European Union

The EU published its first report on the situation of the rule of law in its member states on Wednesday. The Commission sees shortcomings in areas such as press freedom, the separation of powers and the fight against corruption, not only in Poland and Hungary, but also in countries like Bulgaria, Spain or Malta. However, commentators do not believe that this will have serious consequences for the states concerned.

Twenty-six years after the sinking of the MS Estonia, new footage is fuelling speculation about the cause of the disaster. It shows a four-metre hole in the starboard side of the ship's hull which, according to the chairman of the Estonian investigative committee, points to a collision with a submarine. The ferry sank in 1994 on its way from Tallinn to Stockholm, killing 852 people.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen announced on Friday a €720m deal to connect the Baltic states' energy grid with Poland, reducing energy dependence on Russia. The upcoming offshore energy strategy is expected to bring electricity from renewables to all countries around the Baltic Sea. Poland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia this week signed a declaration to accelerate the offshore wind capacities in the Baltic Sea.

National measures requiring mandatory labelling of origin and provenance for foodstuff are allowed under the EU law but needs to be justified, Europe's highest court has found.

A long-awaited update to the EU’s train passenger rights codex was finally brokered on Thursday (1 October) but the agreement has left consumer groups and rail advocates more than disappointed.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday (2 October) that he and his wife Melania had tested positive for COVID-19 and were going into quarantine, upending the race for the White House.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday (2 October) demanded that Turkey explain what he said was the arrival of jihadist fighters in Azerbaijan -- and urged NATO to face up to its ally's actions.

In today's edition of the Capitals, find out more about

The Portuguese government said it expects Brussels’ budgetary rules to remain suspended until at least 2022 when EU member states are expected to recover last year’s GDP. Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa told reporters on Thursday (1 October) he had...

In other news, the EU was still working with Serbia on the three-year sector budget support project, worth €80 million, the chief of the EU Delegation in Serbia, Sem Fabrizi told BETA News Agency on Thursday (1 October), stressing that...

Serbia could see a 3.5% drop in its GDP in 2020, followed by an 3% increase in 2021, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said in its latest forecast on the effects of the pandemic on the region,...

Slovenia’s Specialised State Prosecutor’s Office (SDT) filed an indictment against Prime Minister Janez Janša in the Ljubljana District Court on Thursday (1 October), daily Večer learned unofficially. The sitting prime minister is accused of abuse of office over a property sale...

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has already visited Greece, Italy and the Vatican as part of his European tour, is stopping in Dubrovnik on Friday (2 October), but will not be meeting with Croatia’s president, who ahead of...

Hungary, who has previously caused controversy over its relations with Azerbaijan, on Thursday (1 October) announced its backing for Baku, on the eve of an EU summit meant to deal with the escalating situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. “The Armenian-majority Nagorno-Karabakh lies...