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In today’s news from The Capitals:
PARIS
Three judges in Paris will issue their verdict on Monday in the embezzlement case against Marine Le Pen, the firebrand leader of France’s far-right Rassemblement National. A conviction could upend French politics, as prosecutors are seeking a five-year ban from public office that would prevent her from running in the 2027 presidential election. Read more.
WESTERN EUROPE
BERLIN
Splitting up Germany’s electricity bidding zone gains ground. A 2022 proposal to charge different power prices across Europe’s largest country has gained some momentum due to a well-placed negotiator for the incoming government. Read more.
NORDICS & BALTICS
OSLO
Inside Norway’s bold bid to shift EU on Shein. Euractiv sat down with Norway’s Climate and Environment Minster Anders Bjelland Eriksen and Children and Families Minister Lene Vågslid during their online consumer protection rally in Brussels this week. Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
ROME
Meloni tries to save Albania migration centres, again. After legal setbacks, the Italian government has revised the Italy-Albania Protocol, enabling the transfer of migrants with validated or extended detention orders for repatriation from Italy to Albania. Read more.
EASTERN EUROPE
WARSAW
Meet the far-right candidate brewing trouble in Poland’s presidential race. Sławomir Mentzen is the new rising star of Poland’s far-right, with his beer–fuelled campaign style and a passion for physics threatening the conservative PiS party’s plan to hold on to the presidency. Read more.
Tusk mirrors PiS in presidential campaign, announces his own “Patriots’ March.” After PiS (ECR) leader Jarosław Kaczyński announced a “march of patriots” for 12 April, Prime Minister Donald Tusk responded with his own demonstration, set to take place just a week before the 18 May presidential election.
Last week, Jarosław Kaczyński called on “all Polish patriots” to join a march marking the millennial anniversary of the Kingdom of Poland and the 500-year anniversary of the so-called Prussian Homage, which ended the Teutonic Order’s rule in Prussia – long a battleground between the Order and Poland.
While the PiS leader did not explicitly link the march to the ongoing presidential campaign, his announcement comes as his party’s candidate, Karol Nawrocki, struggles in the polls and risks failing to reach the runoff against far-right contender Sławomir Mentzen (Confederation, ESN/PfE). “The best response to PiS’s April march will be a great May march of patriots,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who also leads the ruling Civic Platform (PO, EPP), wrote on X over the weekend.
He stressed that the May election would determine “whether Poland will be strong and secure or isolated and weak.” Tusk’s march is set to take place in Warsaw – just like Kaczyński’s – on Sunday, 11 May, a week before the election, starting at noon.
PO’s candidate, Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, maintains a strong lead in the polls. A recent Opinia24 survey for TVN24 put him at 36.3%, ahead of Nawrocki (20.4%) and Mentzen (18%). Since returning to power in late 2023, Tusk has increasingly echoed far-right rhetoric in an effort to appeal to conservative voters – toughening his stance on migration and making defense the central priority of Poland’s EU presidency.
(Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | Euractiv.pl)
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PRAGUE
Czechia supports using EU cohesion funds for defence projects. Czech Regional Development Minister Petr Kulhánek (STAN, EPP) has called for EU’s cohesion policy to continue in its strongest possible form after 2028 and to include the financing of defence projects.
Speaking after the Council of the EU meeting in Brussels on Friday, he expressed support for aligning regional funding with the EU’s growing focus on defence. “The need to include defence in cohesion policy was raised during the meeting. Defense is clearly becoming a priority, and we, as the Czech Republic, agree with this and support it,” he stated.
Defence is not standalone. Discussions on how exactly the funding should be used are expected to continue, Kulhánek noted. “Defence is not a standalone sector. Funding could also support technologies that can be used in both civilian and defence industries,” he added. Czechia is a cohesion country, with around 40% of its public investments financed from EU funds.
(Aneta Zachová | Euractiv.cz)
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BRATISLAVA
Slovak government defends lifetime pension for attorney general. Last week, Robert Fico’s government approved a lifetime monthly pension of €5,000 for the Slovak attorney general, even if he does not complete his full term. The decision sparked a wave of criticism that continued through the weekend.
The opposition condemned the move, arguing that the government pushed it through during a time of fiscal consolidation. They also questioned whether the measure was an attempt to persuade current Attorney General Maroš Žilinka to step down.
“I see no other reason or motivation than to get rid of Maroš Žilinka. He’ll benefit financially, and the coalition will appoint an even more loyal attorney general,” said Branislav Vančo, an MP from Progressive Slovakia (PS/RE).
Members of Fico’s coalition defended the pension during Sunday’s political debates. Hlas-SD (NI) leader and Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok claimed that the pension was part of a broader plan to introduce retirement benefits similar to those granted to former soldiers or police officers.
Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák (Smer-SD/NI) also backed the measure, while praising qualities of two controversial lawyers with close ties to Smer-SD, who have been speculated as potential successors to Žilinka.
(Natália Silenská | Euractiv.sk)
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
SOFIA
Bulgarian government shielded until eurozone entry. Bulgaria’s fragile government has secured a temporary reprieve from political turbulence, as key opposition parties signal they will refrain from supporting no-confidence votes until the country completes its convergence report – a critical step toward Eurozone membership.
Тhe biggest opposition coalition “We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria” has explicitly stated that it will neither back no-confidence motions nor lend support to the current government until the convergence report is finalised. Without the support of the pro-European coalition, the opposition has no chance of ousting the government.
Protected from threats. This stance effectively shields the administration of PM Rossen Zhelyazkov (GERB, EPP) from immediate threats, granting it a window to focus on meeting the economic criteria required for Eurozone accession on 1 January, 2026.
The convergence report, prepared by the European Commission and the European Central Bank, evaluates Bulgaria’s readiness to adopt the euro, assessing factors such as inflation, fiscal stability, and exchange rate performance.”
“Being in the Eurozone is one of the most important things for Bulgaria. On the other hand, we will not make compromises with corruption or corrupt schemes. That’s why we decided that on the very first day after the convergence report for the Eurozone is released, we are ready to initiate a no-confidence vote,” former PM and current leader of We Continue the Change, Kiril Petkov said.
(Krassen Nikolov | Euractiv.bg)
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BUCHAREST
Nearly half of Romanian children spend 6+ hours daily online. According to a new study by non-profit Save the Children Romania, almost half of children (48.3%) spend more than six hours a day in the digital environment, with most of this time dedicated to social media.
In 2025, the age range at which social media usage becomes significant is 5–10 years. In comparison, in 2019, it was 9 years, and in the 2021 study, the average age at which children started using social media was 8.2 years.
Two out of five children report having been offended or receiving upsetting messages online – an increase compared to 2021 and 2024, according to the latest study conducted in 2025.
Save the Children statistics warn that one in three children who sought counseling from the organisation’s psychologists experienced anxiety and required psycho-emotional support. Among adolescents, this percentage rises to over 50%, with some cases escalating to extremely serious consequences, including suicide attempts.
(Cătălina Mihai | Euractiv.ro)
AGENDA:
- EU: Parliament President Roberta Metsola, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meet;
- Commission President Ursula von der Leyen receives European People’s Party Chair Manfred Weber, Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats Chair Iratxe García-Pérez, Renew Europe Chair Valérie Hayer;
- High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas participates in European Security and Ukraine ministerial meeting in Madrid, Spain;
- Commission Vice President Raffaele Fitto, Economy and Productivity Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis participate in Parliament’s Committees on Budgets and Economic & Monetary Affairs joint dialogue on Recovery and Resilience;
- Trade and Economic Security Commissioner Maros Šefčovič hosts International Chamber of Commerce Chair Philippe Varin;
- Internal Affairs and Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner participates in “Border Security Summit: Organised Immigration Crime”, in London, United Kingdom;
- Health and Animal Welfare Commissioner Oliver Várhelyi participates in EU Platform on Animal Welfare 16th meeting; Meets with AnimalhealthEurope representatives;
- Agriculture and Food Commissioner Christophe Hansen holds exchange of views with Parliament’s Environment, Climate and Food Safety Committee on Agriculture and Food Vision;
- Startups, Research and Innovation Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva intervenes in Parliament’s plenary session on “European Academics and Researchers in the US situation and the Impact on Academic Freedom”.
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[Edited by Vas Panagiotopoulos, Charles Szumski, Daniel Eck, Sofia Mandilara]
