The European Left party (EL) wants to “abolish” the EU’s current fiscal rules to facilitate greater social and environmental spending, according to a draft electoral manifesto seen by Euractiv. 

Grain and oilseed exports from Ukraine have returned to the same levels as in March 2023, when the UN initiative was securing food trade through the Black Sea corridor, according to data from the International Grain Council (IGC).

Tensions are rising over the renewal of the EU's trade liberalisation with Ukraine, with the European Commission meeting with neighbouring countries on Tuesday (20 February) and a joint protest in Eastern Europe set to take place on Thursday.

Fabrice Leggeri, the former boss of EU border agency Frontex who will run for the far-right Rassemblement National in the European elections, criticised European migration policy while touring the French-Italian border on Monday (19 February), saying Europe should "regain control of its borders".

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s CDU party announced today her candidacy as the Spitzenkandidat for the European elections and, according to a well-choreographed scenario, the EPP congress in Bucharest on 6 March will make official her bid to succeed herself as Commission chief.

Europe aspires to become a global leader in battery innovation. To this end, BATT4EU has published a new Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda recommending the battery research and innovation priorities for which public funding should be allocated effectively and efficiently.

The far right is gaining momentum in Europe ahead of EU elections and is converging with the right, centre-right, and liberals on policies and politics ahead of EU elections, the co-president of The Left group at the European Parliament, Manon Aubry, told Euractiv in an interview

The European Commission opened formal proceedings against TikTok under the Digital Services Act on Monday (19 February), due to possible breaches in several areas, including child protection.

To reach the EU's climate targets, increase industrial competitiveness, and improve its energy resilience, carbon capture and storage technologies play an important role. As part of its decarbonisation efforts, in 2023 the European Commission released a Net-Zero Industry Act for a simplified regulatory environment and a rapid deployment of carbon solutions. The Act aims at promoting investments in the production capacity of products that are key in meeting the EU’s climate neutrality goals. To facilitate and enable carbon capture and storage projects and increase the availability of CO2 storage sites, the Act sets a target of 50 million tonnes of annual CO2 storage capacity by 2030. In addition to this, the adoption of the Industrial carbon management strategy by the European Commission should help identify the gaps to deploy these systems at scale. Industry stakeholders argue that while the EU has set ambitious objectives, the deficiency in transport and storage infrastructure remains an issue in the absence of substantial policy support. Hard-to-abate industries such as cement, steel, chemicals, are in particular need of additional technology options as they chart their transition and make investment decisions. Join this Euractiv Virtual Conference to discuss where we stand on the road to reaching the target of 50 million tonnes of CO2 stored by 2030. Questions to be addressed include: - Is the Communication on industrial carbon management enough to raise awareness about the role of CCS? - How challenging is the business case for building a better transport and storage infrastructure? - What kind of policy support would be needed for appropriate transport and storage infrastructure to be put in place?

The French electricity sector fears that the revision of the EU's energy taxation directive will fail before the June European elections, despite a last push by the Belgian EU presidency, which is seeking to break the deadlock in the Council of the EU.

EU foreign ministers on Monday (19 February) officially launched the EU mission in the Red Sea they hope to be a deterrent against Houthis attack against merchant vessels and avoid any escalation in the region.

As European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen launches her bid for a second five-year term, she is likely to face a balancing act of keeping EU unity and the far-right at bay.

European businesses are already fighting how Big Tech firms shape their behaviours in response to the Digital Markets Act. They can avoid legal battles by engaging in constructive dialogue, writes Christophe Carugati.

The conservative Popular Party (PP) won its fifth consecutive absolute majority in Sunday's Galicia elections, winning 40 of the 75 deputies that make up the parliament of the region of northwest Spain.

The EU’s Carbon management strategy and the path to 2040

In light of all the broken promises and the domestic political crisis resulting in the resignation of Hungarian president Katalin Novák, a fast ratification of Sweden’s NATO accession by Hungary is out of sight. But with clever diplomacy, partners can corner Orbán and bring him to deliver, writes Daniel Hegedüs.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said the government had lowered its forecast for 2024 GDP growth to 1% from 1.4% as war in Ukraine and Gaza and a slowdown at top trading partners Germany and China darkened the outlook.

The energy transition is no longer only important to fight climate change, but it has become a geopolitical necessity and a security issue, argue Louise van Schaik and Giulia Cretti.

In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about Poland's foreign minister being likely to become defence commissioner if Ursula von der Leyen gets a second term, Croatia's opposition demanding early parliamentary elections, and so much more.

The UN top court on Monday (19 February) opens a week of hearings on the legal consequences of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories, with more than 50 states due to address the judges.