Elections
Hungary’s opposition wins Budapest election, makes gains in other cities
Hungary's opposition scored its biggest election victory in a decade on Sunday (13 October) when liberal challenger Gergely Karácsony ousted ruling-party incumbent Istvan Tarlos as mayor of Budapest and opposition parties made gains in other major cities as well.
The Brief, powered by the Martens Centre – Mind the gap (or lose)
Poland's ruling conservative Law and Justice party (PiS) is on track for a remarkable re-election win this Sunday, in what many call the country’s most fateful ballot in years.
Tokarczuk’s Nobel is good news for Polish liberals ahead of Sunday’s vote
With this award, Europeans can see how strong, powerful, but most of all, resourceful, the liberal Poland is, writes Piotr Maciej Kaczyński.
Austria’s Kurz on quest to form government coalition
Sebastian Kurz, Austria's conservative Chancellor who was re-elected on 30 September after being ousted in May, has been meeting with potential coalition partners. With the Austrian Freedom Party preferring to join the opposition and the social democrats still hesitant, the Greens may become a new partner. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Poland’s ruling right-wing party banks on child subsidy to win election
Maria Kolsut will be thinking about her financial security when she votes for Poland's ruling right-wing party in Sunday's parliamentary election.
Portugal’s ruling Socialists win election but fall short of outright majority
Portugal's ruling Socialists won Sunday's (6 October) parliamentary election but fell short of an outright majority, meaning Prime Minister António Costa will need to negotiate a new deal with one or both of his far-left allies in the previous legislature.
Poland stokes dispute over net-zero emissions price and meaning
Poland has once again insisted that going carbon-neutral by 2050 is not affordable, after its energy minister concluded that the idea is “a fantasy”. But new analysis claims that the Eastern European country could get the job done on time and on budget.
Michael Ignatieff: Hungary will not be a single-party state forever
The democratic transition is not over in Central and Eastern Europe and we will continue our mission of training people and creating "free minds, people who think", Michael Ignatieff, a Canadian academic and president of the Central European University, told EURACTIV Slovakia.
Romania’s government hurries to place a Commissioner before no-confidence vote
Romania's centrist opposition is seeking to topple the government in a parliamentary no-confidence vote next week, one year ahead of a general election, the National Liberal Party (PNL) said on Tuesday (1 October).
Italy’s ruling parties call for lowering voting age to 16
Italy's coalition parties said on Monday (30 September) they were in favour of reducing the minimum voting age to 16, in a move which analysts said would increase the electorate by about 1 million people.
Kurz, Greens emerge as big winners of Austria’s snap election
After months of political turmoil, Austrian voters on Sunday (29 September) gave former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz a clear mandate to reclaim power with 37.1% of the votes while Kurz’s former coalition partner, the far-right FPÖ, lost by a wide margin. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Corruption in Romania: a European affair
The situation in Romania is partly hopeful: numerous civic movements have emerged in the country and an outstanding anti-corruption movement is growing in the society, especially among the young generations, write Elena Denisa Petrescu and Yannis Karamitsios.
Orbán asks ‘the other side of EU’ to take its ‘paid activists’ home
Hungary has no plans to leave the European Union, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Sunday (29 September), adding however that eastern and western members of the bloc must find a compromise over the bloc's future.
Austria, Russia keep in step ahead of polls
As Austrians go to the polls Sunday (29 September), one image that stands out from the last right-wing administration is that of the foreign minister dancing with Russian President Vladimir Putin at her wedding, causing widespread derision in the small Alpine country and abroad.
Parliament wins its battle: Kövesi to become first EU Public Prosecutor
Negotiators from the European Parliament and EU member states agreed on Tuesday (24 September) to appoint Laura Codruţa Kövesi, the MEPs’ preferred candidate, as the first head of the newly-created EU Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO).
Tens of thousands march for ban on abortions in Slovakia
Tens of thousands marched in Slovakia's capital on Sunday (22 September) calling for a total ban on abortions in the predominantly Catholic central European country.
Romanian ex-president Basescu ‘worked with communist secret police’
Former Romanian president Traian Băsescu was found Friday (20 September) by a court in Bucharest to have collaborated with the feared communist-era Securitate secret police.
The Brief, powered by BP – Searching for a Spanish statesman
On 10 November, Spain will hold its fourth general election since 2015. The vote is the result of the lack of statesmanship among the party leaders in a critical period, especially of Socialist chief Pedro Sánchez.
Poland’s ruling party plans to allow arrests of MPs and judges
Poland's ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS/ECR) announced its election program at the weekend, under which there would no longer be immunity for judges and prosecutors and it would be possible to detain parliamentarians at the request of the prosecutor general.
What else does Merkel want?
Following German Chancellor Angela Merkel's appearance in the Bundestag debate on Wednesday (11 September), it seems clear that she will not change. And this is not such a bad thing. EURACTIV's partner der Tagesspiegel comments.
Poland’s foreign ministry condemns attack on Israeli students
Poland's foreign ministry on Sunday (8 September) condemned violence against a group of Israeli students beaten at a Warsaw nightclub early on Saturday, following criticism that Polish leaders are not doing enough to denounce antisemitism.
New Italian coalition sworn in, promises ‘not to quarrel with Brussels’
Italy's new government, combining the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement and centre-left Democratic Party (PD), was sworn into office on Thursday (5 September), promising to reset Rome's often fraught relations with Brussels.
Future coalitions in Germany to be ‘more fragile than ever before’, says AfD
Elections in Saxony and Brandenburg have changed the balance of power in these states. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has recorded significant gains, while the more traditional parties (CDU and SPD) continue losing ground. EURACTIV Germany brings an overview of reactions by party leaders after the elections.