The backlash against EU green policies is set to continue, with plans to revive farmers’ protests ahead of June's European elections and an expected surge in support for the far-right in rural areas. 

As the long-term growth potential of the German economy has declined substantially over the past years and decades, longer working hours and later retirement were needed to increase growth, business leaders said on Tuesday (16 April).

Vienna has escalated an ongoing dispute with Germany over gas transit fees, which Austria says are not warranted, to the European Commission via the European Parliament.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on Tuesday (16 April) a ban on bottom trawling in the country's marine protected areas (MPAs), the first such fishing ban in Europe.

Generic medicines extend life-saving treatments to European patients. Neglecting their broader societal value risks hindering care and healthcare system sustainability. In the study Beneath the Surface, we urge policymakers to adapt frameworks to support these medicines and boost access.

Belgium is supporting the creation of a European action plan for rare diseases and is joining other EU member states adopting a national plan, Belgium's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Social Affairs, Frank Vandenbroucke, said.

Avian influenza vaccination per se cannot certify the immunisation of birds, the European food safety authority (EFSA) said in a report published on 17 April, while France is relying on a massive programme to reduce bird cull, ensure the continuation of exports and reduce the economic impact of the disease.

One year after EU member states promised Ukraine one million rounds of ammunition within twelve months and delivered half the deal, other channels to supply Kyiv outside the EU framework also struggle to show success.

EU leaders meeting in Brussels will call for the bloc’s competitiveness to be boosted primarily by easing regulatory requirements and leveraging the power of private capital, according to the latest draft conclusions of the 17-18 April summit and a senior EU official familiar with the discussions.

The main headlists for the EU elections debated the Green Deal on Tuesday (April 16) in Angers, offering a return to the old left/right division.

US Democrats said on Tuesday (16 April) they would wait to decide how to respond to a proposal from the Republican-led House of Representatives to consider national security assistance for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan separately, rather than as one bill.

A lack of air defense missiles prevented Ukraine from thwarting a Russian missile attack last week that destroyed the biggest power plant in the region around the capital Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about Italy preparing to send troops to maintain peace in event of Palestinian State formation, Eurosceptics in Sweden pushing for EU-wide prisoner redistribution, and so much more.

The United States has provided assurances requested by the High Court in London which could finally pave the way for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to be extradited from Britain.

Lobbyists can easily bypass EU transparency rules to influence policy, the 27-nation bloc's auditors said on Wednesday (17 April).

Kosovo took another step towards becoming a member of the Council of Europe (CoE), a pan-European human rights body, on Tuesday (16 April) as its parliamentary assembly overwhelmingly passed a report recommending membership, with even representatives from non-recognising states voting in support.

Russia was the "principal political and military actor" involved in all security matters in the region bordering Ukraine, with attempts by Russian espionage to gather information from defence and security institutions, infiltrate critical communication and information infrastructures, and weaken trust in international and national institutions in Romania, a report by the Supreme Council for National Defence for 2023 reads.

In another lightning reshuffle, caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev appointed GERB MP Daniel Mitov as foreign minister, replacing the week-long incumbent Stefan Dimitrov, after this was proposed by GERB leader and former prime minister Boyko Borissov.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo condemned the local mayor’s decision to shut down an event gathering European hard right leaders in Brussels on Tuesday, alongside counterparts from Italy and the UK, leaving the door open to the event.

EU Commissioner for Values and Transparency Vera Jourová and her team “were amused” by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s comments saying she “loves” his government “like a goat loves a knife”, the press office of Jourová who took over the Slovak rule of law file from EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders temporarily, said on Tuesday.