Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democratic Party (SPD) narrowly beat the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the highly contested state elections of Brandenburg on Sunday (22 September), according to the exit polls, drawing in a record voting turnout of 74%.

Freshly nominated French Prime Minister Michel Barnier unveiled his new government on Saturday (21 September), appointing 68-year-old centrist MP Geneviève Darrieussecq as minister for health and access to care.

In this week's edition: A run-down of the key topics that will drive this year's UNGA.

The Danube peaked at a 10-year high in a heavily fortified Budapest on Saturday (21 September) with the water reaching the steps of parliament, after deadly Storm Boris lashed Europe.

Greece and Cyprus have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to press ahead with a subsea electric cable linking continental Europe to the East Mediterranean, the energy ministries of the two countries said on Saturday (21 September).

Newly-appointed French Prime Minister Michel Barnier presented his government on Saturday (21 September), largely maintaining the political course of previous pro-Macron administrations while making concessions to the far-right Rassemblement National (RN).

Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander and other senior figures in the Lebanese movement in an airstrike on Beirut on Friday (20 Septembe), vowing to press on with a new military campaign until it is able to secure the area around the Lebanese border.

Serbia's government ministers on Friday (20 September) agreed to reintroduce compulsory military service which was abolished 14 years ago. President Aleksandar Vučić praised the decision as an important step to improve the country's defence readiness.

Pro-European President Maia Sandu staged a city centre rally on Friday (20 September) to kick off her bid for re-election in a month-long campaign held alongside a referendum to cement her drive to join the European Union.

Ukraine's "victory plan" in the war against Russia depends on quick decisions being taken by allies this year, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday (20 September) during a visit by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) human medicines committee has authorised the use of Bavarian Nordic’s mpox vaccine Imvanex for adolescents. 

Europe must protect the ban on animal testing of cosmetics ingredients writes Tilly Metz MEP.

The Netherlands and Hungary are unlikely to get an opt-out from the EU’s migration policy, rarely has it ever happened, when Denmark got theirs, they got lucky – and France got the Strasbourg seat.

EU trade enthusiasts may be disheartened to see trade lumped into the already extensive portfolio of Slovakia's nominee, Maroš Šefčovič— one of its longest-serving commissioners.

When thinking about industrial policy and how to restore Europe’s economic stance in the world, Europe should secure funding for research and development (R&D), rather than subsidies, a Finish government representative urged in Berlin this week.

The new tech Commission’s has a long to-do list and some shifts in focus, an insider look at Council negotiations on telecoms shows member states are likely to strongly resist deregulation.

During a visit to Kyiv on Friday (20 September), European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a €35 billion EU loan to Ukraine as part of a G7 deal to raise $50 billion backed by windfall profits from frozen Russian assets.

Responses from EU member states to the Hungarian Presidency's first draft conclusions on the telecoms sector show that countries remain largely unconvinced by Letta and Draghi's arguments for deregulating the sector.

After spreading rapidly across central Europe over the last few months, several cases of bluetongue virus (BTV) have been reported in Sweden and Norway, the first instances that far north in over a decade.

Can you imagine a world without variety in food and grocery? Without specialty food ingredients, countless products would lose their characteristic colours, textures, flavours or nutritional value.