In today's edition of the Capitals, find out more about France attracting €15 billion in foreign investment during 'Choose France' forum, Sweden's prime minister being open to hosting nuclear weapons on home soil in case of war, and so much more.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Monday (13 May) urged Lebanese authorities to open the seas for migrant boats to reach Europe, amid soaring anti-Syrian sentiment and accusations the West is seeking to keep refugees in Lebanon.

The European Union on Monday (13 May) sent an official complaint to the broadcaster of the Eurovision song contest over its refusal to let participants wave the bloc's flag at this year's final.

A meeting between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara took place in a “positive atmosphere” but thorny issues and disagreements remain.

Romanian Defence Minister Angel Tîlvăr is sceptical about sending a Patriot missile system to Ukraine a Patriot missile system, claims Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu.

Bulgaria does not accept Skopje's statements contradicting the Neighbourhood Treaty, Bulgarian authorities said following the swearing-in of North Macedonia’s new President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova on Sunday, reminding the nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party that the country's EU integration path depends on respect for the treaties.

The reforms introduced in Poland by the government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk are “concerning,” EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski told Euractiv Poland.

In an interview with the Swedish press agency TT, Charlie Weimers, MEP and vice-president of the hard-right European Conservatives and Reformists group (ECR), said he was in favour of an agreement with the centre-right EPP similar to the one the Swedish ruling coalition has, but without Ursula von der Leyen as EU Commission chief.

Sweden is open to the possibility of having nuclear weapons on its soil in the event of war, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Monday, calming the concerns of local communities by asserting that any action would be on “Swedish terms”.

The European Union on Monday (13 May) raised concerns about "post-election violence" in Chad, four days after the presidential election victory of junta leader General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno.

Europe should deregulate its economy and “develop a culture of private investment” similar to the US, the vice chair of the European Parliament's Committee of Economic and Monetary Affairs told Euractiv in an interview.

France attracted a record €15 billion in foreign investment during the government's flagship "Choose France" event, which brought together some 180 CEOs from around the world and some 60 French business leaders at Versailles Palace on Monday.

The former prime ministers of Greece and North Macedonia, Alexis Tsipras and Zoran Zaev, have decided to intervene in the new controversy over the “Prespa Agreement” saying it’s important for the Balkan region’s stability.

Britain's opposition Labour Party affirmed its "ironclad" commitment to Ukraine during a visit to Kyiv on Monday (13 May) by the party's foreign and defence chiefs.

The Nordics’ approach to security policy is a role model for Germany, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Monday (13 May) at a meeting with Nordic heads of government, which saw participants united in calls for more air-defence systems for Ukraine. 

Long-haul trucking is considered one of the hardest activities to decarbonise. Industry experts differ on whether the solution is hydrogen trucks – which are less efficient but have greater range - or battery electric trucks, which will be cheaper to run but need more stops to recharge.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Kyiv in the first visit to Ukraine by a senior US official since Congress passed a long-delayed $61 billion military aid package for the country last month.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and his Italian counterpart and partner in the conservative ECR group, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, showed they were on the same page on key issues on Monday in Italy, where talks focused on migration and “going beyond the EU’s migration pact.”

The results of Catalonia’s Sunday election, won by  Salvador Illa from the Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSC) without a sufficient majority to govern alone, have left a complex situation in which the cross vetoes of the separatist parties make an agreement guaranteeing the stability of a future executive almost impossible, meaning a repeat of the vote could be on the cards.

Much has changed over the past two decades: The EU has evolved and expanded, with thirteen new members. The 2004 Big Bang enlargement altered Europe's geopolitical landscape and, though its pace has slowed since then, new member states continue to influence and shape the EU's agenda and policies.