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Due to a total capture of the country's institutions and economy by corrupted ethno-nationalist elites, Bosnia & Herzegovina did not advance on key reform areas such as democratisation and improvement of the rule of law — arguably even backsliding.

European commission president Von der Leyen on Thursday reiterated her support for North Macedonia to one day join the European Union."We want you in the EU," she said. "Bilateral issues, such are history issues, are not conditions for accession," she said, in reference to Bulgaria's opposition. She also endorsed a French proposal to help North Macedonia's accession process, despite mass protests in Skopje on Thursday and earlier against the deal.

Transparency campaigners are demanding the European Commission launch a full investigation into Uber lobbyist and former commission vice-president Neelie Kroes.

MEPs in the legal affairs committee backed a provisional deal on the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) on Thursday, endorsing the previous agreement between the EU Parliament and member states reached in June. MEPs will hold the final plenary vote in autumn. The CSRD will oblige businesses to report on environmental, social and working standards, as well as on human rights, anti-corruption and bribery matters.

A cross-party group of MEPs called on the European Commission to tackle illegal short-term rentals with a legislative proposal, connected to the Digital Service Act. EU lawmakers complained that the publication of the initiative was postponed, urging the commission to come forward with a proposal this year. "The availability and affordability of housing, as well as liveability of our cities are at stake," they said on Thursday.

Trade unions are calling on key MEPs to halt further steps in the legislative procedure on rules on working conditions in the so-called platform economy until Uber's controversial EU lobbying tactics are fully investigated. "Expecting good faith from the digital labour platforms during these procedures is a naïve attitude from the legislator, if not a lack of political responsibility," they said in a letter published on Thursday.

EU Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans called for a memorial day for climate-change victims at a meeting of environment ministers in Prague on Thursday, which also marked the one-year anniversary of floods that killed more than 220 people, mostly in Germany and Belgium. "These erratic weather patterns are a consequence of the climate crisis. And I think it's time we paid a bit more attention to those victims," he said.

The American Chamber of Commerce in Albania, a private not-for-profit business promotion organisation, has announced its opposition to the proposed fiscal amnesty law put forward by the Socialist party government, calling it a significant risk for money laundering days after...

Macedonian lawmakers’ vote on the hard-to-sell French proposal designed to unlock the EU accession veto from Bulgaria will now take place on Friday following an extensive debate in parliament on Thursday and a decision to change what to vote on....

Alors que le défilé du 14 juillet a mis à l’honneur l’armée française, « force d’âme d’une nation », Emmanuel Macron a annoncé vouloir « réinvestir dans tous [les] stocks et [les] capacités militaires, ainsi que de continuer à former et embaucher ». 

Russian state-owned TV and radio broadcaster Russia Today (RT) is set to open offices in Serbia, Sputnik Serbia’s Editor-in-Chief Ljubinka Milinčić confirmed to independent news portal Nova.rs. RT was banned from broadcasting in the EU in March because it “incited...

Le Premier ministre italien Mario Draghi, affaibli par la décision du Mouvement 5 Etoiles (M5S, antisystème), membre de sa coalition, de boycotter un vote de confiance au Sénat, a annoncé qu'il présenterait sa démission jeudi soir.

Documentation for the offering of spectrum for 5G networks was prepared by Romania’s telecom watchdog, ANCOM, with auction starting prices for multiple frequency bands totalling almost €700 million. Winners of the public bids should cover most of Romania’s urban areas,...

Hungary pledged to contribute to the expansion of Ukraine’s grain exports and said it would back an entrepreneurial zone for processing plants on their shared border. “Hungary is ready to closely cooperate and assist in the immediate expansion of Ukraine’s...

Detection in Wuhan of a bacteria that caused cholera in a student and was separately found in samples from softshell turtles at a food market has struck a sensitive nerve with ordinary Chinese people, with some relating it to COVID-19.

Bulgaria will not impose severe restrictions on citizens and businesses despite already being impacted by the European summer COVID-19 wave, Prime Minister Kiril Petkov announced Thursday at the briefing after the Council of Ministers meeting. At the Council of Ministers, Chief...

Tackling the topic of gas supply, now more pertinent than ever, the GRIDTech conference is a major new milestone in Brussels energy events. Where does the EU stand in terms of gas supply and, crucially, how will we integrate more renewable and low carbon gases for decarbonisation?

La Première ministre Kaja Kallas a officiellement informé le gouvernement de sa décision de démissionner et de former une nouvelle coalition avec le parti conservateur Isamaa et le Parti social-démocrate d’opposition.

La commission d’arbitrage du SPD à Hanovre n’est pas parvenue jeudi, après deux heures et demie de délibération, à un accord sur l’exclusion de l’ancien ex-chancelier Gerhard Schröder du parti en raison de ses liens avec la Russie.

La compagnie gazière autrichienne OMV a réservé d’importantes capacités de transport depuis la Norvège et l’Italie pour l’année gazière allant d’octobre 2022 à septembre 2023.