Europe Belgium The sale of disposable electronic cigarettes is banned since 1 January 2025; Belgium thus became the first in the European Union to do so
Europe Romania In connection to full accession to the Schengen area, Romania will close over 30 checkpoints on its borders with Hungary and Bulgaria following last vote of EU Justice and Home Affairs Council that ruled the abolition of land controls as of 1 January 2025
Europe Spain The census revealed that 1.038.671 people born in the Spanish-speaking countries of the Americas now reside in the Madrid region; only 25 years ago, they were 81.552
Europe Albania Durazzo-Tirana on 9 May 2025 will be the first of three Albanian stages that will kick off the 108th edition of the Giro d'Italia - an iconic annual multiple-stage bicycle race; the Giro will start abroad for the 15th time in its century long history
Europe Germany The state music councils in Germany choose an instrument of the year every year, and in 2025 it is the human voice: from singing to speaking, from whispering to shouting, these sounds can also be used musically and creativity can be expressed through them
Europe Liechtenstein In view of the Principality elections of 9 February, the Liechtenstein Institute is launching the "Elections 2025" series of events this January 2025 to cover what it call 'election year' for the number of countries choosing their representatives
Europe Hungary Hungary's turn at the presidency of the Council of the European Union officially ends today; notwithstanding Orbán's provocative attitude and ambitious initiatives, the mandate took place in relative calm
Europe Monaco An exhibition at the Ministère d'Etat celebrating the 80th anniversary of the liberation from occupations by Germany and Italy during World War II closes today
Europe North Macedonia The country in 2024 saw political change fuel fears of return to ethnic strife as the country’s biggest ethnic Albanian party, long used to power, was relegated to opposition benches and may stir up ethnic tension in a bid to regain its lost status
Europe Portugal Hotel occupancy on New Year's Eve in Madeira is expected to be around 100%, according to the Secretariat of Economy, Tourism and Culture; “a reflection of the continuous effort to promote the region” according to stakeholders
Europe San Marino This holiday season saw a boom in tourist arrivals and on Sunday 30 December a record was set for passengers reaching the historic center by cable car: with over 6.600 lifts, it surpass the Boxing Day number of 4.100
Europe Ukraine As for 2025, I am very optimistic; there are objective factors for that, it will definitely be better than that," said Kiev's intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov
Europe Netherlands Traffic congestion in the Netherlands increased by 8% last year, according to new data from the ANWB motoring organisation, based on information from TomTom satellite navigation systems