Following the EU and NATO condemning Russian cyber espionage group APT28 last week, we talked to independent cyber policy expert Pavlina Pavlova about APT28’s methods.

Ukraine's parliament voted on Thursday (9 May) to sack the deputy prime minister for infrastructure and the farm minister, removing two senior officials who have held key portfolios for the wartime economy.

In today's edition of the Capitals, find out more about EPP President Manfred Weber criticising Sanchez for taking a five day break to reflect on his leadership, Bulgaria's president greeting participants in a banned pro-Russian march, and so much more.

Ukraine's parliament voted on Thursday (9 May) to crack down on draft dodgers, as the country grapples with a serious shortage of soldiers available to fight more than two years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

In a recent interview with The Banker magazine, President of the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Odile Renaud-Basso, stated “We must engage with the fossil fuel industry to meet the methane pledge”. While reducing methane emissions from the energy sector is undoubtedly an important part of keeping global temperature rise within the 1.5°C goal, ending methane emissions from this sector should be the urgent focus.

With some retailers offering less while keeping prices the same, a phenomenon now widely referred to as "shrinkflation", Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has called on lawmakers to adopt measures to combat the trend, drawing inspiration from the French model.

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, emerging as one of the key future players in Bulgarian party politics, personally attended the banned pro-Russian "Immortal Regiment" march in Sofia on Thursday.

Portugal is one the most pro-EU countries, mainly supporting Ukraine's accession to the EU bloc and advocating more decisions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the European Policy Barometer reads.

European People's Party (EPP) President Manfred Weber on Thursday criticised Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (PSOE/S&D) for deciding to take five days to consider whether to resign or stay in office, saying "Spain needs a statesman, not a showman".

Meloni’s inclusion allowance will increase the incidence of both absolute and child poverty, concludes a European Commission analysis - deemed as "partial" by the Italian government - which also highlights Italy's significant gap with the EU on various employment indicators, including long-term employment, wage growth, and the poverty rate of those in work.

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen spoke out against the “Europeanisation” of France’s nuclear firepower on Thursday, claiming that no EU commissioner would ever have the democratic legitimacy to decide on nuclear strikes.

British opposition leader Keir Starmer will say on Friday (10 May) a Labour government would hire hundreds of enforcement officials and use counter-terrorism powers to target people-smuggling gangs to stop asylum seekers arriving in England on small boats.

The proportion of European firms that rank China as a top investment destination has hit a record low, a European business lobby group said on Friday (10 May), warning that it could take years to restore confidence in the world's No.2 economy.

China’s President Xi Jinping has been received in Serbia and Hungary as the messiah. Only during communism Belgrade and Budapest were so decorated with flags and posters and so many people were bussed to greet the high visitor.

Despite being at the head of a fossil fuel empire at a time the union is traversing a green transition, Daniel Kretinsky has managed to stay off the radar. That was until the Czech billionaire started acquiring media through Europe.

German EU lawmaker Peter Liese is already eyeing the next revamp of the EU’s emissions trading scheme, wants a CO2 Central Bank and is campaigning for his party to stay the course on EU climate targets, he told Euractiv in an interview. 

EU Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski told Euractiv he is grateful for the recent wave of farmers' protests, which helped ensure a swift response to their problems with the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), a system that should be based on incentives, not obligations.

China and Hungary will embark on a "golden voyage" in bilateral relations, Chinese President Xi Jinping said after meeting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on the third and final stop of his first European tour in five years.

The Czech Health Ministry has introduced amendments to the public insurance law to enhance healthcare accessibility and ensure sustainable medical treatment costs – a move welcomed by Czech pharmaceutical companies.

Understaffing is keeping hospital doctors far from the EU’s 11-hour rest period. In Greece, hospital administrations are breaching the 48-hour work-week rule, while in Sweden, doctors can be ordered to be on-call at home to get their regulated rest.