It’s been 25 years since the four Mercosur nations and the EU vowed to sign a free-trade agreement. Twenty-five years of political to-ing and fro-ing, now compounded with pro-environmental imperatives pushing negotiations to the brink of collapse.

After weeks of blockades and demonstrations, part of the farmers’ front take a pause, others continue rallying, while several organisations across Europe are calling for further mobilisation in the next weeks.

Lobbyists from US tech giant Amazon should have their access badges to the European Parliament revoked “until the company’s management is willing to engage in genuine dialogue with the Parliament,” members of the Parliament's employment committee have written in a letter to the institution's president, Roberta Metsola.

EU's chief diplomat Josep Borrell confirmed on Monday (5 February) he was heading for Ukraine as he reiterated calls for more aid for the war-torn country.

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France’s newly appointed prime minister Gabriel Attal unsurprisingly survived his first vote of no confidence on Monday (5 February), filed by all left-wing parties, with 124 votes out of the required 289 – as both the far-right and conservatives did not support the motion.

Europe is relying on the solar boom to meet energy security goals. But right now, European solar manufacturers are going bankrupt. The sector is calling for immediate and structural support.

The United States intends to launch further strikes at Iran-backed groups in the Middle East, the White House national security adviser said on Sunday (4 February), after hitting Tehran-aligned factions in Iraq, Syria and Yemen over the last two days.

In a rare show of unity, business and environmental groups have published a joint letter calling on EU policymakers to back mandatory sorting of mixed household waste, saying this is the only way to meet EU recycling goals and prevent the incineration of recyclable paper, metals and plastics.

In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about the minimum wage increase in Spain, Slovak farmers announcing that they are ready to join farmers protesting across the EU, and so much more.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned on Sunday (4 February) that moves to suspend the funding of UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA were extremely ill-advised.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Ukrainian troops on the southeastern front and handed out medals, his office said on Sunday (4 February), and his spokesperson said he came very close to exchanges of fire on the front line.

The ban on far-right AUR party President George Simion from entering the Republic of Moldova has been extended for another five years, representatives of the General Inspectorate for Migration of the Ministry in Chisinau told NewsMaker.md.

Slovak farmers are prepared to join their European counterparts in the week-long protests that have rocked many countries in recent weeks, the Slovak Chamber of Agriculture and Food (SPPK) said, adding that the EU’s “green fanaticism” was to blame.

On Sunday, Parisians voted to increase parking charges for sport utility vehicles (SUVs), but the opposition jumped to call it a democratic, ecological and social farce.

Spain’s minimum wage will rise from the current €1,050 to €1,134 gross per month, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (PSOE/S&D) announced at a rally on Saturday.

Taylor Swift trended again. This time not for her music but due to violent deepfakes of the artist that flooded the platform X. EU policymakers now have a historic chance to protect women from sexualised deepfakes – if they are up for the task.

The leader of Germany’s conservative Christian Democrats, Friedrich Merz, is convinced his party will lead the next federal government, he said in his weekly newsletter on Saturday, outlining potential coalition partners.

Following failed interinstitutional negotiations over the platform work directive last week, the Belgium Presidency circulated yet another draft text, which significantly waters down the file’s flagship chapter on the legal presumption of employment.

Protesters and police clashed in the Senegalese capital Dakar and at least one senior opposition figure was arrested Sunday (4 February), a day after President Macky Sall announced the indefinite postponement of the presidential election.