On the 25th Rare Disease Day, three representatives of the rare disease community consider how to maximise the potential of the EU’s Joint Clinical Assessment to accelerate patient access to ATMPs.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday (29 February) that Western support for Ukraine risks triggering a global war, in his most explicit threat to use nuclear weapons since he ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago.

The vote comes amid mounting pressure on the EIB to increase its defence-related investments following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The European Parliament wants to use TikTok for the EU elections in June, Despite previous bans due to cybersecurity worries.

In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about Sweden being ‘on its toes’ after Russia pledged countermeasures over its NATO bid, Bulgaria becoming the main route for Russian gas imports to the EU and Ukraine in 2025, and so much more.

The rest of this decade will see deeper integration of EU electricity grids to enable a sharing of renewables across the bloc - and with, a power boost for the Ljubljana-based EU energy watchdog ACER.

Hundreds of thousands of Greeks took to the streets of Athens on Wednesday (28 February) as the Mediterranean country marked a year since a deadly train accident killed 57 people amid complaints that the authorities are trying to cover up those responsible.

Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny's funeral will be held in Moscow on Friday (1 March), his wife Yulia announced, but she said she was unsure if it would pass off peacefully and that plans for a civil memorial service had been blocked.

The ruling majority in parliament refused on Wednesday to dissolve the sabor and call elections, despite demands from the opposition, which has vowed to protest in retaliation.

Two emergency ordinances aimed at establishing state aid programs to partially compensate losses suffered by beekeepers and farmers were passed by the government on Thursday in response to the crisis triggered by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

With the expected end of Russian gas transit through Ukraine at the end of this year, the Balkan Stream gas pipeline through Bulgaria will become the main supply route for the EU and Ukraine, as discussed during the visit of the EU’s top energy official, Ditte Juul Jorgensen, to the dispatch centre of state-owned gas company Bulgartransgaz (BTG).

The Chamber of Deputies refused to amend the law to allow same-sex marriage, instead approving only same-sex ‘partnerships’ with limited rights.

While the EU auditors find that the European Commission´s annual rule of law reporting lacks transparency and accountability, EU lawmakers have voiced concerns about its susceptibility to political influence.

International observers on Wednesday (28 February) denounced "unjust" conditions that allowed Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić's party to romp to a controversial landslide victory in December elections.

This year’s Rare Disease Day (29 February) comes at a critical moment for European rare disease policy. Now more than ever, it’s essential that EU policies enable health equity for people living with rare diseases, says Alexion’s Soraya Bekkali.

The Polish government is negotiating a temporary closure of its shared border with Ukraine so that Ukrainian agri-food production does not destabilise the Polish market anymore, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on Wednesday.

The European Commission has begun investigations into whether EU funds have been misused in Spain's Koldo corruption scandal, involving millions of euros in commissions for the purchase of face masks during the pandemic, and has sent relevant information to the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).

Elections in the Italian region of Abruzzo could be a turning point for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing three-party coalition, as the now united left, which made gains in recent regional elections in Sardinia, looks set to pose a threat at the national level and in the upcoming EU elections.

On Wednesday, French senators widely voted in favour (267 for, 50 against) of enshrining in the constitution "the guaranteed freedom" of women "to have recourse to a voluntary interruption of pregnancy". 

While the Turkish opposition is poised to repeat their 2019 election success in the capital Ankara in an upcoming local election, in Turkey's largest city, Istanbul, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s AKP and the opposition CHP are running neck and neck.