Zagreb goes green as HDZ wins overall in local elections

The Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ, EPP), the ruling party led by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, is topping the polls with 26.7% a week before local elections scheduled for 16 May. HDZ is counting on victory in Split and Osijek, the…

To reduce the spread of the coronavirus, Member States have taken a wide range of measures, which have significantly affected the free movement of people in the EU. Restrictions on freedom of movement have varied in time and across countries – following generally but not strictly – successive ‘waves’ of coronavirus infections. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the EU and the Member States have been active in developing a coordinated response to the pandemic, starting from emergency measures to mitigate the effects of the sudden introduction of border controls in the early days of the pandemic to establishing common approaches on risk indicators, interoperable contact tracing apps, vaccination and digital certification. This briefing provides an overview of the main restrictions on free movement adopted by the EU and Schengen countries focusing on control measures at the internal borders introduced between March 2020 and July 2021. It then discusses the key steps taken by the EU and the Member States to develop a common approach to lifting restrictions on freedom of movement. The briefing also places the coronavirus-related restrictions of movement in the context of broader efforts to update and strengthen the Schengen system, which has been under stress for at least a decade. This is an updated edition of an EPRS briefing published in November 2020.

Source : © European Union, 2021 – EP

Spain’s conservative Popular Party (PP) has won a snap regional election in Madrid, in a victory for the incumbent regional president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso. However the party fell short of an absolute majority and must form a coalition or rely on the abstention of far-right Vox to govern. EURACTIV’s partner EFE reports. 

Finland’s right-wing populist Finns Party has made some of the biggest gains in the country’s municipal elections, according to initial results. Coming on top was the liberal-conservative National Coalition Party with 21.5% support, an increase of 0.8% compared to the…