Euractiv.com

EU citizens should be better informed about what it would mean to have a “puppet” government in Ukraine, as in Belarus, if Russia were to take over the country in the run-up to EU elections in June, warned the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, pointing out that President Vladimir Putin currently seems to have no intention of backing down.

Georgia's parliament on Thursday (8 February) confirmed former ruling party leader Irakli Kobakhidze -- known for his anti-Western rhetoric -- as the Black Sea nation's next prime minister.

Czechia will abstain in the upcoming vote on the EU’s Migration and Asylum Pact, said Transport Minister Martin Kupka (ODS) after this week’s cabinet meeting, adding that the pact’s new version is worse than the one Czechia helped prepare when it held the EU presidency in the second half of 2022.

While the EU agreed on its first-ever legislative arsenal to fight violence against women, the final agreement provides no guarantee that undocumented migrant women will be able to lodge a complaint without risking deportation.

The EU is expected to hit more Russian military and tech firms, including firms shipping ammunition from North Korea, as part of a new package of measures to mark two years since Russia invaded Ukraine.

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) predicts a 13% rise in diabetes prevalence in Europe by 2045, with 61 million affected. Europe has the highest incidence of Type 1 diabetes (T1D) in children and adolescents, and the second highest per-person diabetes cost globally, spending €175 billion in 2021.

Europe’s Herculean efforts to reduce energy reliance on Russia have not been matched when it comes to fertiliser. The European Council’s hesitation to add fertilisers to Russian sanctions is putting Europe’s fertiliser industry at risk of catastrophe.

Progress on a Critical Medicines List at the European level is underway, but Poland has yet to finalise its national list of 52 APIs critical to drug safety. Polish ministry appears uncertain of Warsaw's participation in the Critical Medicines Alliance.

A fight over the cross-border enforcement of low-emission zones is delaying an EU law that aims to facilitate cross-border enforcement of traffic offences, such as driving the wrong way and dangerous overtaking, to improve road safety.

The EU will help Mauritania curb the number of migrants passing through the country en route to Spain's Canary Islands, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced during a visit to the West African country on Thursday (8 February).

Amid calls from several EU leaders to re-examine the balance of market power in the supply chain, the retailers' association Eurocommerce has called for stricter rules against transnational purchase alliances to be avoided.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy replaced on Thursday (8 February) Ukraine's top commander Valery Zaluzhny, saying that the army needed "updated leadership",  in a move that ended months of tensions between the two top officials.

It looks like despite political infighting, the US Senate will unlock its $60-billion military aid package to Ukraine as it fights Russian aggression.

Negotiators from the European Commission, Council and Parliament struck a deal on the Platform Work Directive - for the second time - on Thursday (8 February), with all eyes now on member states, who have been asked to rubberstamp it on Friday.

Meta and TikTok are suing the European Commission over a supervisory fee that companies affected by the EU’s Digital Services Act will have to pay yearly.

The federal cabinet approved the strategy for international digital policy on Wednesday (7 February). The strategy aims to foster Germany’s bargaining power on the international stage to preserve democratic values and ensure access to the internet without censorship. Experts lament the lack of concrete measures.

The pro-government majority at the French National Assembly was thrown into uncertainty as a key centrist ally to French President Emmanuel Macron slammed the door to future cooperation shut late on Wednesday (7 February).

The European Commission on Thursday (8 February) dismissed reports that it was considering sanctioning US right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson over his controversial interview with Russia's President Vladimir Putin.

The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Group’s new far-right friends have started making some more moderate national delegations uncomfortable.

The European Parliament adopted on Thursday (8 February) its position on the controversial Prüm II regulation, a Commission proposal for automated data exchange for police cooperation, despite concerns.