Elena Sánchez Nicolás

The European Parliament approved a €35bn financial assistance package for Ukraine, though voting data reveals MEPs sympathetic to Russia.

Croatian commissioner Dubravka Šuica made numerous trips over the past five years to Zagreb and her hometown of Dubrovnik to participate in events — now the frequency and nature of these ‘official missions’ have drawn criticism, ahead of her new post as inaugural commissioner for the Mediterranean.

EU officials and world leaders have condemned Israel's decision to ban the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) from operating within its borders — a move that, de facto, restricts the UN agency's services in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The EU Commission warned Georgia that they will be unable to open EU membership talks unless the country changes course. “You simply cannot maintain ties with Russia or try to do business as usual and expect that your country will be part of the EU," said EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell.

This week, key events shaping EU and global dynamics include the nail-biting US election, an EU summit addressing competitiveness, and daily commissioners hearings where MEPs will challenge suitability for their role.

Follow our live blog for real-time updates and insights on the EU commissioner hearings as they unfold.

This week, UN climate talks kick off in Baku, the commissioner hearings finally wrap up, and EU member states and MEPs will face off over next year’s budget cuts.

Two weeks ago, when the parliamentary hearings for the new EU commissioners began, few could have expected that the new commission — and the inauguration of its president Ursula von der Leyen — would end up being so dependent on domestic Spanish politics (and climate change).

As the war between Ukraine and Russia marks 1,000 days, president Volodymyr Zelensky tells the European Parliament: "Putin remains smaller than the united strength of Europe. I urge you not to forget this."

As the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav