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In this edition of the Capitals, find out about the latest amendment to France's bioethics law, Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index painting a gloomy picture for several member states, Sweden's slowing growth, and so much more.

Britain's withdrawal from the EU cleared a hurdle at the European Parliament on Thursday (23  January) as its constitutional committee voted to approve the divorce deal struck with London.

Speaking in Davos, billionaire and philanthropist George Soros accused Facebook of working for the re-election of US President Donald Trump, in a speech where he  also targeted “would-be dictator” Matteo Salvini as one of the biggest threats to European democracies.

Germany has made no progress in the fight against corruption in the past year, according to Transparency International. In the German context, corruption usually takes the form of party donations. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Although Montenegrin and Serbian presidents Milo Đukanović and Aleksandar Vučić continue to have differing views on Montenegro’s freedom of religion law, they agreed, during an informal meeting at the Holocaust forum in Jerusalem, to resume talks and calm tensions that...

The Croatian government on Thursday (23 January) decided that the city of Osijek would be the country’s first 5G city. Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic welcomed the decision to nominate Osijek in the context of the government’s broader policy that emphasises...

In a letter to the defence ministry, Foreign Minister Miro Cerar has requested to return troops to the mission in Erbil, Iraq as soon as possible because if not, Slovenia’s international reputation will suffer. But is there more to it...

Amid a “war on history” between Poland and Russia, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki attacked not only Russia but also opposition parties, such as the far-right Konfedracja, for their alleged adherence to Russia. Morawiecki said that the recent behaviour of...

Since 1947, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists annually adjusts its symbolic Doomsday Clock, which indicates how close humanity and the planet are to complete disaster. This year, we're closer than ever, the scientists announced on Thursday (23 January).

In comparison to most other EU countries, Sweden’s economy growth has been satisfactory, while unemployment and national debt have been low. However, this year, it appears that the cracks are starting to show, as the waves of the global economy...

Belgium must strengthen rules on integrity of government members and outside activities by police officers, the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body GRECO has urged in its new evaluation report. “There is not a policy on integrity or an ethical framework...

Lesbians and single women will have to pay if they want to have access to medically assisted procreation, according to the new version of Bioethics legislation adopted by the French Senate. During the presidential campaign of 2017, President Emmanuel Macron...

The Social Democratic Party’s (SPD) expulsion of the controversial former Berlin Senator of Finance and author, Thilo Sarrazin, is legitimate, a Berlin SPD arbitration commission has ruled.  The SPD began the expulsion proceedings against Sarrazin after an appearance at an...

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said his government would disobey court orders to compensate former prisoners for having endured inhumane treatment and would also not pay a court-mandated fine to a Roma community in eastern Hungary in a case of alleged...

EURACTIV has learnt that the EPP, S&D and Renew Europe have agreed to establish three special committees each with a one-year mandate to better coordinate and analyse European Commission proposals on digital, cancer and fake news. The digital committee will...

Laura Ferrara, an Italian MEP from the anti-system Five Star Movement, urged the European Commission to improve access to food information for blind and visually impaired people when it reviews the bloc's food labelling rules in the coming months.

Brussels gets worked up over a brand new train, too many jets at Davos the Twitterati complain, and in Jerusalem Macron puts security under strain.

Wrapping up even a "bare bones" deal on the future relationship between the European Union and Britain will be fraught with complexity and, with so little time to get it done, a painful "hard" Brexit on 31 December cannot be ruled out, diplomats said.

The EU is considering new curbs on microplastics, a decision which could also affect the synthetic turfs of countless football pitches in Germany. Yet, replacing all surfaces by real grass, although more environmentally-friendly, is hardly feasible. EURACTIV Germany reports.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel defended her tough stand and the austere fiscal policy she pursued in response to the financial crisis that shook up the eurozone in 2008 as she addressed the World Economic Forum on Thursday (23 January).