European Union

The Albanian government has lifted all pandemic-related restrictions for foreign tourists visiting the country, exit.al reported. Visiting Albania as of 1 June will not require a COVID-19 test, an antibody test, a vaccine passport or any other document related to...

Montenegro on Saturday opened its borders to EU and Israeli citizens, who will be able to enter the country without having to fulfil COVID-19-related requirements, the government decided at a meeting on Friday. The decision comes ahead of the tourist...

Belgrade’s Torlak Institute for Virology, Vaccines and Serums officially launched the production of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine late on Friday, making Serbia the first state in Europe to be producing the Russian vaccine. The launch was welcomed by Serbian President...

The Slovenian parliament has passed amendments to the penal code that redefine sexual consent in line with the concept “only yes means yes”, a profound change compared to the current system in which rape was only legally considered rape if...

Board Chairman of Russia’s state-run natural gas monopoly Gazprom, Alexei Miller, confirmed that Slovakia has a stable position in Gazprom’s strategic plans in the meeting at the 24th International Economic Forum (SPIEF) with Slovak Economy Minister Richard Sulík and Foreign...

Thousands have protested against Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz and its push for building a campus of the Chinese Fudan University in Budapest in the first large anti-government demonstration in Hungary for a long time. The Chinese investment put...

Czech environmental organisations are calling for an immediate halt to the construction of a lookout tower on the top of Králický Sněžník, a mountain located on the border between Czechia and Poland. They say the tower, which has been under...

Polish politician Ryszard Terlecki, a prominent member of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, has told Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya to “seek help in Moscow”. Terlecki’s comments came after Tsikhanouskaya participated in the celebrations of the 32nd anniversary of...

It is necessary to review the European Union’s Stability Pact before the end of its suspension, and to find a “harmonious and long-term vision between countries”, even if it is necessary “to be very attentive to the risks of inflation”,...

Continuing travel restrictions imposed by Finland are causing tensions between the neighbouring countries across the Gulf of Finland, prompting Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas to hold talks on Friday with the ambassador of Finland. Kallas called the restrictions “not proportionate.”...

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz attended the Economic Forum in St. Petersburg as the only EU leader amid increasing tensions between Russia and the EU. Kurz defended EU sanctions against Belarus but refrained from direct criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin. ...

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received on Sunday (6 June) a delegation of the mostly Turkish-Bulgarian Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF). The delegation visit was led by DPS leader Mustafa Karadayi and included MEP Ilhan Kyuchuk. MRF has three...

The UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, met with finance ministers in London this weekend, with discussions leading to a historic agreement that G7 nations will mandate climate reporting in line with the recommendations of the global Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). EURACTIV's media partner edie.net reports.

Unambitious coal phase-out policies in central and eastern Europe threaten the just transition in the region and the European Commission should only accept plans that use the just transition fund to develop and diversify local economies for a greener future, writes Alexandru Mustață.

Ten EU member states are planning to switch to deposit schemes for beverage container recycling in order to meet new Green Deal requirements. Germany has 20 years of experiencing in operating the world’s largest such scheme.

The Covid-19 pandemic was responsible for its postponement but, with the health situation on the continent gradually improving, the delayed Euro 2020 finally kicks off on Friday (11 June) in Rome.

Italy's co-ruling 5-Star Movement has resolved a long-running internal legal battle, paving the way for former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to take over as leader of the divided party and try to revive its fortunes.

The European Commission wants member states to adopt measures to support workers’ hiring and retraining in the aftermath of the pandemic, as the green and digital transitions will shake up a European job market already in pain because of COVID-19.

The price of clean hydrogen can be cut drastically by mid-century if the EU creates a dedicated market structure to develop the fuel, according to the industry. Environmental groups, meanwhile, are sceptical about the emergence of a hydrogen economy.

Kazakhstan on Saturday (5 June) dismissed a senior Russian official's idea of a joint response to Western sanctions against Moscow and its allies such as Belarus by a Russia-led post-Soviet trade bloc.