European Union

The first direct flight from Skopje to Athens took place on Thursday (1 November) after a 15-year “air embargo” in a sign that the two countries are determined to turn a new page in Balkan politics, after being locked in a diplomatic dispute over Skopje's official name.

British police are investigating "reasonable suspicion" that pro-Brexit campaigners received millions of illicit funds in 2016, as exit talks limp forward.

Following the example of Austria and Hungary, Prague is also mulling pulling out of a UN deal on migration aimed to better manage the flow of people - a move the UN called "bizarre".

The fate of Norway's conservative government under prime minister Erna Solberg could be decided by just one Christian Democrat member in a vote on Friday. Christian Democrat leader, Knut Arild Hareide, challenged Solberg's rule by suggesting his party move its support to a new Labour-led government, which would effectively shift the balance of power in parliament. The Christian Democrats are split down the middle ahead of the vote.

Macedonia's deputy prime minister, Bujar Osmani, was onboard when the first direct commercial flight between Greece and Macedonia in 12 years took off on Thursday evening. The twice-weekly service follows a deal between the two nations to end a 27-year name dispute, leading Macedonia to formally change its name to the Republic of North Macedonia. Greece's largest carrier, Aegean Airlines, will operate return flights twice weekly.

The European Banking Authority (EBA), the European Union's banking watchdog, publishes stress tests of 48 European banks on Friday, The last such test was published in 2016. Special focus will be on ailing Italian banks, but Deutsche Bank, Germany's biggest lender, is also set to be closely-watched after three years of losses.

Britain's serious crime agency launched an investigation on Thursday (1 November) into Brexit backer Arron Banks, over the true source of million of pounds in loans he gave to Leave.EU, one of the main campaign groups in the Brexit referendum.

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said on Thursday (1 November) he wanted to pull the Czech Republic out of a United Nations migration deal and would discuss this with his governing coalition partner, news website idnes.cz reported.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in Kyiv on Thursday (1 November) she was determined to uphold sanctions against Russia for its role in the Ukraine conflict.

French President Emmanuel Macron has warned Europe of a return to the 1930s because of the spread of a nationalist "leprosy" across the continent, in an interview published Thursday (1 November).

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised the EU's "hypocritical and hostile attitude" on Thursday (1 November) as he left for talks with four eastern European leaders in Bulgaria.

Europe's top banks will learn on Friday (2 November) how they have fared in their latest stress test, which could require some to raise capital or shed assets, with Italian lenders expected to come under close scrutiny.

The Danish Security and Intelligence Service has accused Iran of planning an attack against presumed members of an Iranian separatist movement in Denmark. At the end of September the police had carried out a major raid in the course of their investigation. Iran has denied the accusations. What line should Denmark and the EU adopt vis-à-vis Tehran?

After Merkel's announcement that she will not stand for election as leader of the CDU at the next party conference, Europe's leading politicians have expressed their respect for her decision and in particular her commitment to Europe. Europe's commentators also bid farewell to the German chancellor - although not all of them believe they will miss her.