Euractiv.com

With a busy year for EU technology policy soon behind us, we have put together a collection of our most-read articles. Welcome to our year in review, the tech edition!

The last French troops are to withdraw from Niger on Friday (22 December), marking an end to more than a decade of French anti-jihadist operations in west Africa's Sahel region.

The European Medicines Agency said Thursday (21 December) that it was "extremely concerned" by the Amsterdam authorities' proposal to move its red light district outside the city -- and close to the EMA headquarters.

At least 60 squats in Seine-Saint-Denis were shut down in 2023, according to a Reuters tally based on administrative and court documents and interviews with more than 50 squatters, lawyers, prosecutors, social workers, activists and local politicians.

In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about ​​Germany's plan to continue border controls until migratory pressure falls, Rome rejecting the European Stability Mechanism treaty, and so much more.

After months of tough talks, the Slovenian government and trade unions in the public sector have reached an agreement under which wages in the public sector will be adjusted to 80% of this year’s inflation rate next year, a deal that would temporarily avert a looming showdown with the country’s powerful unions.

On Thursday, the Romanian government approved a bill to make it easier to harness the Black Sea’s abundant offshore wind energy.

The European Commission allocated €1.2 billion on Thursday for the transformation of Stara Zagora, Kyustendil, and Pernik in Bulgaria under the Just Transition Fund.

A United Nations Security Council vote on a bid to boost aid to the Gaza Strip was delayed by another day to Friday (22 December) even though Israel's ally the United States, which holds veto power, won changes it wanted and said it could now support the proposal.

Ukrainian refugees who could work in the health sector and social services, two sectors facing long-standing labour shortage issues, are being sought out by the Czech Labour Ministry, Labour Minister Marian Jurečka (KDU-ČSL) said on Thursday.

The bloc is faced with the division of pushing ahead with enlargement while seeking to strengthen its strategic autonomy in a new geopolitical world, said Pedro Lourtie, Portuguese ambassador to the EU, during a Thursday debate on ‘the EU in a changing world’.

Holding a self-determination referendum for Catalonia is completely off the table, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on Thursday after Catalan President Pere Aragonès reiterated his call for such a referendum.

The President of the Madrid region, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, was urged to backtrack on her plans to cut down trans rights and LGBTI protection in a letter that was sent to her by the EU Parliament LGBTI Intergroup, which represents 160 MEPs, on Wednesday.

French President Emmanuel Macron is celebrating Christmas with French troops while ‘highlighting France’s enduring commitment to the fight against terrorism’ while visiting an airbase in Jordan on Thursday and Friday, according to the Élysée Palace.

Europe's top court dealt football governing body UEFA a scything legal tackle on Thursday (21 December), but an attempt by rival Super League promoters to kick off a new competition met a solid defensive wall of clubs and fans.

The ratification of the European Stability Mechanism treaty (ESM) was rejected by 184 votes, all from Fratelli d’Italia, Lega, and the 5 Stars Movement, a decision many in Brussels are calling ‘regretful’.

Kosovo knows what it will take for Greece to recognise its independence, and the situation is "particular" compared to other non-recognisers due to local, economic, and cultural similarities, according to Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government’s actions towards the public media, which involved replacing the public broadcaster management and taking it off the air, is ‘anarchy’ and a ‘blatant’ infringement of the constitution, said President Andrzej Duda.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić on Thursday accused an "important country" of interfering in the country's elections, following a torrent of international condemnation of alleged irregularities during the weekend's contest.

The German government will keep border controls in place with its European neighbours so long as the number of refugees arriving stays high, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told RND on Thursday.