ECR will not give von der Leyen “blank cheque” ahead elections, says Czech MEP
Est. 3minEuropean Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) do not intend to promise support for Ursula von der Leyen to continue as head of the European Commission, Czech MEP Alexandr Vondra told Euractiv Czechia in an exclusive interview.
Pandemic Agreement negotiations go into extra time
Est. 4minNegotiations on a new pandemic treaty were meant to have concluded on Friday(10 May) ahead of the World Health Assembly (WHA), which starts on 27th May. However, agreement has remained out of reach.
Israel lacks ‘credible plan’ to safeguard Rafah civilians, says Blinken
Est. 4minUS Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel lacked a "credible plan" to protect Palestinian civilians in Rafah and warned an Israeli attack could create an insurgency.
Ukrainian missile shot by Russia kills 15 in Belgorod apartment block
Est. 3minAt least 15 people were killed and 20 injured on Sunday (12 May) when a section of a Russian apartment block collapsed after being struck by fragments of a Soviet-era missile, launched by Ukraine and shot down by Russia, Russian officials said.
Putin taps civilian economist to run defense, replacing Shoigu in surprise move
Est. 5minRussian President Vladimir Putin tapped a civilian economist as his surprise new defence minister on Sunday (12 May) in an attempt to gird Russia for economic war by trying to better utilise the defence budget and harness greater innovation to win in Ukraine.
North Macedonia president stokes controversy at inauguration
Est. 5minNorth Macedonia's first woman president was inaugurated on Sunday (12 May), with the new nationalist leader angering Greece after a speech that did not acknowledge her country's new name.
Slovak parties largely united against scrapping the EU veto
Est. 3minSlovakia’s three main parliamentary parties reiterated their opposition to the possible abolition of the EU member states’ right of veto, saying it is crucial for Slovak sovereignty, candidates in the EU elections from the ruling Smer, Hlas and opposition SaS parties said in a televised debate on Sunday.
The Italian government is divided over Salvini’s plans to reintroduce conscription
Est. 2minLega leader and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini announced his party’s plans to reintroduce universal conscription at the recent Alpini parade in Vicenza, but Fratelli d’Italia Defence Minister Guido Crosetto -who was also present- voiced scepticism over the idea.
Polish PiS leader presents alternative euro exchange rate, defends zloty
Est. 3minThe leader of Poland’s conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, offered an alternative euro-to-zloty exchange rate as proof that Warsaw should not join the eurozone.
Socialist candidate wins election in Catalonia; not sure to lead the executive
Est. 3minThe leader of Catalonia’s socialist party (PSC) and former health minister, Salvador Illa, won Sunday’s elections, followed by the separatist JxCat formation of former regional president Carles Puigdemont and the left-wing pro-independence ERC party, but the socialist candidate is not certain to govern.
NGOs unite against EU’s rollback of green policies for the agrifood sector
Est. 5minHundreds of civil society organisations decried the recent reversal of EU sustainability policies for the bloc’s agrifood sector in an open letter published on May 13.
Maltese PM ‘proud’ of deputy PM, EU commissioner candidate charged with defrauding government
Est. 5minMalta’’s Prime Minister Robert Abela said both he and the country are proud of the work done by former deputy prime minister and minister for European Funds and the country’s EU commissioner candidate Chris Fearne who resigned after he was charged with defrauding the government through deceit and misappropriation of funds.
Lithuania’s Nausėda wins first round of presidential election
Est. 4minLithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda appeared on track to secure his second and final term in office after the first round of voting on Sunday (12 May), following a campaign focusing on security concerns across the Baltics amid Russia's war against Ukraine.
Manon Aubry slams French left division in the face of rising far-right in EU elections
Est. 4minIn an exclusive interview with Euractiv, French top candidate of La France insoumise (LFI, The Left) for the 2024 EU elections Manon Aubry, strongly critised a divided left in the face of a far-right at the top of the polls.
The struggle to put a price on climate change
Fossil fuel intensive industries will soon have to pay for their carbon emissions, according to the new Europe-wide carbon emissions trading scheme (ETS2).
French nuclear safety authority greenlights commissioning of Flamanville power plant
Est. 3minAfter a 12-year delay, France's first EPR has been greenlighted by the French nuclear safety authority as control procedures are set to speed up and simplify.
Fresh start for Belgrade-Pristina after the elections?
Est. 9minWelcome to EURACTIV’s Global Europe Brief, your weekly update on the EU from a global perspective. You can subscribe to receive our newsletter here. What seemed like a breakthrough a year ago is now facing a stalemate: Neither Belgrade nor Pristina …
Fighting rages in Kharkiv region, Russia touts gains
Est. 4minFierce fighting raged into a second day on the fringes of Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region on Saturday (11 May) as Moscow said it had captured five villages, while Kyiv said it was repulsing the attacks and battling for control of the settlements.
Switzerland wins Eurovision Song Contest amid Gaza protests
Est. 4minSwitzerland on Saturday (11 May) won the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Swedish host city Malmö, beating runner-up Croatia, after having been among bookmakers' top-three to win the competition.
Incumbent President in pole position in Sunday’s Lithuania election
Est. 3minLithuanians vote on Sunday (12 May) in a presidential election expected to hand a new term to incumbent Gitanas Nausėda, a staunch supporter of Ukraine in its two-year war with Russia, following a campaign focusing on security concerns in the Baltic states.
Tens of thousands rally in Tbilisi ahead of final reading of ‘foreign influence’ bill
Est. 5minTens of thousands of Georgians descended onto Tbilisi's Europe Square Saturday (11 May) in the latest mass protest against a "foreign influence" bill likened to repressive Russian legislation that has sparked outrage.
US says Israel’s use of weapons may have violated international law
Est. 5minThe Biden administration on Friday (10 May) said Israel's use of US-supplied weapons may have violated international humanitarian law during its military operation in Gaza, in its strongest criticism to date of Israel.
Polish farmers march against ‘green poison’ EU climate change rules
Est. 2minThousands of protesters marched through the streets of the Polish capital Warsaw on Friday (10 May) to show their opposition to European Union environmental regulations that farmers say are driving them out of business.
UN General Assembly backs Palestinian bid for membership
Est. 5minThe United Nations General Assembly on Friday (10 May) overwhelmingly backed a Palestinian bid to become a full UN member by recognizing it as qualified to join and recommending the UN Security Council "reconsider the matter favorably."