Europe Albania The 3rd Intergovernmental Conference, one more step on the path to EU membership, will be held in Brussels on 17 December and will focus on Cluster 6, covering external relations, foreign policy, security and defence
Europe Estonia Starting next year, employers will be able to cover dental care, physiotherapy, nutritional counselling and mental health care for employees through a tax break
Europe Finland A legislative amendment was passed that will stop the payment of the national pension to beneficiaries residing outside Finland in EU and EEA countries, Switzerland and the UK, as of 1 February 2025
Europe Greece From the academic year 2025-26, universities will be able to accept up to 30% of students admitted through entrance examinations, an increase from the current 12% announced by the Ministry of Education
Europe Latvia The winner of Latvia's 'Car of the Year 2025' competition is the new Škoda Kodiaq, chosen by a jury among seven finalists; a total of 32 car models participated in this year's competition
Europe Austria The government has initiated an economic support programme for Syrian nationals in Austria who want to return to their country, which mainly consists in the delivery of 1000 euros in cash and practical advice and assistance
Europe Ukraine Energy infrastructure has been attacked with missiles and drones, with Russia saying it considers them military targets; millions of civilians, who are left without electricity or heating, are however consequently affected
Europe Bulgaria In the Justice and Home Affairs Council of the European Union the last vote took place for Bulgaria's full entry into the Schengen area; the vote established the abolition of land controls as of 1 January 2025
Europe United Kingdom So-called puberty-blocking drugs will be banned indefinitely in the country, whereas until a few months ago they were prescribed to trans children and adolescents to delay the puberty period and to orientate their sexual development differently
Europe Iceland Departures from Keflavík Airport reached 162.000 in November, an increase of 14.000 over last year, approaching the record levels of departures in 2018
Europe Hungary The awarding of Michelin stars to ten of the country's restaurants took place in a prestigious Michelin Guide ceremony in Budapest
Europe Malta Malta International Airport welcomed over 8,3 million passengers between January and November this year, reaching the 8-million-passenger mark for the first time since it has been operational
Europe Serbia A €720 million agreement has been signed with Chinese construction giant PowerChina to start the first phase of the Belgrade metro project, many times hampered by political indecision and financing difficulties