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Slovakia will on Saturday (23 March) hold the first round of a presidential election that is a battle between the Central European country's Russia-leaning ruling camp and a pro-Ukraine opposition-backed candidate.

Gunmen opened fire at a Moscow concert hall on Friday (22 March) killing more than 60 people, wounding more than 100 and sparking an inferno, authorities said, with the Islamic State group claiming responsibility.

Long subcontracting chains lock workers out of rights, and lock injustices in, European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) General Secretary Esther Lynch said during a debate on abusive subcontracting practices in Europe.

Defence ministers Boris Pistorius and Sébastien Lecornu shared major breakthroughs on bilateral defence collaboration on Friday (22 March), announcing that both countries will officially start developing a new tank as well as produce military equipment in Ukraine.

The European Commission presented on Friday (22 March) five pillars that will form the basis of an action plan to boost Europe's competitiveness in quantum computing, a rapidly growing technology that solves problems too complex for classical computers. 

Hungary’s last minute decision to withdraw support for the proposal means that the law’s future is uncertain. A planned vote during Monday’s (25 March) meeting of national environmental ministers is now postponed.

The European Commission proposed to increase tariffs on Russian and Belarusian grains and oilseeds imports to prevent the destabilisation of the EU market, the funding of Russian aggression against Ukraine and to try to defuse the protests on the Ukrainian-Polish border.

As we approach the European elections, competitiveness is the talk of the hour. And yet, with industrial competitiveness taking centre stage in economic policy debates, it is worth keeping in mind that rising carbon prices will make some industries even less competitive in the future – by design.

After numerous delays, the planned legalisation of cannabis consumption in Germany has passed its last major obstacle - the Bundesrat (Federal Council) and while future growers remain relaxed, they do anticipate further resistance on the local level.

Russia regards itself to be at war due to the West's intervention on Ukraine's side, the Kremlin said on Friday (22 March), shifting the language it uses to describe the conflict in an apparent move to prepare Russians for a longer and harder struggle.

.Ireland, Malta, Slovenia, and Spain said on Friday (22 March) they are ready to recognise the state of Palestine as the “only way to achieve peace and security” in the war-ridden region.

Simon Harris, set to become Ireland's youngest ever taoiseach (prime minister), will hope his social media skills and fresh face can save his party's flagging fortunes as elections loom.

Welcome to Euractiv’s Tech Brief, your weekly update on all things digital in the EU.

Melons and tomatoes from the Western Sahara, the main crops in the contested territory, should be labelled as such and not as originating from Morocco, according to an opinion by Tamara Ćapeta, an advocate general at the EU’s top court, issued on Thursday (21 March).

Record interest rates, slowing global demand, massive Chinese and US industrial subsidies, and high energy prices are laying waste to the EU’s industrial base. Can Europe reverse the decline?

Former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont announced on Thursday (21 March) evening that he will run as head of his party, the separatist Together for Catalonia (JxCat), in the snap elections to be held in Catalonia on 12 May.

Romania is seeking to deploy ‘Small Modular Reactor’ (SMR) technology as part of its drive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and its energy minister Sebastian Burduja said this week that a final investment decision will be taken in 2025 for a new nuclear power plant in Doicești

Russia launched the largest missile and drone attack on Ukrainian energy infrastructure of the war to date on Friday (22 March), hitting the country's largest dam and causing blackouts in several regions, Kyiv said.

Some western banks are lobbying against EU proposals to redistribute billions of euros in interest earned on frozen Russian assets, senior industry sources said, fearing it could lead to costly litigation.

On Wednesday 13 March, the European Commission published the latest list of infringement proceedings against Member States. Most of the alleged failures to implement EU environmental law concern the bloc’s biodiversity rules.