Euractiv.com

Russia and Ukraine said on Wednesday (31 January) they had completed another large prisoner exchange despite the crash last week of a Russian military transport plane that Moscow says was shot down by Ukraine carrying Ukrainian PoWs en route to a similar swap.

In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about the German far-right AfD party backpedalling on ‘remigration’ ahead of a meeting with the Le Pen party, the Polish opposition eyeing regaining power by pressing for snap elections, and so much more.

This article introduces the EIT, outlines successes to date, explains how the EIT helps innovators to transform ideas into reality while mentioning some key initiatives related to relevant innovation challenges, before ending on plans for the future and an invitation to attend the EIT Summit 2024.

The national-conservative ECR group may overtake the liberal Renew Europe group as the fourth-largest political force in the European Parliament if the liberals’ downward trend persists, according to Europe Elects' latest projection for Euractiv. 

Several hundred journalists rallied in front of the government headquarters in Zagreb on Wednesday in protest against a bill tabled by Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic’s ruling conservative party HDZ (EPP), which seeks to criminalise leaks from ongoing corruption investigations.

Restrictions on commercial mark-ups to various essential foods were extended, as this measure has curbed speculative price increases, contributed to reducing inflation, and safeguarded the population’s purchasing power, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Wednesday.

Former Prime Minister Igor Matovič, who gained EU fame for allowing Sputnik vaccines to be administered, which ultimately cost him his seat, threw his hat into the upcoming presidential elections but admitted it is not his ‘dream’ and that he is doing it to mobilise pro-democratic voters to support the right candidate.

The parents of a Swedish EU diplomat facing the death penalty in Iran on spying charges urged the Swedish government on Wednesday (31 January) to consider a prisoner swap to secure their son's release.

An urgent dialogue on the future of European winemaking and a common EU approach towards the excise duty has been called for by the Czech Grape and Wine Producers Association in an open letter addressed to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders met with Spanish Justice Minister Félix Bolaños in Brussels on Wednesday in a last attempt to mediate between the ruling Socialist Party and Partido Popular, the main opposition, to bring about the renewal of the judges’ governing body, which has been operating on an interim basis for over five years.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said he will “definitely” have the opportunity to talk to his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orbán to discuss Sweden’s NATO bid on the sidelines of the EU summit in Brussels, where much is expected of Hungary’s turbulent leader.

PiS party leader Jarosław Kaczyński is exerting pressure on President Andrzej Duda to call a snap election that might enable PiS to regain the power it lost to Prime Minister Donald Tusk last year.

After Marine Le Pen (RN party) slammed the German AfD party for allegedly advocating for ‘remigration’, the party has tried to ease tensions among the EU far-right on Wednesday, ahead of an upcoming peace summit with RN representatives, with an official clarification saying there was previous confusion.

The Bulgarian counterintelligence agency SANS has been accused of failing to act on reports by a high-ranking local politician of a potential channel that allows Russian spies to infiltrate Europe by getting  Bulgarian citizenship thanks to false documents.

While EU leaders will seek on Thursday (1 February) to seal a deal with Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to offer predictable long-term financing to Ukraine, they are ready to go it alone.

This week, the Beyond the Byline podcast delves into what happened with the Cutro shipwreck that happened on 26 February 2023 and led to the death of 94 people.

France's Socialist Party is facing internal turmoil over its EU election list, which some in the party believe excludes "workers and employees", according to a letter from federations and elected officials seen by AFP.

Over the past two years, Budapest's ties with Russia have become the 'elephant in the room'.

Top EU officials struggled to keep EU-US trade and tech talks alive this week, with pressure on both sides of the Atlantic rising to lock in a final policy deal before the November US presidential election.

The EU mission deployed to observe Senegal's February 25 presidential election on Wednesday (31 January) said it wanted to meet detained opposition candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye, stating it was "very important" that he be able to campaign.