Month: August 2025

The EU executive has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €264 million Hungarian measure to support Hungary Sunwoda Automotive Energy Technology Ltd. in setting up an electric vehicle battery plant. Read the original in Hungarian. The measure, which will take the form of a cash grant and of a tax credit, will support Sunwoda […]

The EU Delegation to Ukraine in Kyiv was hit by Russian airstrikes on Thursday, according to a senior EU official. “The EU Delegation in Kyiv was damaged by today’s Russian strikes on civilian areas,” European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos wrote on X. “I strongly condemn these brutal attacks, a clear sign that Russia rejects […]

Good morning, and welcome to The Capitals. This is Eddy Wax, with Nicoletta Ionta. Got a tip, rumour or story idea? Drop us a line by email – or, for the more discreet, via Signal at @EddyWax.94 Today’s edition is powered by AIJN European Fruit Juice Association 100% fruit juice: A unique and healthy composition […]

Ioannis Armakolas is Director of the Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP). Ana Krstinovska is senior researcher at ELIAMEP’s ‘thinknea’ initiative. While the European Union fine-tunes budget frameworks and debates procedural reforms, other powers are moving swiftly into the continent’s geopolitical blind spots. Last month Chinese and Serbian special forces conducted a joint […]

The number of postal operators suspending services to the US is growing following the end of tariff exemptions for small parcels, now including 25 countries.  The temporary suspension comes as shipping companies scramble to understand what will replace the “de minimis” exemption that allowed goods worth less than €690 to enter the US duty-free and […]

ROME – Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Wednesday claimed Italy helped shape Western plans for security guarantees to Ukraine, casting Rome as an architect rather than a bystander in Western talks. Speaking at the Meeting of Rimini, a Catholic festival of politics and reflection, Meloni said a diplomatic breakthrough had finally been achieved after […]

US President Donald Trump has recently met both Zelenskyy and Russia’s President Vladimir in his bid to end the conflict, which has been raging for over three and a half years. But Russia has shown little sign it is willing to compromise. Ukraine is pushing for Western-backed security guarantees as a part of any agreement […]

Ireland’s public healthcare infrastructure is facing intensifying scrutiny over its preparedness for a surge in dementia cases, as Health Service Executive (HSE) data reveals a significant reduction in publicly funded bed capacity, despite projections that the number of people living with dementia will more than double by 2050. Figures released in response to a parliamentary […]

French Trade Minister Laurent Saint-Martin signalled openness to Chinese investment on Wednesday, floating a détente with Beijing as the EU grapples with trade tensions with Washington. Speaking at a Paris business forum, Saint-Martin backed the idea of closer economic ties with Beijing, but stressed that investments should be sector-specific, tied to technology transfers and involve […]

French Prime Minister François Bayrou is facing mounting pressure as recent polls reveal that most French people want him to resign, call for fresh parliamentary elections, and even see President Emmanuel Macron step down. Opposition parties are expected to back Bayrou’s removal in a confidence vote scheduled for 8 September, which the prime minister called […]