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At the weekend, the leader of Thuringia announced plans to end coronavirus restrictions in the eastern German state and replace them with local measures. Saxony voiced its support for the idea, while other states quickly condemned the move, possibly heralding the end the country's relatively harmonious federal coronavirus cooperation. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Former EU foreign relations chief Federica Mogherini has been appointed the new rector of the College of Europe, an elite post-graduate school with facilities in Bruges, Belgium, and in Warsaw. Mogherini, a former Italian diplomat, was already teaching international relations there. She is the first woman in the post, but her appointment was marred by allegations of favouritism and irregularities, after she skipped the queue of less political candidates.

Denmark has said boyfriends and girlfriends of their Danish partners can enter the country once again, but only if they are German or from the other Nordic states. "If you say you are a boyfriend and sign [a form], we will assume it [is true]," Danish justice minister Nick Hækkerup said on TV Tuesday. Previously, only Danes or spouses of Danes were being let in, with very few exceptions.

Ukraine is losing friends: among other mistakes, by playing internal politics, the country’s President has taken sides in the US elections, which may be disastrous for the country in the future, writes Pavlo Fedykovych.

Reggel 7:00 órai helyzet a komáromi határátkelőnél. A sor vége a kis Duna-hídon, de az is lehet, hogy már a városban. Az átjutási idő kb. fél óra.

The EU should adopt a firm stance against China's recent plans for national security legislation in Hong Kong by hurrying to establish a 'Magnitsky-style' framework for human rights abuses, leading pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong has told EURACTIV.

EU Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic pleaded with EU affairs ministers for "rapid agreement" on the EU budget and recovery plans to be unveiled on Wednesday - but an agreement and ratification process has its risks.

Trump's envoy to Germany provoked lively debate on Russia, Iran, and Nato, but Grenell's departure left some breathing "relief".

MEPs want to launch the delayed two-year event in September, which would require a joint position of the three main EU institutions before summer. EU commissioner Maroš Šefčovič is optimistic about reaching an EU Council's position under the Croatian presidency.

The EU's joint-transparency register lists thousands of lobbyists and what they spend or earn trying to shape EU legislation. New and clearer rules set for launch at the end of the year may lead to more realistic figures.

For many Europeans, Angela Merkel's change looked sudden. But the groundwork started two years ago. Germany slowly ripened for the Merkel-Macron plan. This explains why it didn't meet massive public resistance in Germany.

Russia already dominates global oil – letting them dominate global food during a pandemic would spell disaster for the EU. It would effectively mean the EU, not just depending on Russian energy, but increasingly also on Russian food supply.

French president Emmanuel Macron announced on Tuesday an €8bn rescue plan for the car industry - with a big boost for electric vehicles, Associated Press reported. "Our country wouldn't be the same without its great brands - Renault, Peugeot, Citroen," Macron said, while aiming to make France more competitive on "clean" cars. Over 400,000 people are employed in this industry. Auto sales fell by about 90 percent in April.

The EU Council, representing member states, on Tuesday adopted agreements allowing the EU's border agency Frontex to launch operations in Serbia and Montenegro. The agreements will allow Frontex to carry out joint operations and deploy teams in the region. Montenegro has notified its conclusion of the agreement, which will enter into force on 1 July while Serbia is set to follow.

Russia has sent fighter jets to Libya to support Russian mercenaries, the US military command for Africa said on Tuesday, according to AFP. Libya's UN-recognised government said earlier this week that hundreds of Russian mercenaries were backing rival Khalifa Haftar. Moscow has denied involvement in the conflict. "Russia is clearly trying to tip the scales in its favour in Libya," said US army general Stephen Townsend.

French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled on Tuesday (26 May) an €8 billion aid package for the auto industry, which includes increased subsidies for electric car purchases and encourages manufacturers to relocate their factories back to France.

In its current form, the Mobility Package brings no benefits for European citizens other than a new wave of migration, an exacerbation of inequalities, and an undesirable increase in CO2 emissions, writes Clotilde Armand.

Germany wants to lift its travel prohibition on 31 European countries by June 15 if the development of pandemic figures allow for it, according to an official government proposal. Those countries include 26 nations in the European Union, along with four Schengen-zone countries that are not members of the EU — Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Deutsche Welle reports. The government issued a global travel warning on March 17.

The Spanish government has declared 10 days of mourning, starting on Wednesday, for the nearly 27,000 people who have died from coronavirus in Spain, the longest official mourning period in the country's four-decade-old democracy, the Guardian writes. Flags will be flown at half-mast at more than 14,000 public buildings across the country. Spain's King Felipe VI will preside over a memorial ceremony once the country emerges from the lockdown.

Május 27-től, azaz ma 00:00 órától a cseh, a szlovák és a magyar állampolgárok számára lehetővé válik az egymás országainak területén való, 48 órát meg nem haladó tartózkodás – közölte a magyar külügyminiszter kedden este a Facebookon. A járvány kezdete óta 1.513 koronavírus fertőzöttet diagnosztizáltak Szlovákiában, a járvány halálos áldozatainak a száma 28.