewable Energy Directive II (RED II) as part of the new Green Deal should recalibrate the legislative initiatives which have so far failed to decarbonise Europe’s transport sector, stakeholders have said.
Cyprus to purchase Russia’s Sputnik vaccine
The Cypriot government will purchase 50,000 doses of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine once it’s approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), a government official in Nicosia has said.
The Brief, powered by Eurochild – Being proactive in a slow-moving Europe
When Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis first proposed to have a European vaccination certificate a few months ago, to facilitate life and travel across the continent, the first EU reactions – especially from Germany and France – were dismissive and...
Athens rocked by riots as tensions rise amid claims of police violence
Riots shook an Athens suburb late on Tuesday (9 March) as police officers clashed with demonstrators protesting against alleged police brutality, with the government and opposition accusing each other of exploiting the worsening pandemic for political gain.
Conservatives mull radical shake-up of European Parliament groups
The departure of Hungarian Prime Minister’s Fidesz party from the EU centre-right family has opened the Pandora’s Box in the European Parliament and whetted conservatives’ appetite to reshape the political scene.
EU drugs agency says national authorising of Sputnik V is ‘Russian roulette’
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has described as a “Russian roulette” the decision of some EU member states to unilaterally grant market authorisation to Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine at this stage, without prior approval at the EU level.
Trouble brews in Macron’s Renew as EU Parliament power shift looms
Trouble is brewing in Renew Europe, the third-largest group in the European Parliament, pitting the old 'liberals and democrats' of ALDE against the group leadership and the French delegation of Emmanuel Macron's party, according to an insider source in the centrist group.
EPP silent over Orban’s flirt with nationalist Brothers of Italy
Europe's biggest political group, the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), has declined to comment on a letter of support Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbàn sent to Italy’s nationalist party Brothers of Italy, member of another political family, where he cites their shared "Christian and conservative values".
EU leaders take baby step toward vaccination certificate, fume at pharma industry
EU leaders decided at a teleconference on Thursday (25 February) to start working on a digital vaccination certificate now and start implementing it when there is sufficient number of EU citizens vaccinated.
EU Commission cautious with ‘unilateral’ moves on vaccination passports
The European Commission is cautious with EU member states moves to unilaterally issue a certificate offering travel privileges to those vaccinated, EU sources told EURACTIV.com, suggesting instead a common approach.
Paedophilia scandal in theatre rocks Greek politics
Greece’s former national theatre director, Dimitris Lignadis was arrested on Saturday (20 February) on suspicion of having committed multiple rapes involving also children, prompting politicians from the ruling New Democracy party (EPP) and the main opposition leftist Syriza (GUE-NGL) to trade accusations over the weekend.
Moscow hits back at Europe and von der Leyen over Sputnik vaccine
Russia has dismissed as unsubstantiated, deplorable, or ill-informed a recent statement by European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, who wondered why Moscow is offering millions of vaccines around the world while it has not vaccinated its own population yet.
Sexual harassment claims expose Greece’s hidden secret
An increasing number of Greek artists and athletes have come forward in recent weeks to report cases of sexual harassment in the world of sports, TV and theatre, exposing a well-hidden secret in Greece.
Over 20% of digital healthcare startups emerged during the pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation of healthcare, encouraging numerous innovative startups to step up and address previously unmet challenges, analyst Benedikt Blomeyer told EURACTIV in an interview, stressing the huge potential of digital applications in health.
AstraZeneca denies claims of ‘separate’ vaccine deals
British-Swedish pharmaceutical AstraZeneca has dismissed as untrue a statement by Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš that he was offered to sign a separate deal with the company for COVID-19 vaccines.
Opposition leader: Romania’s recovery plan further sidelines left-led poor regions
Romania’s proposed recovery plan is economically unbalanced and politically biased as it focuses on investments in rich regions while disregarding poorer areas led by leftist local authorities, the leader of the country's main opposition, the Social Democratic Party (PSD), told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
Russia’s vaccine and the political side-effects for Europe
As EU-Russia relations hit a new low over the jailing of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, Moscow’s Sputnik V vaccine is seen as a window of opportunity for Europe to make up for the delayed vaccine deliveries. But the Russian jab may also creates additional headaches across EU capitals.