Euractiv.com

With the US still failing to unblock aid for Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed on Thursday (8 February) that both Brussels and Washington must do more to send a “very clear signal" to Russia's Vladimir Putin.

In December 2023, EU legislators reached a long-awaited agreement on the recast of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). FIEC and its Irish President, Philip Crampton, have already taken a closer look at what will become a key legislative text that will shape the European renovation and new construction market for the years to come.

Russia's Central Election Commission on Thursday (8 February) expectedly disqualified the only anti-war candidate in the presidential election, Boris Nadezhdin, due to what it said were multiple errors in the signatures he collected in support of the nomination.

Defence was on everyone’s lips at the European Investment Bank’s (EIB) annual forum on Wednesday and Thursday (7-8 February), as member states call for a ramp up in defence and military spending, and EU’s Charles Michel wants a “real Defence Union”.

The European Parliament and the Council of EU member states agreed on Wednesday evening (7 February) to grant a two-year delay for sector-specific standards under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), offering a break to mining and fossil fuel firms targeted by the upcoming transparency rules.

The German government plans to support local tech start-ups with €1.75 billion but experts point out the envisaged funding would be a drop in the ocean, given that Germany is lagging far behind internationally in this field.

This week, the Beyond the Byline podcast looks at the Greens congress, their pro-electoral pledge and the candidates that will represent the coalition in the elections.

Republicans in the US Senate on Wednesday (7 February) defeated a bipartisan effort to bolster border security that had taken months to negotiate, but said they could still approve aid for Ukraine and Israel that had been tied up in the deal.

More than 100 websites disguised as local news outlets in Europe, Asia and Latin America are pushing pro-China content in a widespread influence campaign linked to a Beijing public relations firm, digital watchdog Citizen Lab has found.

In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about the Czech debate on joining the Eurozone being moved forward ‘significantly’, the EU threatening Portugal with sanctions over conservation failings, and so much more.

Équilibre des énergies (EdEn), a French think tank, issued its recommendations for the next EU term of office (2024-2029). In exclusivity for Euractiv France, the group stresses the need for a European industrial strategy that is properly geared towards the climate and the economy, rather than a collection of targets.

Mediators from the US, Qatar and Egypt scrambled to forge a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in their four-month-old war in the Gaza Strip after America's top diplomat on a Middle East mission said there was still hope for a deal.

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said she supports a centrist approach to combat crises and political extremism ahead of European elections, calling on citizens not to vote for extremism out of frustration in an exclusive interview with Euractiv.

Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti has published a statement clarifying the decision to enforce Article 11 of the constitution regarding a single official currency in the face of increasing criticism from the EU and the US after Serbia claimed it amounts to a ‘ban’ on the Serbian dinar, still used illegally in Kosovo’s Serb-majority north.

The forthcoming Digital Networks Act offers a unique opportunity to future-proof EU connectivity policy to deliver the greatest value for European society - in support of the EU’s overarching ambitions: technology leadership, competitiveness, climate neutrality, and resilience.

The US and Saudi Arabia have reduced investment in oil and gas supply, putting consuming countries in front of their responsibilities by forcing them to act and deliver on their COP28 pledges, writes Thierry Bros.

China has encouraged the EU to continue making positive efforts to promote dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and hopes it will play a constructive role as a mediator, Chinese Ambassador Li Ming said following a meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.

Parliament elected Ivan Turudić as the new Attorney General on Wednesday, further deepening the divisions in the already deeply polarised Croatian political scene.

Romania received a warning on Wednesday for failing to fully comply with the Landfill and Waste Framework Directives despite having already been fined by the European Court of Justice in December.

Bulgarian authorities are preparing amendments to the country's criminal code to allow prosecution of the Kremlin regime for the war of aggression against Ukraine, Bulgarian Justice Minister Atanas Slavov told Euractiv Bulgaria.