European Union

Serbia will begin vaccinating people against Covid-19 on Thursday (24 December), President Aleksandar Vučić said Wednesday, making the Balkan state one of the first in Europe to launch a campaign with the Pfizer-BioNTech shot.

Agriculture ministers have prompted the EU executive to prioritise products of animal origin if a mandatory indication of food origin will be included in the upcoming proposal for EU-wide front-of-pack labelling.

2020 did not bring significant progress for the agenda of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and the COVID19 pandemic even caused significant setbacks for women's rights, writes Brigitta von Messling.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday (23 December)  blasted the top European rights court's call for Turkey to release Kurdish political leader Selahattin Demirtaş after four years in jail.

Following the conditional approval for the first coronavirus vaccine, EU states plan to begin their vaccination programmes on December 27. "We are adding an important chapter to our fight against Covid-19," said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen after the decision. Europe's press also sees the move as a milestone.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has apparently obtained a confession from one of the agents involved in the poison attack against him. Last week the media reported a murder plot involving eight FSB agents. Posing as an advisor to the Russian Security Council chief on the phone, Navalny learned details of the attack and posted a recording of the conversation on YouTube.

Belarusia's President Alexander Lukashenka can apparently now count on the support of the Russian National Guard. On Friday, the Interior Ministry published a cooperation agreement initially including military training and joint exercises. What does this agreement say about the political situation in Belarus, and how should the EU react?

All Europe's states are struggling with high coronavirus infection rates, and everywhere the rules have been tightened in recent weeks. Many people won't be able to celebrate Christmas as they are used to doing this year. Commentators offer some tips for the Christmas holidays.