Euractiv.com

Australia and the Netherlands said on Monday (14 March) they had begun joint legal action against Russia at the United Nations' aviation agency over the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 eight years ago.

Slovakia and Italy have called for adjusting the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), including a policy postponement and a reconsideration of the EU's green ambitions amid fears of food insecurity caused by the war in Ukraine.

The EU and the US should draw a clear red line between what is sanctioned and goods that can be continued to be traded with Russia, Kairat Torebayev, vice-minister of trade and integration of Kazakhstan, told EURACTIV.

The war in Ukraine has sparked an unprecedented level of unity within the European Union – not least in the context of its migration and asylum policies, an area notorious for the continuous bickering among member states, writes Marie De Somer.

The Council of 27 EU member states has agreed to extend the regulation establishing the EU Digital COVID Certificate by one year, until 30 June 2023, but the extension now needs to be negotiated with the European Parliament.

As Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, reporters already on the ground and international media organisations sound the alarm over journalists actively seeking routes into a war that they may not be prepared to cover. 

Rewatch this EURACTIV Virtual Conference to find out how long it will take until autonomous vehicles become the norm, and what is delaying progress. Discussed questions included: - Can the existing infrastructure be adapted to accommodate autonomous vehicles? - What are the most efficient technologies that can be deployed in a sustainable and ethical manner for making autonomous driving an everyday reality? - Is there harmonisation of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) across Europe, such as data standardisation and the extension of digital infrastructure, to ensure a seamless service for road users and to prepare for autonomous vehicles? - Are users aware of, and ready for, the challenges, like roads with mixed driver and driverless traffic?

Russia's attack on Ukraine is also being fought in the information space. While the narratives to justify the aggression have not changed significantly, the growing number of Russia's fake reports might be used to justify even more dramatic actions, a senior official of the EU's diplomatic service told EURACTIV.

As EU finance ministers meet on Tuesday (15 March) to discuss the proposal for a carbon border levy, they should look to protect the most vulnerable countries from being hit and work to phase out free allowances quicker, write Anne Gläser and Chiara Putaturo.

While human loss is a dramatic consequence of Russia's war in Ukraine, we should also watch the automotive industry as 7% of the EU's GDP and jobs are related to the sector, writes Federica Prandin.

Russia handed over two nuclear centrals, which require constant professional intendancy, to war dogs, who might not even be aware of the potential disastrous consequences of negligence, write Margaryta Khvostova, Denys Davydenko and Olga Lymar.

Ukraine's defence ministry on Saturday began using Clearview AI’s facial recognition technology, the company's chief executive told Reuters, after the U.S. startup offered to uncover Russian assailants, combat misinformation and identify the dead.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in cities across Germany on Sunday (13 March) to call for peace and protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine, police and organisers said.

The war in Ukraine is a tragedy that must be stopped or there will be a global food crisis, as fertiliser prices worldwide are already too high for many farmers, Russia's coal and fertiliser king Andrei Melnichenko said.

With ambitious decarbonisation targets and an ongoing energy price crisis, Europe is reconsidering the role of nuclear in its energy mix. But any nuclear renaissance will depend on state support and an evolving political landscape, explains Pierre Georges.

Turkish President RecepTayyip Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis agreed in talks on Sunday (13 March) to improve ties, despite the long-running disagreements between the two NATO members, Ankara said.

The European Commission's plan to reduce the EU's energy dependence on Russia is an important step in the right direction but it's not ambitious enough and should also consider an import ban, writes Kirsten Dunlop.

Russia’s aggression in Ukraine is prompting the district heating sector to look at other options than fossil gas, with the industry’s representative in Brussels underlining the huge untapped potential of waste heat coming from industry and data centres among the immediately available options.

With the Russian war in Ukraine, the European Union is looking at ways of accelerating the green transition and replace fossil gas in sectors like heating and power generation. Can district heating play a role?

In today's edition of the Capitals, find out more about Romanians panic-buying sunflower oil, the Dutch catering for non-Dutch speakers in their municipal elections, and so much more.