In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about Czechia’s ANO opposing a second von der Leyen mandate, former president Nicolas Sarkozy criticising current president Emmanuel Macron for dissolving parliament, and so much more.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Hanoi this week, multiple officials said, highlighting Communist-ruled Vietnam's loyalty to Russia and triggering a US rebuke.

Global concerns about the use of AI in news production and misinformation are growing, a report published by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism found, posing fresh challenges to newsrooms already struggling to engage audiences.

Romanian right-wing populist and nationalist AUR leader George Simion on Saturday became the first politician to announce his candidacy for the Romanian presidency, expressing his desire to serve all Romanians and strongly criticising Austria for blocking full Schengen membership to Romania.

Boyko Borissov, the leader of Bulgaria's centre-right GERB party who won Bulgaria's snap parliamentary elections last weekend, has given his future partners a one-week ultimatum to form a ruling coalition and elect a new government - or face another snap election.

Slovakia's new President, Peter Pellegrini, announced plans to visit all its neighbours and war-torn Ukraine in his first official interview on Sunday, where he also stressed the importance of NATO and the EU's "protective umbrella" for the country's security.

In the midst of political transition, collaboration across the food system is vital Europe is entering a new era of politics, with the results of the European elections of 6-9 June set to make a huge impact across the European Union and beyond. This will no doubt have consequences for Europe’s (and as a result, our global) food system. A new cohort of MEPs will be ushered in against the backdrop of widespread farmer protests, driven by frustration at a lack of opportunities and economic support, as well as a perception that suppliers outside of Europe are not subject to the same strict requirements. But despite tensions, our food system is transforming, both within and outside of traditional decision-making fora. For the incoming European Parliament, speed and scale are of the essence, and there is an urgent need to support actors across our whole food system – including farmers, investors, innovators, and consumers – by creating the optimum policy environment for positive changes to take shape.

The populist ANO party, which won the European elections in Czechia and is also the second-largest national delegation in the Renew Europe group after France with seven seats, is opposed to Ursula von der Leyen heading the European Commission for a second term as president.

Ilaria Salis, an Italian anti-fascist activist on trial in Hungary for allegedly attacking neo-Nazis last year, returned to Italy on Saturday after being released from house arrest a few days earlier following her election as a member of the new European Parliament.

The Spanish government has no intention of calling snap elections before the 2027 general election, even if Catalan separatists withdraw their support from the executive and the 2025 national budget is not approved, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (PSOE/S&D) said in an interview on Sunday.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expects Ursula von der Leyen to be re-elected as President of the European Commission after emerging as a strong contender from the EU elections while reiterating his pre-conditions to nominate his fellow countrywoman.

France's centre-right former president Nicolas Sarkozy has spoken out against current President Emmanuel Macron's decision to dissolve the National Assembly following his crushing defeat to Marine Le Pen’s far-right Rassemblement National in the European elections.

Opposing rallies took place in Kyiv on Sunday (16 June), illustrating persisting divisions in Ukrainian society on the issue of LGBTQ rights.

The new Apple and OpenAI partnership aiming to ingrate ChatGPT into Apple's operating systems, virtual assistant, and writing tools poses important questions about competition and privacy, experts told Euractiv.

Russian special forces freed two prison guards and shot dead six inmates linked to the Islamic State militant group who had taken them hostage at a detention centre in the southern city of Rostov on Sunday (16 June), Russian media said.

European environment ministers will gather in Luxembourg this morning (17 June) for the final Environment Council meeting of Belgium's EU Council Presidency, aiming to progress several outstanding Green Deal files.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised plans announced by the military on Sunday(16 June) to hold daily tactical pauses in fighting along one of the main roads into Gaza to facilitate aid delivery into the Palestinian enclave.

As EU leaders meet on Monday (17 June) evening to discuss the bloc's top institutional jobs after the European election, a quick 'political agreement' might be in the cards.

Today, the heads of state and government of the 27 European Union member states will meet at an informal European Council dinner, and one of the topics on the agenda will be who will take the top jobs in the next Commission.

Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler announced that Austria would support the Nature Restoration Law, on Sunday (16 June), in the following day’s meeting with her 26 EU counterparts, opening the possibility that the contested text may be approved into European law