The Pandora's box of the EU elections is already wide open and raging and, with less than six months to go before a key vote that seems set to see the continent make an unprecedented lurch to the far-right, EU political forces are well underway in their preparations

The German liberal party, the FDP, is pushing to cut red tape at the EU level in its campaign for the European elections, rivalling the conservative CDU/CSU (EPP) which wants to move Europe "from the Green Deal to an Economic Deal”.

2023 was a year of great significance for China and the European Union. We celebrated the 20th anniversary of the establishment of comprehensive strategic partnership. And leaders from the two sides had first face-to-face Summit in three years, setting a new direction for the bilateral relationship.

EU countries and the European Parliament reached an agreement on Thursday (18 January) on new rules tightening CO2 limits on heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs), paving the way for a significant increase in the number of clean trucks and buses across the bloc.

French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to defend a “sovereign Europe” ahead of European elections in June, but his recent conservative turn and willingness to mirror the far-right’s rhetoric on issues of identity and immigration may derail his campaign away from key EU matters.

Hungary doubled down on Thursday (18 January) on its demands for EU support to Ukraine to be reviewed annually, effectively reserving itself a veto right, as negotiations between EU member states on the issue continue ahead of a decisive 1 February summit.

South-central Russia was hit by a rare wave of civil unrest on Wednesday (17 January) as thousands of protesters gathered to take a stand after a regional court sentenced Fayil Alsynov, an indigenous rights activist for the local Bashkir ethnic group.

France will take charge of steering an ammunition and missile production coalition for Ukraine after it managed to half artillery production times, French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Thursday (18 January).

Re-Imagine Europa think tank (RIE) has launched a booklet with tips for navigating polarised conversations on the highly contentious topic of the new rules on plants’ gene editing, which is due to be voted on by the Parliament's environment committee on 24 January.

President Emmanuel Macron's radical decision to scrap Agnès Pannier-Runacher's Energy Transition Ministry leaves open the question of who will drive France's energy policy in Brussels.

Europe's armed forces that want to cooperate must make sure their cyber-defence technologies and methods are compatible, Belgium's Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder warned on Wednesday (17 January).

Meyer Burger, the last producer of solar modules in Germany, has announced plans to close down and relocate to the US, fuelling political debates on whether the industry deserves long-term state support to ensure its survival.

A senior official of Moldova's pro-European government said on Wednesday (17 January) that his latest talks with the pro-Russian separatist Transnistria region had been "quite difficult" as tension rises in the three-decade-old standoff.

Ukrainian artillery forces fighting near the Russian-occupied city of Bakhmut say Russian troops are constantly making offensive assaults as fighting intensifies and Kyiv waits for more military aid from the West.

In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about the Swedish climate minister winning a no confidence vote over conservative climate policy, Bulgaria asking the EU to speed up the use of frozen Russian assets, and so much more.

European nations including France should stop sending refugees from the North Caucasus back to Russia as they risk being tortured or being forced to fight in Ukraine, Amnesty International said on Thursday (18 January).

The road freight industry has challenged a study put forward by the rail sector which found that permitting heavier and longer trucks on EU roads will decrease the percentage of goods moved by trains, increasing emissions and raising societal costs.

A new make-up of the next Commission team should include a reshuffle of the foreign policy and defence portfolio, according to a draft European People's Party (EPP) manifesto, seen by Euractiv.

Slovenian Justice Minister Dominika Švarc Pipan faces a vote of no confidence following the disclosure of a botched purchase of a building in Ljubljana that was meant to house several lower-court departments.

Croatia plans to introduce mandatory one-month military education courses in secondary schools amid what seems to be a growing appetite in the newest EU member for reinstating conscription, which was abolished in 2008 after the country joined NATO.