EU Reporter

When senior executives move into politics, their past rarely remains neutral. In the case of István Kapitány, it comes shaped by decades in one of the most geopolitically sensitive industries — and by a regional energy system that has only grown more complex since 2022. Kapitány is not a marginal figure. After 37 years at Shell, he left the company in 2024, having overseen a global retail and mobility network spanning tens of thousands of fuel stations worldwide. He has since entered Hungary’

In a more volatile world of wars and walls, China has stood out as an anchor for peace and development, a valuable opportunity for all, open for business and known for its long-tested political stability, economic prosperity, technological advancement and better lives for 1.4 billion Chinese, the largest growing consumer base ever on the planet. China just had its “Two Sessions" in March, the annual sessions of the National People’s Congress (China’s Parliament) and the Chinese People’s Polit

The European Commission has proposed a new regulation to establish a standalone founding act for the European Union Space Services Agency, known as EUSPA. This legislative move renames the current Agency for the European Space Programme and amends the relevant parts in the current Union Space Programme Regulation to reflect the organization's expanding operational responsibilities. Under the new proposal, the Agency will transition to a standalone founding act which will need not be amended for

The EU's top-level domain, .eu, marks two decades of providing European companies, organisations and citizens with the ability to give their websites and e-mail addresses a European identity. Europe's trusted digital address counts over 3.8 million active registrations. It stands for the EU single market and European integration.  The domain name has simplified e-commerce with European retailers which use a single web address across the EU market. The .eu domain name is fourth in terms of use

The European Commission has positively assessed Ireland's fourth payment request for €249 million under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU. Following its assessment of the payment request, the Commission found that Ireland has satisfactorily completed the five milestones and three targets set out in the Council Implementing Decision. The reforms and investments tied to this payment request will drive positive change for citizens and businesses in Ireland

The EU and the Kingdom of Morocco have strengthened their relationship as strategic partners in the digital field by launching the EU-Morocco Digital Dialogue. This Digital Dialogue reflects a shared vision to unlock the potential of digital, data and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, supporting a digital economy and society at the service of people. It will enable cooperation in areas such as AI, support for digital start-ups, secure and trusted digital infrastructure, as well as inter

The European Commission has opened applications for a new DiscoverEU round, offering thousands of young people aged 18 the chance to explore Europe by train and for free. The call opens today at 12:00 CET and closes on 22 April 2026 at 12:00 CET, leading up to the launch of the European Youth Week 2026. A total of 40,000 travel passes are available. Winners will be able to board the train for up to 30 days between 1 July 2026 and 30 September 2027. Young people born between 1 July 2007 and 30

Hungary votes on 12 April 2026, and for the first time in a generation, the outcome is genuinely uncertain. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has consolidated power over 16 consecutive years, becoming a Eurosceptic standard-bearer, but his grip on power is facing its most serious challenge yet, as his right-wing Fidesz party trails the opposition by double digits ahead of polling day the result will be framed as a contest between the pro-Russian government and the anti-corruption, pro-NATO opposition.

You would be hard pressed to find a European country without a controversial development project. Whether it is a neighbourhood being gentrified, a landmark repurposed or a public space privatised, these features of the modern urban landscape are guaranteed to divide opinion. Ultimately, development and debate tend to go hand in hand, with economic interests frequently coming into tension with questions of cultural identity and heritage. But wherever you stand on that debate, it’s hard not to

In the fourth quarter of 2025, house prices in the EU rose by 5.5%, while rents increased by 3.2% compared with the fourth quarter of 2024. Compared with the third quarter of 2025, house prices increased by 0.8% and rents by 0.6%.  This information comes from data on house prices and rents published by Eurostat. This article presents the main findings from the more detailed Statistics Explained article on housing price statistics. During the last decade, between 2015 and the third

In 2024, more than two-thirds (68.5%) of the EU population perceived their health as very good or good. On the other hand, 8.5% of people rated their health as bad or very bad, with the remaining 23.0% rating their health as fair. Up to the age of 65, most people rated their health as very good or good. The share was 91.3% among 16 to 24-year-olds and it gradually declined to 61.1% among those aged 55-64. Finally, 40.0% of people aged 65 and older perceived their health as very good or good.

The European Commission has approved, under EU state aid rules, the compensation granted by Lithuania to Litgas UAB for supplying a mandatory quantity of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the LNG terminal in Klaipėda. On 31 October 2018, the Commission approved a Lithuanian measure to compensate Litgas for the operation of the LNG terminal between 2016 and 2024. In September 2021, the General Court partially annulled the Commission decision, finding that the Commission should have opened an in-d

The European Commission has launched the 2027 edition of the European Capitals of Tourism award. Tourism destinations across Europe are invited to present their most innovative and sustainable tourism initiatives, positioning themselves as leading examples in the field. The Commission will award two destinations that demonstrate exceptional achievements in two categories. The first category is open to destinations with over 100,000 inhabitants and recognises excellence in sustainability, acce

The European Commission has opened applications for the 10th edition of Youth4Regions, its flagship programme designed to support aspiring journalists. From 10 to 16 October 2026, selected participants will spend a week in Brussels, to benefit from expert-led training, hands-on newsroom experience and exclusive access to both EU institutions and leading media organizations. Applications can be submitted until 7 July 2026 on the programme's website. This year's programme welcomes submissions a

The European Commission has positively assessed Finland's fourth payment request for €267.1 million under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the centrepiece of NextGenerationEU. Following its assessment of the payment request, the Commission found that Finland has satisfactorily completed the 10 milestones and 10 targets set out in the Council Implementing Decision. The reforms and investments tied to this payment request will benefit Finnish citizens and businesses, particularly through a

In 2023, an estimated 1.0 million people under the age of 75 in the EU died from diseases and conditions that could have been treated or prevented. Of these deaths, 376 434 were due to treatable diseases and conditions that could have been avoided through high-quality healthcare, while 655 321 were due to preventable diseases that could have been avoided through effective public health interventions. The standardized death rate from all avoidable conditions was 237.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabi

In 2025, the EU trade in goods balance registered a surplus of €128 billion, representing a decrease of €8 billion compared with 2024 (€136bn).  Between 2015 and 2025, the EU recorded a trade surplus every year except for 2022, when the negative trade balance was driven by the deficit from the trade in the energy sector. In all other years, trade surpluses in machinery, vehicles, and chemicals and related products outweighed the deficits caused by energy. The chemicals and related products

In the latest episode of Eurostat’s Stats in a Wrap podcast, we introduce the Web Intelligence Hub. This is a project dedicated to building a statistical infrastructure that helps use web content appropriately to produce official statistics. Our host Jonathan Elliott is joined by Eurostat’s Fernando Reis, statistical officer for new data sources for official statistics; Mátyás Mészáros, methodological expert in charge of the Web Intelligence Hub and online job advertisements; Vladimir Kvetan,

In 2024, nearly 1.2 million people acquired the citizenship of the EU country where they lived, an increase of 11.6% (+122 700 people) compared with 2023. The number of citizenships granted jumped by 54.5% compared with 2014, when a total of 762 100 were attributed.  The majority of these new citizenships were granted by Germany (288 700; 24.5% of the EU total), Spain (252 500; 21.4%) and Italy (217 400; 18.5%).  Most recipients (88.0%) were from non-EU countries, while

In 2024, the amount of municipal waste generated per person in the EU corresponded to 517 kg, 6 kg more than in 2023 (511 kg). Compared with 2014, the amount increased by 38 kg (+8%). The available data reveals significant differences across EU countries. Austria (782 kg per person, 2023 data), Denmark (755 kg), and Belgium (699 kg) recorded the highest levels of municipal waste per person. The lowest amount of waste per person was generated in Romania (305 kg, 2023 data), Estonia (375 kg) an