European Union

Russia said on Thursday (31 March) it had greatly expanded the number of European Union officials, lawmakers, public figures and journalists barred from entering Russia, giving as the reason their responsibility for sanctions and for stoking anti-Russian feelings.

In today's edition of the Capitals, find out more about two Danish companies leaving Russia, an Albanian MP getting arrested in a government scandal, and so much more.

EU leaders will press their Chinese counterparts on Beijing's position and potential role amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine in a virtual meeting on Friday (1 April), marking the first EU-China summit since June 2020.

Poland’s recovery plan will not get EU approval anytime soon, experts believe, despite media reports that the European Commission may give a green light next week for payments from the fund allocated to Poland. So far, the Commission has withheld...

The war in Ukraine has “pressed the pause button” on the EU’s flagship food policy, the Farm to Fork strategy, but the long term ambition for the sector remains unchanged, according to the EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides.

Croatian President Zoran Milanović said he did not wish to comment on Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman has called a war criminal. Asked by the press to comment on Grlić Radman’s qualification, Milanović said,...

An increasing number of independent Russian journalists are fleeing their country, seeking protection in Europe, Secretary-General and Director-General of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Christophe Deloire told EURACTIV in an interview.

The Slovenian government has capped the wholesale price of regular petrol and diesel in a move that came just weeks after retail prices were brought back under government control. With wholesale prices frozen at €1.483 per litre of petrol and...

Election silence started at midnight on 31 March, as parliamentary, presidential and local elections in Belgrade, the city of Bor and 10 other municipalities are taking place in Serbia on Sunday. In the snap general election, citizens will be able...

Serb ministers in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Council of Ministers blocked a decision to deny access for Russia and Belarus to funds from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and Presidency member Milorad Dodik announced strengthening energy cooperation with...

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today with Macedonian Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski via phone and thanked him for his support for Ukraine as well as Afghan refugees. The Secretary thanked North Macedonia for its unwavering and steadfast support...

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani has signed an amendment to the country’s grant agreement with the United States which provides for another $32 million in development grant money. “The continued support of the United States in Kosovo is a testament to...

Authorities in Tirana have now arrested Alqi Bllako, a former socialist member of parliament, for his alleged involvement in a €430 million government scandal. Over the last few days, an arrest warrant was issued for Bllako, he resigned thus removing...

It is worth testing the transnational electoral lists during the next EP election because the current model is a “hybrid”. Still, the danger lies in empowering populists, a former influential Czech MEP warned. The European Parliament is currently discussing how...

Discussing further aid for Ukraine, strengthening defence and deterrence, and how to strategically coordinate between NATO and the EU, ministers confirmed their “unity” over the response to the war. Slovak Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Ivan Korčok held a...

Portuguese company EDP has announced on Thursday that it will acquire Polish solar energy company Soon Energy, which has more than 25 megawatt-peak (MWp) installed in projects across Poland, without disclosing the value of the deal. “With the acquisition of...

Belgian police used tasers to stun a panda bear which vaulted the gates of the Chinese EU embassy in Brussels and wreaked havoc in neighbouring gardens early Friday.

Italy is preparing for a return to normality from 1 April as the state of COVID-19 emergency in the country came to an end on Thursday. While the number of COVID-19 cases remains high, Italians will no longer have to...

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Russia is consolidating and preparing "powerful strikes" in the country's south, including besieged Mariupol, where a new attempt will be made Friday (1 April) to evacuate civilians from the devastated city.

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said on Thursday he has no indication that Prime Minister António Costa is thinking of leaving his post in the middle of the legislature, denying any “irritation” between the two. Asked by journalists at...