European Union

In today's edition of the Capitals, find out more about Prague suing China for the low quality FFP2 respirators purchased during the coronavirus pandemic, how PM Sanchez is looking to talk with the opposition to create unity against the virus, and so much more.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic reiterated on Wednesday (26 August) that Belgrade’s stance was “the absolute adherence to the Dayton agreement” and the preservation of Republika Srpska (RS) in the way that is envisaged in that peace agreement. After the meeting...

Montenegrin police have received data that individuals and groups plan to cause incidents and unrest on the day of parliamentary elections set for Sunday (30 August), said Veselin Veljović, the director of Montenegrin police. “Our findings indicate that these people...

Croatia’s Andrej Plenković told foreign diplomats at a reception that he expects “intensive and open communication in the years to come”. Plenković also hopes his peers will help towards “strengthening the economy” and building “a tolerant society and resolving open...

Justice Minister Danail Kirilov filed his resignation on Wednesday after a talk with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov. The PM will decide whether to accept Kirilov’s resignation following talks with coalition partners, after which parliament will have to vote on his...

It is in the best interest of Poland that a sovereign Belarus can decide its fate, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Wednesday (26 August) after parliamentary cross-party talks focused on the situation in Poland’s eastern neighbour. Morawiecki said that...

The solar auction at which 670 megawatts (MW) were awarded broke “a new world record” with the price of €11.14 MW-hour (MW/h), announced Portugal’s Environment Minister João Pedro Matos Fernandes at a press conference in Lisbon. “The auction was in...

Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is set to meet the heads of the country’s main opposition forces in parliament, official sources announced on Wednesday. The Spanish PM will meet the leader of the Partido Popular (PP), Pablo Casado, on 2...

On Wednesday (26 August) the Italian government held a summit attended by ministers and regional governors on the reopening of schools. For now, the country’s education ministry has published the details of many of the safety protocols for the new...

Finnish President Sauli Niinistö has expressed growing concern over the way the EU is stretching the limits of its treaties. Speaking at the Ambassadors’ Conference on Tuesday (25 August), Niinistö pointed out that there is a growing gap between the...

According to the latest update from Belgium’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Belgians can no longer travel to several new regions in France and Spain, which have been declared a ‘red zone’. At the same time, the EU’s capital has been...

French president Emmanuel Macron has proposed a roadmap for Lebanon, describing the political and economic reforms needed to avoid a "power vacuum" in France's former colony, Reuters reports. The measures include an audit of the central bank, appointment of an interim government capable of carrying out rapid reforms, and legislative elections within a year. "The priority must go to the rapid formation of a government," the leaked French paper reads.

After Austria’s Constitutional Court ruled that previous coronavirus measures were illegal, the country’s Health Minister Rudolf Anschober (Greens) promised to rework the regulations and reorganise his ministry. The Austrian government is now preparing legislation in the event that the country...

The Berlin Senate on Wednesday (26 August) banned several demonstrations against Germany’s coronavirus measures planned for this weekend. Organisers had planned to march through the central parts of the city, and had expected 17,000 people in attendance. This would have...

European pharmaceuticals firms are lobbying to protect Covid-19 vaccine makers against legal risks from side-effects, the Financial Times reported. Vaccines Europe, a division of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, has called for a "comprehensive system of no-fault and non-adversarial compensation, and exemption from civil liability". However, EU liability rules consider vaccine makers and other manufactures responsible for the products they put into the market.

French President Emmanuel Macron has created a roadmap for Lebanese politicians outlining political and financial reforms needed to unlock foreign aid and rescue the country from multiple crises including an economic meltdown.

The escalating row over maritime borders and natural gas reserves that has pitted Turkey against Greece and the rest of the EU has put the bloc's fragmented, meandering foreign policy to its gravest test in years.

Russia on Wednesday (26 August) voiced fears over EU plans for carbon taxes on imports from countries outside the bloc, a move that would hit hard a country heavily dependent on hydrocarbons trade.

EU trade commissioner resigned after Irish government accused him of undermining "the whole approach to public health in Ireland" by flouting anti-coronavirus rules.

Phil Hogan, the EU trade commissioner who resigned on Wednesday (26 August), was a "big beast" of Irish politics whose bullish demeanour was matched by a nimble talent for backroom manoeuvring.