Euractiv.com

In today's edition of the Capitals, read about Italy's spyware scandal, Bulgaria's chance to join the Eurozone, and so much more.

The first round of the presidential election is scheduled for 4 May.

Key problem remains inflation exceeding Maastricht reference by 0.03%.

Commission spokesperson maintains that national authorities are be responsible for investigating such cases, not the EU executive.

And France's foreign interference head spoke against EU Democracy Shield ambition, favours sharing best-practices instead.

Slovak government has faced defections from both coalition partners.

Poland will maintain its support for Ukraine through organisation, financial aid, humanitarian assistance, and military aid.

Greater flexibility will help Portugal boost its military capacity without affecting other sectors.

Pedro Sánchez’s administration plans to increase military spending to 2% by 2029.

Starmer also called on EU to step up in its Ukraine spending.

Officials argue that the current framework is based on unrealistic expectations.

Member states collectively spent €36 billion on LNG imports before December 2024, with nearly half of the money going to the US.

One in seven Polish healthcare professionals has experienced suicidal thoughts in the past 30 days, sparking calls for urgent systemic mental health support.

The Dutch healthcare institute has called out drug manufacturers for allegedly withholding information. A spokesperson for Gilead told Euractiv they already submitted a comprehensive dossier.

"If you believe there are going to be thirty-three people sitting at the same table (...) in all probability, the answer is no, not at all," Kellogg said.

Europe can’t just hold out for four years, hoping for the return of another Biden-like figure.

But member states, health experts, and the traditional tobacco industry itself have called on the Commission to act.

Both Poland and Spain have said they would need more assurances before making a decision.

Capability targets are essential to coordinate military build-up across Europe.

Commission does not exclude AI in the workplace legislation with humans at the centre.