Brussels
municipality and capital city of Belgium
Photo: Ank Kumar, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons, cropped)
- 2h ago
EU leaders to press for new energy price measures at Brussels summit on 15 and 16 October
Zelensky will attend in person, and the 2028-2034 budget talks, now led by António Costa, are also on the agenda. The summit opens on Thursday 15 October at 09:00 Lisbon time and is set to end at lunchtime on Friday 16 October.
- 2h ago
EU leaders meet in Brussels on 15 October to split over 2028-2034 budget
Leaders meet on 15 and 16 October after the Irish presidency's 10 October compromise, which Berlin calls insufficient and Paris says lacks enough new EU revenue.
- 4h ago
Italy's parliament passes Ukraine resolutions as opposition splits on Kyiv aid
The Chamber approved the majority's two resolutions ahead of the 15-16 October European Council, while opposition parties stayed united against the government but split over Ukraine and sat out the vote.
- 5h ago
Moedas calls for review of Lisbon's Volta bottle deposit scheme over drug problems
In Brussels on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, the Lisbon mayor said the 10-cent bottle refund is causing serious social problems and that the Commission has agreed to back a technical meeting on the issue.
- 5h ago
EU disburses €2.86 billion to Ukraine for drones, missiles and air defence
The European Commission paid the sum from its €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan on Wednesday, 14 October, as Kyiv prepares for a fourth winter of war. A further €168.2 million went to missile and drone producers in the EU.
- 6h ago
Students set fire to Albania's education ministry in Tirana, most violent clashes since May
Protesters set fire to the Education Ministry and a bank branch in Tirana on Wednesday, 14 October, the second day of student clashes with police. Police answered with tear gas and water cannons as the Health Ministry reported injuries among protesters and an officer.
- 6h ago
Four years of energy shocks cost Italian households about 2,400 euros each, Confesercenti says
Confesercenti puts the cost of four years of international tensions and energy shocks at almost 52 billion euros of real GDP. Confindustria's research centre says Italian electricity averaged 35% more than in Germany over the first nine months of 2026.
- 10h ago
German cabinet approves interim social media ban for children under 13
The Family Ministry's key points paper would bar children under 13 from TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram until EU-wide limits apply, with graduated limits for 13- to 18-year-olds.
- 10h ago
Sanofi avoids EU fine by pledging to stop disparaging rival flu vaccine Fluad
The European Commission accepted binding commitments from Sanofi on Wednesday, 14 October, closing an antitrust probe into suspected campaigns against the rival flu vaccine Fluad, made by CSL Seqirus.
- 11h ago
Catalan farmers protest in Barcelona with about 200 tractors over rising costs
Unió de Pagesos brought tractors from across Catalonia to Barcelona, where protesters burned straw bales outside the agriculture department and marched to Plaça de Sant Jaume. Talks with the Govern were pushed back to the coming days and weeks.
- 12h ago
EU proposes one-year delay to methane rules for oil, gas and coal imports
The European Commission wants importers of oil, gas and coal to meet EU methane monitoring duties in early 2028 instead of from January 2027. Parliament and member states must now negotiate the proposal, which cites pressure on energy supply and prices.
- 13h ago
Moroccan navy ships entered Spanish waters off Ceuta during July migrant surge, sparking PP and EU reaction
El País revealed that Moroccan navy vessels entered Spanish waters off Ceuta during the late-July migrant surge. The opposition PP wants Pedro Sánchez to explain it to parliament, and the European Commission declined to judge the incursion.
- 13h ago
Le Pen and Retailleau both want to cut France's EU budget contribution
Marine Le Pen wants to cut France's EU contribution by 11 billion euros in her first year if elected, while Bruno Retailleau seeks a negotiated rebate. Both positions come before EU leaders meet in Brussels on 15 and 16 October to discuss the seven-year budget.
- 15h ago
Russia summons Belgian ambassador over accusations of hybrid war and sabotage
Russia's Foreign Ministry summoned Belgium's ambassador to Moscow, Michel Gerebtzoff, on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, rejecting Belgian claims of Russian sabotage and hybrid threats. The federal government in Brussels declined to comment.
- 16h ago
China's exports rise 36.3% in September, far above forecasts, as trade surplus heads for record
Customs data show China's exports rose 36.3 percent in September and imports 31 percent, both beating analyst forecasts. The surplus for the first nine months reached $938.11 billion, on pace to top last year's record.
- yesterday
Poland threatens to block EU 2028-2034 budget over ETS revenue plan
Warsaw says it will not accept a Commission plan to route 30% of ETS auction revenue into the EU budget, and RMF FM reports it could block the 2028-2034 package. The issue is on the agenda of the European Council summit on 15 and 16 October.
- yesterday
Italian cabinet approves autonomy bills for four northern regions and new road code
The cabinet also approved the budget programme document, due in Brussels by 15 October, a decree on the ex Ilva steelworks and a plan for Campi Flegrei. Autonomy bills for Liguria, Lombardy, Piedmont and Veneto now move to Parliament.
- yesterday
Toni Comín plans to walk back into Catalonia from France on 24 October
Former Catalan health counsellor Toni Comín, now an MEP-elect for Junts, plans to cross the border on foot on Saturday, 24 October, nine years after leaving for Belgium. Friends and family have been invited to join the walk.
- yesterday
More than a third of shoes sold on Shein, Temu and AliExpress breach EU chemical rules
A study by the European Confederation of the Footwear Industry tested 76 pairs bought on three platforms in seven European countries. Twenty-seven pairs broke at least one chemical limit.
- yesterday
Google lets anyone publish private AI-built Android apps on Play, free of charge
People 18 and older with a Google account can now list privately built Android apps on Google Play at no cost, starting in the United States on Tuesday, 13 October 2026. The apps stay out of Play search and recommendations.
