The liberal centrists in the European Parliament, already torn by internal rifts, have a new dilemma: the presence of Czech business mogul Andrej Babiš’s increasingly conservative ANO party, which counters their core values but may bring valuable seats in the EU elections.

Europe’s commitment to bolster its defence industry will not become autonomy overnight, but it is necessary to start now, Belgium’s Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder told Euractiv, as pressure mounts for the ‘old continent’ to step up its security.

Looking into how technology will impact the EU's telecom industry, the Commission has been put into writing its thoughts regarding a regulation of cloud providers and an updated version of the fair share tax.

The French parliament's European affairs committee adopted on Wednesday (14 February) a European resolution tabled by Nicolas Thierry (Europe Écologie Les Verts, NUPES) calling for a revised REACH regulation on hazardous chemicals in everyday products.

Israel will press ahead with an offensive against Hamas in Rafah, the last refuge for displaced Palestinians in southern Gaza, after allowing civilians to vacate the area, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday (14 February).

In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about Spain’s Sumar leader’s plan to condemn ‘international hypocrisy’ during her upcoming Palestine visit, the Greek Orthodox Church asking for a roll-call vote on the same-sex marriage bill, and so much more.

Watching a favourite influencer chow down on the latest fast food fad or cocktail may feel like entertainment, but those posts are likely adverts in disguise, the EU said Wednesday (14 February).

Cyprus could start producing its first natural gas as soon as 2026, and plans to participate in a high-powered electricity cable project linking the eastern Mediterranean to continental Europe, its energy minister told Reuters.

x

The chemical industry drives innovation, creates jobs, and manufactures the products that are indispensable to achieving long-term GHG emission reduction goals. A strong, competitive chemical sector in Europe is crucial to making the technologies needed for the European Green Deal.

Several social-democratic and liberal politicians will eventually join the AUR party, party leader George Simion announced on Wednesday, adding that they have not officially joined the party yet due to the potential risk of losing their current political mandates.

Croatian farmers are holding off on protests until they know the outcome of next week’s EU farmers’ meeting, and are organising another round of negotiations with the government to see if it will meet their demands, according to the Croatian Chamber of Agriculture’s (HPK) press release on Wednesday.

The “need to find a strategic buyer” for the Lukoil Neftochim refinery in Burgas and possibilities of reducing dependence on Russian gas and oil in the Balkan region were discussed by a Bulgarian government delegation during its visit to the US, the Finance Ministry said on Wednesday.

Germany said Wednesday (14 February) it would probably prolong the checks on its eastern border it launched last autumn to curb migration, and extend the controls to all borders when it hosts the Euro 2024 football tournament.

Despite new US sanctions against the Arctic LNG 2 project, Russian LNG exports to Europe have reached record levels. Russia continues to make money on LNG by avoiding sanctions through suspicious companies and corrupt links, writes Mykola Kolisnyk.

The European Commission has promised to speed up the approval of the reprogramming of Portugal’s National Strategic Plan for the implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), said the Portuguese Farmers’ Confederation, which met with Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski on Wednesday, but noted that the ball is now in the government’s court. 

Poland is expected to face further delays in receiving the first tranche of €6 million allocated under the Recovery and Resilience Plan as the government and the European Commission struggle with unresolved issues, Polish media reported.

Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders said Wednesday (14 February) he has asked a new official to revive talks on forming a Dutch government, almost three months since the election.

Sumar platform leader and Labour Minister Yolanda Díaz will travel to Palestine to sign several bilateral agreements, demand a ceasefire, and condemn the “hypocrisy” of the international community in the Middle East conflict, official sources confirmed on Wednesday.

With NATO defence ministers gathering in Brussels on Thursday (15 February), the meeting is being overshadowed by former US President Donald Trump’s recent remarks Washington might not protect European allies who are not spending enough on defence from a potential Russian attack.