Euractiv.com

The German government cabinet voted on Wednesday to maintain the country’s military presence in Afghanistan until 31 January 2022, and to keep the cap on the number of troops at 1,300. The soldiers are a part of NATO’s ‘Resolute Support’...

Portugal's minister of planning, Nelson de Souza, said on Wednesday (26 February) that member states that have their recovery and resilience plans approved by April should receive the first funds by June.

The Belgian government has recommended that the textile mouth masks which have been distributed free of charge through pharmacists since last June should no longer be used as they may contain harmful substances. Belgian media refer to a confidential report...

A Slovenian doctor employed at the Maribor Clinical Centre has again become infected with the coronavirus after he previously received two doses of the vaccine, sources at the second-biggest hospital in the country confirmed on Wednesday. The doctor recently returned...

The European Commission is cautious with EU member states moves to unilaterally issue a certificate offering travel privileges to those vaccinated, EU sources told EURACTIV.com, suggesting instead a common approach.

The first big real-world study of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to be independently reviewed shows the shot is highly effective at preventing COVID-19, in a potentially landmark moment for countries desperate to end lockdowns and reopen economies.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister said that the head of the European Union's delegation in Caracas had 72 hours to leave the country and declared her persona non grata after the bloc imposed new sanctions on Venezuelan officials this week.

The EU's chief diplomat Josep Borrell admitted to EU foreign ministers at a meeting earlier this week that he had mishandled the recent visit to Moscow, diplomatic sources have told EURACTIV. The European Commission did not confirm this but stressed there had been broad support for the veteran Spanish diplomat.

When EU heads of states and government hold an online meeting on Thursday (25 February), they will discuss a proposal by French President Emmanuel Macron to send 13 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to African countries. EURACTIV France reports.

Germany's international broadcaster Deutsche Welle has begun producing material in Hungarian for the first time in decades, driven by concerns at declining media plurality and press freedom in the fellow European Union member.

Ghana became the first country to receive India-made vaccines from the global Covax scheme, paving the way for poorer nations to catch up with inoculation drives in wealthier parts of the world to stamp out the coronavirus pandemic.

More and better data is needed to improve knowledge of how to adapt to climate change, according to the European Commission's new adaptation strategy, which immediately came under fire from green activists for missing binding targets.

Bulgaria's health minister has accused AstraZeneca of failing to stick to its delivery schedule of COVID-19 vaccines to the country and demanded the immediate shipment of at least 52,800 doses that were postponed to 1 March.

Spain’s socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced on Wednesday (24 February) an €11 billion direct aid package to help mitigate the difficult financial situation of Spain's small and medium-sized companies, and the self-employed badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic. EURACTIV’s partner EFE reports.

It is time for Europe to show real vaccination solidarity to ensure that COVID vaccines are available to the Global South and COVAX in the volumes required and at cost price, write Udo Bullmann and Conny Reuter.

Wind energy provided 16.4% of EU and UK power in 2020, bringing the industry closer to its objective of producing 50% of the bloc's total electricity by 2050. But permitting issues, lockdowns and changing regulations threaten to slow down further deployment, the industry warns.

With its vaccination programme well underway, the UK is starting to see the light at the end of the long COVID-19 tunnel, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson has presented a roadmap for "a path to freedom". Europeans are now starting to wonder: Will the Brits be the only ones on the sunny side this summer?

The German agriculture minister presented on Wednesday (24 February) a worrying annual report on the condition of German forests, which again highlights the dramatic effects of climate change on the ecosystem. At the same time, however, the forest is also the solution to the problem. EURACTIV Germany reports.

In coronavirus-hit Italy, mafia groups are eyeing the health sector and EU-funded infrastructure projects as their next big money spinners, police warned in a report Wednesday (24 February).

Sports fans are interested in environmental issues and brands should take such trends into account, according to the new "Meaningful Passions" study. The study also confirmed that about two-thirds of French fans would even boycott an event with no environmental commitment. EURACTIV France reports.