European Union

In view of the situation in Belarus and the repressive acts against prominent IT professionals, Latvia and Lithuania see the chance to attract companies that no longer feel safe there. Latvia, in particular, has low bureaucratic hurdles and, according to the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA), some companies have already committed to relocating there. Nervous anticipation can be seen in the Baltic press.

Navalny has given the news magazine Der Spiegel his first extensive interview after being poisoned. He accuses Putin of being personally responsible for the attack and announced that he would return to Russia and continue his political struggle. Putin's press officer Dmitry Peskov reacted with the counteraccusation that Navalny was receiving instructions from the CIA.

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.

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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...