Politics Archives

In today's news from the Capitals, find out more about Lithuania's government welcoming NATO's updated defence plans for Poland and the Baltic states, Spain losing about €8 billion to tourism in the month of May alone, and so much more.

Croatians will choose their next prime minister in a parliamentary election on Sunday  (5 July) pitting conservative incumbent Andrej Plenković against the centre-left opposition leader Davor Bernardić.

The prospects of a post-Brexit EU-UK trade deal being brokered this year suffered a new setback on Thursday (2 July) as the first round of in-person talks since the coronavirus pandemic broke up a day earlier with both sides citing ‘significant disagreements’.

As vacuous slogans go, ‘Global Britain’, launched when Theresa May took over Brexit Britain from David Cameron in 2016, has been hard to beat. In 2018, UK lawmakers urged the government to set out what its international partners could expect from …

For the first time since 2015, the number of asylum applications filed in the EU rose last year compared to the previous year. The German EU Council Presidency is pressing for reforms to the system, but the Commission's proposals are still some way off. EURACTIV Germany reports.

In today's edition of the Capitals, find out about how snus trafficking being linked to the increase of COVID-19 cases in Finland, how the Serbian president is urging the country to work, not lockdown, and so much more.

The European Union must prepare for the possibility that talks with Britain on their post-Brexit relationship could fail, Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Wednesday (1 July) as Germany took the helm of the bloc's rotating presidency.

With Germany taking the helm of the EU Council, there is a unique opportunity to revive the cooperation format between Berlin, Paris and Warsaw.

The coronavirus pandemic risks creating new problems and uncertainty for potential applicants to the UK's EU Settlement Scheme and those who have already been given pre-settled status, citizens’ rights groups have warned Boris Johnson's government.

As Germany took over the EU Council Presidency on Wednesday (1 July), Economy Minister Peter Altmaier (CDU) presented plans for reorienting the bloc's economic policy, signalling Germany's commitment towards non-EU countries and confirming the focus on the digital and green economy. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Almost two-thirds of EU lawmakers do not report meetings with lobbyists, according to a Transparency International (TI) analysis of collected data on lobby meetings published by MEPs on the European Parliament website.

Data needs to continue to flow between the UK and the EU. The EU should limit safeguards to only those needed to protect personal data,  writes Andrea Giuricin.

Italy’s ruling parties are still bickering over whether to make use of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) to recover from the COVID-19 crisis.

Germany takes over the European Union's six-month presidency Wednesday (1 July), with outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel staking her legacy on a massive economic recovery plan to help the bloc cope with the coronavirus fallout.

Germany takes over the rotating six-month Presidency of the Council of the European Union on 1 July. This responsibility comes at a time when the EU is facing unprecedented challenges and expectations of Germany's leadership and diplomatic skills are higher than ever.

COVID-19 has shown that migrants are essential workers but still face discrimination, argues Maria Nyman

After the sound and fury from Karlsruhe in May, the German Constitutional Court’s misguided attempt to rage against the European machine appears to have ended with something of a whimper.

Belgium's King Philippe expressed his "deepest regrets" on Tuesday (29 June) for the harm done during the Belgian colonial rule in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in the first such admission for his country, after last month's death of African American George Floyd rekindled the debate in Belgium about its colonial past.

On Sunday (28 June) almost 20 million Poles went to the polls to choose their head of state, who has not many prerogatives. Yet in a country ruled by symbols, the presidency symbolism is of utmost importance. Holding the it is the ultimate proof for any political party of their power and popularity. Piotr Kaczyński looks into whether the Law and Justice's (PiS) rule could continue.

In today's edition of the Capitals, find out more about the radiation leak that is worrying the Nordics and the Baltics, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković confirming that "everything that was possible was achieved given the circumstances" the country's EU presidency.

The UK has earmarked September as its deadline for agreeing on a new trade deal with the EU after negotiators held their first face-to-face meetings since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

In a show of unity, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel met on Monday (29 June) and reaffirmed their commitment to the EU Recovery Fund, voicing hope that EU leaders would overcome their current differences. EURACTIV Germany reports.

What is it with Eastern Europe and the rush to the polling stations as soon as the lockdown measures were relaxed?