EURACTIV News
Getting Europe’s rail system back on track
Railways are the most environmentally sustainable mode of transport, compared to cars or planes, yet, they remain chronically underfunded and underdeveloped in Europe. High prices, complex booking systems, and a lack of cross-border coordination are just some of the problems making it harder for Europeans to consider trains a reliable and safe option.
Categories: EurActiv
Spanish MEP causes controversy, stirring up social media with racist child murder ‘fake news’
The new rising star of the Spanish far right, Alvise Pérez, is using the stabbing of an 11-year-old boy in central Spain last Sunday to spread racist and xenophobic messages against immigrants, especially those of African origin.
Categories: EurActiv
Meta’s revised commitments on ad data use gets green light from UK authority
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) approved changes to Meta’s commitments regarding how it uses the data from customers using advertising, the authority announced on Tuesday (20 August).
Categories: EurActiv
Sweden activates mpox contact tracing, prepares virus containment contingencies [Advocacy Lab Content]
Sweden’s national epidemiologist does not rule out the possibility of more cases of the new strain of mpox reaching Sweden. Contact tracing has been activated and containment plans have been prepared.
Categories: EurActiv
Von der Leyen rings in chipmaker TSMC’s Dresden plant as EU greenlights German €5bn subsidy plan
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attended the official groundbreaking ceremony for Taiwanese firm TSMC's Dresden plant on Tuesday (20 August) after the institution she heads announced a €5 billion state aid scheme for the facility - a sign that the EU is redoubling its efforts to boost the bloc's domestic semiconductor production.
Categories: EurActiv
Czechia will use part of Russian frozen assets profits to fund Ukraine’s ammunition
The European Union has officially tasked Czechia to use revenues from frozen Russian assets to fund the next ammunition supply for Ukraine, Czech Defence Minister Jana Černochová said on Tuesday (20 August).
Categories: EurActiv
EU halts free imports of Ukrainian honey
The European Commission announced on Tuesday (20 August) that import volumes of Ukrainian honey had exceeded the limit fixed in the regulation setting trade benefits for Kyiv, triggering the reintroduction of tariff quotas.
Categories: EurActiv
EU lowers tariffs on China-made EVs, signals softening trade stance
The European Commission lowered its proposed tariffs on China-made electric vehicles (EVs) on Tuesday (20 August) and offered one of the clearest signals yet that it was open to resolving the long-running trade dispute through negotiations, in a move that could ease flaring trade tensions between Brussels and Beijing.
Categories: EurActiv
Austria submits 2030 climate plan late as Germany, Spain flout June deadline
Just ten EU countries have submitted their long-term climate action plans to Brussels, with Austria being the most recent, as large countries like Germany and Spain continue to disregard the June 2024 deadline.
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Biden hails Harris as DNC’s future in emotional farewell speech
President Joe Biden cemented the Democratic Party's elevation of Kamala Harris to lead the fight for the White House against Republican Donald Trump with a convention speech on Monday (19 August).
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Morawiecki eager to replace Meloni as head of EU conservative group
In today’s edition of the Capitals, find out more about an alleged leftist plot to investigate Meloni's sister, Slovakia's ice hockey team reinstating players competing in the Russian KHL, and so much more.
Categories: EurActiv
Nicaragua shutters 1,500 NGOs as crackdown continues
Nicaragua on Monday (19 August) shuttered 1,500 NGOs, bringing to more than 5,000 the number of such entities scrapped in a crackdown on opponents by President Daniel Ortega.
Categories: EurActiv
Hungary remains defiant on explanation of easing entry requirements for Russians, Belarusians
A European Commission deadline for Hungary to respond to questions about the easing of entry requirements for Russian and Belarusian nationals expired on Monday (19 August).
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Cyprus picks former agriculture minister for EU commissioner candidate
Cyprus will propose former agriculture minister Costas Kadis as a new EU commissioner, the government in Nicosia announced on Monday (19 August).
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German warships await orders on crossing Taiwan Strait
Two German warships await orders from Berlin, their commander said, to determine whether next month they will be the first German naval vessels in decades to pass through the Taiwan Strait, drawing a rebuke from Beijing.
Categories: EurActiv
Zelenskyy: Our Kursk attack shows Kremlin red lines are bluff
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday (19 August) his country's assault on Russia's Kursk region showed that Kremlin threats of retaliation were a bluff, and he urged Kyiv's allies to loosen curbs on using foreign-supplied weapons.
Categories: EurActiv
Bulgaria on the brink of an unprecedented constitutional crisis
The political crisis raging in Bulgaria for over three years is about to turn into a constitutional deadlock after President Rumen Radev refused on Monday to appoint a new caretaker government to hold early parliamentary elections.
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Slovak ice hockey team reinstates players from Russian KHL, sparking controversy
Slovakia's Ice Hockey Federation SZLH has announced its squad for the Olympic qualifiers, confirming the return of players from the Russian KHL after a two-year hiatus caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Categories: EurActiv
Alleged left-wing plot to investigate Meloni’s sister sparks political feud in Italy
Fresh allegations of a left-wing plot to persuade magistrates to investigate Arianna Meloni, sister of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, have sparked outrage and led to a heated exchange with former prime minister and Italia Viva leader Matteo Renzi.
Categories: EurActiv
Morawiecki eager to replace Meloni as head of EU conservative group
Poland’s former prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, is vying for the leadership of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, a role currently held by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish media reports.
Categories: EurActiv