Europe Iceland The use of tanning beds has steadily decreased: only 5% of people said they had used them in the past 12 months, compared to over 30% in 2004; the number of tanning beds has also decreased, with 86 beds in 2023, compared to 97 in 2020
Europe Hungary Prime Minister Orbán, speaking on Kossuth radio about the main current political issues, stated, among other things, that 'Hungarians were Trumps even before Trump'
Europe Slovenia The government initiated a programme of measures to reduce environmental degradation in several municipalities in the northern region of Koroška, where the situation worsened due to the 2023 floods
Europe Norway The iconic old Tryvann transmission and observation tower in the hills above Oslo, closed and neglected for decades, has finally been sold by city officials to an investor who intends to renovate it and reopen it to the public
Europe Switzerland Switzerland adopted new EU regulation to standardise the collection and transfer of passenger information that aims at enhancing the accuracy and precision of the data gathered and preventing illegal entry of air passengers into the Schengen area
Europe Czech Republic An existing shortage of train drivers in the Czech railway industry is expected to worsen as many are gradually retiring, with no replacement to be found; the average age of drivers is around 50
Europe Denmark The Supreme Court has ruled in favour of trade union FOA in a case against the Danish Labour Market Insurance and the Appeals Board, a decision that could lead to damages of up to DKK 2,5 billion (€335.059.000) for around 25.000 workers in flexible jobs
Europe Estonia Enefit Green and AFRY signed a contract to provide Front-End Engineering Design services for the 1.000-megawatt Liivi Bay offshore wind farm in Estonia, which could cover half of Estonia's current electricity consumption
Europe Finland The Finnish Medicines Agency received 2.676 drug shortage notifications from pharmaceutical companies in 2024; most cases were resolved by replacing unavailable drugs with equivalent alternatives in pharmacies
Europe Malta A new palliative care complex in Santa Venera has been opened by Hospice Malta; it is the first dedicated palliative care center in the country and its services will be provided free of charge to more than 1.500 patients
Europe Bulgaria In December, registered unemployment in Bulgaria reached a record low, falling below 150.000 for the first time, marking a registered unemployment rate of 5,23%
Europe Bosnia and Herzegovina The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development invested €213 million in 23 developing projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2024, with a focus on green energy, sustainability, and transport connectivity projects with neighboring countries
Europe Belgium According to a new report by the Belgium Court of Auditors, the Belgian court system's long-running project to digitize paper documents is not going as planned