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The Conference on the Future of Europe is at a crossroads. The decisive question is: will the Conference Plenary be able and willing to take charge of this Conference, develop a parliament-like dynamic and include perspectives previously excluded, or will it remain an exclusionary political talking shop and risk enabling the extreme right? 

In today's edition of the Capitals, find out more about former EU Commissioner Phil Hogan saying he will seek compensation from the EU, the Polish media board saying agreeing to grant public TV broadcaster another giant fund, and so much more.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the deployment of troops to two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine after recognising them as independent on Monday (21 February), accelerating a crisis the West fears could unleash a major war.

The European Commission is looking at ways of building up infrastructure for transporting and permanently storing CO2 underground as well as recycling carbon into new products.

Germany has finally submitted its national strategic plan for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform, almost two months after the deadline set by the European Commission - but without any major overhaul after the recent government change.

The lengthy televised speech of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday (21 February) in which he recognised the two separatist regions of Donetsk and Lugansk as independent, provides an opportunity to judge his rationale – and possibly to second-guess his attitude concerning other parts of the former Soviet empire.

Slovenia and Hungary have signed an agreement to develop the border areas populated by the countries’ respective minorities, with Prime Minister Janez Janša and Hungary’s Viktor Orbán labelling the minorities as a bridge of cooperation. A total of €5 million...

Former Construction Minister Darko Horvat, who resigned Saturday following his arrest on suspicion of abuse of office, plans to take his seat in parliament, his lawyer confirmed to Hina. Horvat might soon be released from detention a measure taken to...

Romania can receive ”a fairly large number” of refugees from Ukraine if Russia invades the country, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said Monday. Meanwhile, no Romanian national currently in Ukraine has requested repatriation, the prime minister also said so far. The...

Bulgaria will altogether abolish the green pass on 20 March and start easing many measures this week, Prime Minister Kiril Petkov announced on Monday. The decision came only two days before a national protest, organised by the far-right pro-Russian Vazrazhdane (Revival) party,...

The drought situation that the country is experiencing will be “the new normal”, due to climate change and mistakes made in agriculture, a sector that consumes 75% of water, argued the president of the League for the Protection of Nature...

The economy ministry has announced the first call for RES development projects from the recovery plan which they hope to publish in April. Those interested will be able to obtain funding for green energy and the modernisation of energy infrastructure...

Hungary would come under tremendous pressure if the situation in neighbouring Ukraine escalated, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Monday, calling for dialogue between the two countries. Orbán recalled the refugee wave following the conflict in Yugoslavia in the 1990s...

In this special report, EURACTIV looks at a fundamental component missing from the chips package the European Commission presented on 8 Febryary: How the EU executive will square its semiconductor ambitions with its other policies, such as the green agenda and upcoming restrictions on dangerous chemicals.

Poland’s public television, widely accused of being openly pro-government and spreading radical conservative propaganda, was granted nearly half a billion euros by the government on Monday. Earlier in February, Polish President Andrzej Duda signed the budget act for 2022, granting...

The European Parliament has declared foie gras production respectful of animal welfare criteria in a new report, despite previously demanding a ban on force-feeding, which was called “cruel and unnecessary”. EURACTIV explores what is behind this change of heart.

The dire environmental cost of semiconductor manufacturing, which is getting more problematic with every new generation of microchips, has been largely overlooked in the European Commission’s semiconductor package. The Chips Act, presented earlier this month, is part of an overall...

Olympia Dolla is Sustainable Construction Manager at EURIMA, the European Insulation Manufacturers Association. Europe has set out to be a world leader in the fight against climate change, showing others the way to climate neutrality by 2050. The construction industry...

The EU executive is considering different scenarios for natural gas supply if Russia partially or totally restricts its exports to Europe, EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson stressed on Monday at a conference in Madrid. The EU will hold a round...

A political quarrel between the leader of Spain’s conservative Popular Party, Pablo Casado, and the regional president of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, widely considered one of the party’s rising stars, spilt into a new week on Monday despite efforts to...