Politics
Slovak secret service labels party in Renew group ‘left-wing extremists’
In today's edition of the Capitals, find out more about Finland's prime minister being caught in a media storm, Croatia recording its first vaccine-related death, and so much more.
EU health ministers urge fast and coordinated action to contain Omicron
EU health ministers, meeting in Brussels on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Slovenia's Janez Poklukar, called for fast and coordinated action to tackle the surge in infections and the spread of the Omicron variant, supporting the general applicability of the EU digital COVID certificate and emphasising the importance of booster jabs.
History at heart – Teaching Europe’s past can protect its future
How to teach history across Europe, and how it can contribute to a vibrant democratic culture was the question at the heart of a two day annual conference ‘History Education for a Democratic Europe’ last week, organised by the Observatory on History Teaching in Europe (OHTE).
Bulgarian foreign minister candidate ‘lied’ about his EP qualifications
Dimitar Gardev, the candidate of the party 'There is such a people' for the post of Bulgaria's new foreign minister, appears to have lied in his official CV about the position he had held as a European Parliament employee, EURACTIV Bulgaria reported on Tuesday (7 December).
EU minister: COVID certificate update will force vaccination
In today's edition of the Capitals, find out more about Ireland receiving the biggest portion of the EU Brexit fund, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban saying his country is "prepared for battle" as the new German coalition reveals a "pro-immigration, pro-gender, federalist, pro-German Europe agenda”, and so much more.
Kurz’s resignation paves way for return to traditional conservative politics in Austria
The inauguration of Karl Nehammer as Austria's new chancellor on Monday (6 December) marked the end of the era of Sebastian Kurz and set the course for a return to the traditional political structures of the conservative Austrian People's Party (ÖVP).
Civil society fear lack of inclusion and member states inaction in CoFoE
Civil society has raised concerns to EURACTIV over a lack of inclusivity and diversity in the Conference of the Future of Europe (CoFoE). Additionally, they say the conference is at risk of failure if member states do not follow citizens’...
How French nuclear interests weighed on Germany’s ‘traffic light’ coalition talks
The new German government's coalition treaty avoided references to nuclear energy and the EU's green finance taxonomy in order to preserve Franco-German relations, a senior Green negotiator in Berlin told EURACTIV.
EU nuclear renaissance financed by US and Russia?
In today's edition of the Capitals, find out more about Finland's response to Russia calling for guarantees against NATO's eastward expansion, Czechia's future government saying it will cancel the current health ministry's measure to make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for all, and so much more.
Zemmour promises ‘reconquest’ at huge Paris rally
French far-right presidential candidate Eric Zemmour promised on Sunday (5 December) a “reconquest” against decades of decline at his first political rally, as scuffles with anti-racism protesters broke out on its fringes. “If I win this election, it won’t be...
Clashes erupt at Brussels protest against COVID rules
Belgian police fired water cannon and used tear gas Sunday (4 December) to disperse protesters opposed to compulsory health measures against the coronavirus pandemic.
More than 40,000 march in Vienna against coronavirus lockdown
More than 40,000 people marched through Vienna on Saturday (4 December) to protest against a lockdown and plans to make vaccinations compulsory to curb the coronavirus pandemic.
Pope calls neglect of migrants ‘shipwreck’ on Lesbos visit
Pope Francis on Sunday (5 December) returned to the island of Lesbos, the migration flashpoint he first visited in 2016, calling the neglect of migrants the "shipwreck of civilisation".
Slovenia believes roaming regulation agreement feasible in coming days
EU member states could agree on a draft regulation on roaming in the EU in the coming days, Slovenian Minister of Public Administration Boštjan Koritnik said in Brussels on Friday (3 December). Koritnik, whose country holds the rotating EU Council...
Immigration hardliner Nehammer to take over as new Austrian leader
Austria's ruling conservatives picked on Friday (3 December) the current interior minister, an immigration hardliner, to lead them and the nation after a wave of resignations by senior officials set off by their fallen star Sebastian Kurz.
EU asylum demands up as more Afghans flee
Requests for asylum in Europe hit a five-year high in September, with Afghans in particular seeking safety after the Taliban stormed to power in Kabul.
Croatia slammed by Council of Europe anti-torture committee over migrants
Council of Europe's Committee for the prevention of torture (CPT) published a report on Friday (3 December) detailing Croatian police border violence against migrants crossing from Bosnia, following Zagreb's attempts to block the body's work.
Greek socialists decide leader, eye future coalitions
The Greek socialist party is holding on 5 December its primaries to elect its next leader. The outcome of the vote will likely determine the next coalition government in Greece whether it will lean to the left or the right.
Lithuania: EU should step up security role in its East
In today's edition of the Capitals, find out more about the Polish, Lithuanian and Ukrainian presidents calling for sanctions to be imposed against Russia, Angela Merkel's 16-year-reign as German chancellor coming to an end on Thursday, and so much more.
EU-Western Balkans ministerial calls for closer cooperation to better manage migration
Home affairs officials from the EU and the Western Balkans meeting at Brdo estate on Thursday agreed on the need to improve the exchange of information and cooperation on the ground in the combat against organised crime, and terrorism and...
France rejects joint Channel border patrols with UK
French Prime Minister Jean Castex told his British counterpart Boris Johnson that the UK held "a large part of the solution" to the Channel migrant crisis and rejected the idea of joint border patrols, according to a leaked letter.
EU home affairs chief praises Croatia’s handling of border violence scandal
EU Commission home affairs chief Ylva Johansson has welcomed Croatia's handling of media revelations showing border officers beating migrants despite NGO reports of continuing violence at the border with Bosnia.
Pécresse emerges as favourite to win French centre-right’s presidential ticket
Valérie Pécresse, a veteran politician who served as minister under former President Nicolas Sarkozy, will go into a runoff as favourite to be picked as the centre-right Les Républicains’ candidate in the French presidential election in April. Pécresse will face...