Euractiv.com

From France to Poland and Germany, tractors are taking to the streets, raising fears among national governments that farmers, usually seen as a more conservative part of the electorate, may become a potential voting pool for the far right.

The European Commission is slowly digesting Spain’s unprecedented request for it to mediate between the country's main political parties and help renew the highest judicial authority, deadlocked for years, in yet another political mess that is hurting Madrid's credibility on the EU stage. 

The lack of a legal underpinning for the ‘Spitzenkandidaten process’ allowed the European Council in 2019 to ignore the successful 2014 precedent. The next European Parliament election in June might possibly be able to mend this shortcoming, writes Dick Roche.

A year after a universal ban on per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) was proposed in the EU, a new study found that PFAS affect people as early as the fetal stage of development. 

The Belgian presidency of the EU Council of Ministers proposed changing the internal structure of the EU institution dealing with digital matters to make Europe's voice better heard at the international level.

Education Minister Gabriel Attal was appointed France's prime minister on Tuesday (9 January), just months ahead of EU elections, in the hope of setting a new clear political line after heavy political instability that had sapped President Emmanuel Macron's popularity.

The European Commission announced on Tuesday (9 January) that it is examining the nature of the relationship between tech multinational Microsoft and ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, as the recent ousting and reinstatement of the latter's CEO highlighted the companies' close connection.

Germany’s power sector emissions dropped to their lowest level in 70 years in 2023 while moving past the 50% threshold for renewable electricity production for the first time. However, this is partly attributed to falling industrial production, casting doubt on the country's performance.

France's main energy priorities for 2030 largely promote nuclear power as a way of ditching fossil fuels while failing to mention the EU's renewable energy targets.

As Belgium takes over the rotating EU Council presidency, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said the country's experience with national political hurdles will guide the bloc through the many challenges of the upcoming six-month-long election run-up.

The nationalist leader of Bosnia's post-war Serb region said on Monday (8 January) he had no plans to seek secession, appearing to step back from earlier calls for a breakaway republic just as the United States stepped up pressure against him.

In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about the French prime minister resigining, Sweden's civil defence minister warning of possible war in the country, and so much more.

Bulgarian security removed concertgoers waving Ukrainian flags at the concert of Russian rock group DDT and got aggressive in the process, claimed Russian opposition activist Yevgeni Chupov, who was granted refugee status in Bulgaria in 2021.

Profound and essential changes must be made in all spheres of life for Serbia to continue progressing, said Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, adding that balancing relations with the EU, Russia, and China will be key.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Monday (8 January) the majority of countries in the European Union were not delivering sufficient weapons to Ukraine to help it battle a Russian invasion, calling upon allies to increase their efforts.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is calling for an anti-hate speech rally in Gdańsk on Saturday in a move to justify his public media policies, which have divided Polish society and raised serious concerns among media freedom organisations.

Fico’s coalition pick and an independent candidate are likely to face off in the upcoming presidential elections, which Slovak parliament speaker Peter Pellegrini announced on Monday will be held in two rounds on 23 March and 6 April.

Italy’s left-wing opposition parties requested Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to take action and even disband the group of far-right militants who on Sunday commemorated the death of three former members and were seen making fascist salutes during a rally in Rome. 

Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, voter suppression in the US, and democracy backsliding in Hungary and Poland all highlight the importance of a robust and healthy democracy, which must never be taken for granted, writes the European Democracy Consulting Stiftung.

Former Finnish EU Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen, who recently left her post to stand as the Social Democratic Party's presidential candidate, is not faring so well with voters, a EuropeElects projection commissioned by Euractiv ahead of the elections at the end of January shows.