Europe's South

Portuguese PM reaffirms goal of making Portuguese an official UN language
Est. 3minPortuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro on Tuesday reiterated his government’s goal of strengthening the country's consular network and, along with Brazil, making Portuguese an official language of the United Nations.

Meloni looks to bridge gap between EPP and Patriots
Est. 3minItalian Prime Minister and European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) leader Giorgia Meloni appears to be bridging the gap between the European People’s Party (EPP) group and the far-right Patriots for Europe group, as representatives from both have been invited to a three-day convention in Dubrovnik.

Hungary denies involvement in €9.2 million loan to Spain’s far-right Vox party
Est. 3minMBH is Hungary's second-largest bank and is 30.5% owned by the Hungarian state.

Spanish centre-right at odds with government over migrant crisis in the Canaries
Est. 4minSpain’s Partido Popular broke off negotiations with the government over the migration crisis in the Canary Islands, accusing the left-wing executive of not accepting help from the European Union.

Salvini hailed by fellow Patriots for Europe allies at rally in Italy
Est. 4minLeaders of the far-right Patriots for Europe gathered in the northern Italian town of Pontida for the annual rally of Lega, of which the leader, Matteo Salvini, received praise for combatting irregular migration.

European Commission sues Portugal over failure to combat industrial pollution
Est. 2minThe European Commission is taking Portugal to the EU Court of Justice over failures to combat pollution from industrial activities, the European Commission announced in a statement published on Thursday.

Portuguese president urges Israel to reconsider declaring UN’s Guterres ‘persona non grata’
Est. 2minIsrael should reconsider its decision to declare the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, "persona non grata" in agreement with the position taken on Wednesday by the Portuguese government, Portugal's President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said on Thursday.

Italy warns G7 summit of rising terror risk threat due to global conflicts
Est. 2minItalian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi opened the G7 Interior Ministers' Summit by warning his G7 counterparts that international conflicts, particularly in the Middle East and Ukraine, are increasing the risk of terrorist attacks.

Portugal’s high debt, budget surplus is an ‘exception’ in EU – Commission advisory body
Est. 3minThe European Fiscal Board (EFB), the European Commission's independent advisory body, considers in its annual report that Portugal is an ‘exception’ in the European Union (EU) for having high debt and achieving a structural surplus.

Spain to send two military planes to evacuate its citizens from Lebanon
Est. 2minSpain will send two military aircraft to Beirut on Thursday to evacuate its citizens from Lebanon amid escalating violence in the region, Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles said on Wednesday.

G7 leaders still hope for diplomatic solution in Middle East, Italy says
Est. 2minItalian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni urgently convened a phone conference with G7 leaders on Wednesday in response to the escalating Middle East crisis, resulting in a strong condemnation of Iran's attack on Israel.

Portuguese PM will meet opposition leader amid budget row again
Est. 2minPortuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro and Socialist Party leader Pedro Nuno Santos will meet again at the end of the day on Thursday as part of the negotiations on the 2025 budget, a source in Luís Montenegro's office told Lusa.

Greek left says Le Pen’s right hand Bardella ‘unwanted’ in Athens
Est. 4min“We make it clear that Le Pen's protégé is unwelcome in Athens”, Nasos Iliopoulos, spokesperson of the New Left party told Euractiv, adding that it is “unthinkable” to invite Bardella to speak about democracy.

Italian lawmakers to question car giant Stellantis
Est. 4minThe long-simmering crisis at the world's fourth-largest carmaker has now reached a critical point, with lawmakers from the opposition and ruling parties set to question CEO Carlos Tavares on 11 October.

Portugal’s ex-PM Costa will meet with Orbán
Est. 3minAntónio Costa, Portugal's former prime minister and future president of the European Council, will meet Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Budapest on Tuesday, continuing a tour of EU capitals that began in Italy.

Immigrant residency applications in Portugal fall 80% since rule change
Est. 2minThe number of applications for immigrant residency in Portugal has fallen by around 80%, Cabinet Minister António Leitão Amaro said on Monday, accusing the left of still not realising the mistake they have made.

Italian government divided over Austrian election winner
Est. 2minAs the official results from Austria’s general election have confirmed a win for Herbert Kickl’s far-right FPÖ party, the ruling coalition in Italy is divided over what to think of the victor.

EU prosecutor calls on Greece to change law protecting ministers
Est. 3minEU Prosecutor Laura Kövesi has called on Greek politicians to change a law that provides ministers with immunity saying it goes against the European law and prevented an EU investigation over a deadly train accident that cost the lives of 57 people.

Portugal approves new system to expulse irregular migrants
Est. 2minPortugal will introduce a new system for the return and expulsion of migrants staying in the country without authorisation and create the National Foreigners and Borders Unit within the police, the government announced on Thursday.

Italy says enough EU countries ready to back call for early emissions review
Est. 2minItaly has secured the support of nine EU countries for Business and Made in Italy Minister Adolfo Urso’s proposal to bring forward the revision of EU car emissions legislation from 2026 to 2025, with the minister saying there are now enough EU member states ready to back Italy’s call.

EU opposes funding fences as Athens fears migration waves from Middle East
Est. 4minThe Greek government is planning to move on with its plan to build a new fence at the border with Turkey to prevent illegal migration with or without EU funding, while the European Commission insists that smarter solutions should be put in place.

Portugal sets dates for 2025 budget debates
Est. 2minThe Leaders' Conference on Wednesday looked at a proposed timetable for the general debate on the 2025 budget, to be held on 30 and 31 October, with the final overall vote scheduled for 28 November.

Spanish government withdraws 2025 draft budget
Est. 5minThe Spanish government on Tuesday withdrew the draft budget for 2025 due to be voted on in parliament on Thursday, after the right-wing Partido Popular Party and the party of Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont announced they would reject the text.

Portuguese government won’t close budget without knowing Socialist proposals
Est. 4minPortugal's Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Pedro Duarte, reiterated on Tuesday that the government would not close the budget without knowing the proposals from the PS party, insisting that it had the "goodwill" to accept them.