European Parliament

Local elections for municipalities and regions will be consistently held on the last Sunday of November. The reforms, introduced by Minister Thodoris Livanios at the KEDE (Central Union of Greek Municipalities) conference in Rhodes, are intended to modernize local government.

The European Commissioner-designate for health and animal welfare, Hungary's Oliver Varhelyi, failed to sail through his vetting in Brussels on Nov. 6, and will have to provide further written details, according to parliamentary sources.

BUDAPEST - On the sidelines of the European Political Community Summit in Budapest, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with several senior officials to discuss the place and the role of Western Balkan states in the global political reality, as well as current issues.

Ekaterina Zaharieva's candidacy for European Commissioner has been approved, securing her role overseeing "Startups, Research, and Innovation" within the European Commission.

A recent analysis from the European Institute of Trade Unions, highlighted by the European Confederation of Trade Unions, reveals that low-wage earners in most EU countries spend at least a third of their monthly income on rent. This data comes just before Dan Jørgensen's hearing in the European Parliament, where he will be considered for the role of the EU's first housing commissioner.

Bulgarian European Commissioner candidate Ekaterina Zaharieva emphasized the connection between peace in Ukraine and Europe's security during her hearing in the European Parliament.

The European Parliament approved on Monday night the candidacy of Apostolos Tzitzikostas for the portfolio of Sustainable Transport and Tourism for the next five years.

Nominees for some of the European Union's top jobs face parliamentary hearings on Monday, as lawmakers start to vet would-be commissioners to oversee Europe-wide policies ranging from agriculture to trade for the next five years.

Albania hopes to join the European Union by 2030, Prime Minister Edi Rama told a crowd of some 2,000 supporters at a hotel in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki on Sunday.

Rama also promised that the numerous Albanian expatriates will be able for the first time to mail in their ballots in the next general election, set to take place in Spring 2025.

A European prosecutor's office is investigating allegations of fraud and corruption linked to Manfred Weber's 2019 European Parliament election campaign, including the potential misuse of EU funds, as reported by Politico. Weber, a significant figure in Brussels politics and the leader of the European People's Party (EPP), is not currently named as a suspect in the inquiry.