Euractiv.com

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.

The leader of Hamas was expected in Cairo on Thursday (1 February) for talks on a proposed truce in Gaza, as Israel kept up its offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.

40% of the world's population will be voting in the coming months. This is an opportunity for citizens around the world to call for more action to tackle the climate emergency, writes Mattias Söderberg.

Intra-EU calls are often too expensive today and consumers either turn to online apps or choose not to make the call. The surcharges for these calls are unjustified, disproportionate and should now be banned, writes Ursula Pachl, Deputy Director General at the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC).

The West cannot allow Ukraine to run out of money and the Biden administration will continue to support Kyiv, US Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen said on Wednesday (31 January) in a bid to reassure European officials at joint talks.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has downgraded its growth forecast for the eurozone this year, as the continued impact of the energy crisis and weak consumer demand raise growing concerns about the currency union’s economic resilience.

The European Commission adopted the European cybersecurity certification scheme on Wednesday (31 January), the EU’s first cyber scheme to certify ICT products, in line with the aims of the EU's Cybersecurity Act.

With farmers continuing to block roads and target key infrastructure across Europe, several organisations are planning to further turn up the heat on policymakers and rally outside a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday (1 February).