The European Commission (EC), the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA), and the Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking (EU-Rail) are pleased to announce their common actions at InnoTrans 2024, the world’s largest trade fair focused on transport technology, held in Berlin on 24-27 September 2024.

The government that takes power in Austria after next Sunday's (29 September) general election will face growing pressure to diversify its energy supply away from dependence on Russian gas, just as the economy is stuck in reverse gear.

In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about Andrej Babis celebrating landslide wins in Czech regional and Senate elections, former US president Donald Trump cancelling on Polish President Andrzej Duda, and so much more.  

The UN General Assembly adopted a "Pact for the Future" described by UN Secretary-General António Guterres as a landmark agreement that is a "step-change towards more effective, inclusive, networked multilateralism."

The ruling VMRO-DPMNE party in northern Macedonia has been threatened with expulsion from the EU centre-right political family (EPP), with Andrey Kovachev, an MEP from Bulgaria's largest party, GERB, accusing it of aggressive rhetoric against Bulgaria.

Despite a political consensus on creating the EU Parliament’s first-ever full committee on defence, it is dubious if the final decision will be taken before the new Commission's confirmation hearings, with groups still haggling over package deals and competences.

Proposed European pharmaceutical reforms aim to tackle, amongst others, healthcare access inequalities amongst Member States. However, some of the proposed changes may limit innovation and negatively impact patient access to medicines, highlighting the need for a balanced, pro-innovation approach.

Opposition party ANO of former prime minister Andrej Babiš won a resounding victory in 10 out of 13 regions in the regional elections while simultaneously making a strong showing in the Senate elections.

US Vice President Kamala Harris leads Republican rival Donald Trump by 5 percentage points in an NBC News poll that found that respondents have come to see her more favorably since she emerged as the Democratic candidate for president.

US presidential candidate Donald Trump cancelled his meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda without giving a reason but did post a message of support on social media.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in the United States on Sunday (22 September) to attend sessions at the UN General Assembly and urged his partners to help achieve "a shared victory for a truly just peace."

Former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont and representatives of the ruling Socialist Party met in Geneva on Friday in an attempt to smooth relations after the separatist leader's party voted against the ruling Socialists despite having previously agreed to back each other in parliament.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his party, the SPD, see themselves strengthened after winning a crucial state election in Brandenburg against the far-right, as the party of his newly minted challenger Friedrich Merz suffered heavy losses.

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) will have little time on Monday (23 September) to digest the results of the third round of local elections as he prepares for talks with car sector leaders on getting the country’s largest industry back on track.

Italy will formally present a proposal at a meeting in Brussels on Wednesday to bring forward to the first half of 2025 the review of the EU's 2035 ban on combustion engine vehicles, currently scheduled for 2026, announced Italy’s Business and Made in Italy Minister Adolfo Urso.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has asked  Environment Commissioner-designate Jessika Roswall to overhaul the EU's landmark REACH regulation, a move likely to expose her to a major grilling from the European Parliament’s Environment Committee (ENVI). 

World leaders are gathering in New York for the UN Summit of the Future, which UN Secretary-General António Guterres has described as a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" to reshape international institutions, even though leaders of the so-called Permanent Five will be absent.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democratic Party (SPD) narrowly beat the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the highly contested state elections of Brandenburg on Sunday (22 September), according to the exit polls, drawing in a record voting turnout of 74%.

Freshly nominated French Prime Minister Michel Barnier unveiled his new government on Saturday (21 September), appointing 68-year-old centrist MP Geneviève Darrieussecq as minister for health and access to care.

In this week's edition: A run-down of the key topics that will drive this year's UNGA.