European Union

Tattoo parlours across the European Union were in crisis on as a new rule came into force which effectively bans many of their most popular inks and which one artist described as like taking "taking the flour from a bakery."

From Monday, Slovaks can return undamaged plastic bottles and cans to supermarkets. Slovakia has become the first country in Central Europe and only the eighth country in the EU to introduce a deposit system of this kind. When purchasing a...

The rule of law was violated in Hungary and Poland, Czechia’s new EU Affairs Minister Mikuláš Bek (STAN, EPP) said in an interview for Hospodářské noviny. The country’s new five-party government led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS, ECR) does not...

Cities run by opposition mayors are running ever-increasing budget deficits due to the double hit of governing party decisions stripping them of revenue and higher costs resulting from sky-high energy prices. Capital district mayors of Újbuda and Óbuda, Imre László...

The United States, Norway, Britain and the EU warned Sudan's military on Tuesday (4 January) that they would not support a new prime minister unless a broad range of civilians are involved, threatening to withhold economic aid.

The rate of deaths due to COVID have remained high for months now, as Greece reported on Tuesday a new record of 50,126 new cases. Another 61 people died, while the number of intubated patients reached 619. In total, Greece...

The number of mobile early voting stations will be doubled for the next legislative elections as COVID-19 cases increase, said Portugal’s assistant secretary of state and internal administration on Tuesday. The assistant secretary of state spoke to journalists at Quinta do Grajal...

Spain saw the largest annual unemployment reduction of over 20% in 2021 compared to 2020, the most significant drop since January 2007 EURACTIV’s partner EFE reported. A total of 3.1 million people registered as unemployed with the public employment services (SEPE) by December, 782,323...

Pressure to boycott the Winter Olympics in Beijing over China’s human rights situation is looming over the social democrat government as more parties in parliament are voicing their concern. A number of countries, including the US, Australia, Belgium and the UK,...

Irish President Michael D. Higgins has written to the 14 other members of the Arraiolos Group, urging support for waiving COVID-19 vaccine patents and increasing the rollout of vaccinations globally. In a letter to the group, comprised of the non-executive...

A significant rise in COVID-19 testing in December saw the French state’s bill rise to €1 billion, according to newspaper Les Echos. In total, about 30 million antigenic or PCR tests were used to test people in France in December, of which...

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell arrived in Ukraine Tuesday (4 January) in a show of support for Kyiv, as the West warns Russia against launching any attacks on its ex-Soviet neighbour.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier, formerly a leading Social Democrat (SPD) politician, is now officially set for a second term in Berlin’s iconic Bellevue palace as the Greens have opted to put their weight behind him. The position of president of Germany is...

The European Greens are currently assessing whether to follow the Austrian example and sue the European Commission over the EU taxonomy rules that could label nuclear energy and gas as ‘green’ energy sources. “We, as the European Greens, are considering...

Member states are not enthusiastic about EU integration, hinting that France could be among them, according to Albania’s chief negotiator with the European Union, Zef Mazi. Albania and North Macedonia are currently coupled together in terms of their EU accession....

The EU’s “insane climate policy” must be rejected for electricity bills to fall, said Poland’s Justice Minister and leader of Solidarna Polska, Zbigniew Ziobro, on Twitter. Doing so would see bills fall by 60% he added, noting that the European People’s...

With COVID-19 cases increasing across the country, the vote for Italy’s new president, who is to be elected by the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate on 24 January, is becoming problematic. On Monday, Chamber of deputies’ chair Roberto Figo...

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev accepted the government's resignation on Wednesday (5 January), his office said, after a fuel price increase in the oil-rich Central Asian country triggered protests in which nearly 100 police were injured.

Recent statements from within the Green party, a member of the ruling coalition, suggest that Finnish NATO membership could be on the cards in as little as five years. The apparent change in tune marks a shift in the position...

French opposition MPs have managed to suspend a parliamentary session meant to discuss a bill on the so-called "vaccine pass", throwing off course President Emmanuel Macron's ruling party's plans to quickly push it through