More than 74 percent of eligible voters flocked to the polls on Sunday in the largest voter turn-out since the fall of communism in 1989. In a surprise result, Donald Tusk’s pro-European opposition is set to dethrone the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party after eight years of rule, even though it remained the single strongest party in the Polish parliament.
The EU member states issued a joint statement on respect for the rights of all citizens in the conflict between Israel and Hamas. German Finance Minister Christian Lindner offered the UK a closer economic relationship with the EU. Slovak diplomat Ivan Korčok continues to collect signatures for his presidential candidacy.
As large numbers of migrants landed on the Italian island of Lampedusa this summer, social media users published video footage purporting to show the newcomers attacking Italian police. However the claim is false. The clip actually shows a fight from 2021 that took place outside of a nightcub in Marotta, central Italy.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has called for the behaviour of Iran, a long-time supporter of Hamas, to be monitored. At a NATO meeting in Brussels, attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, defence ministers seek to increase support for Ukraine. Brussels warned the online platform Meta of a rise in false information.
The escalation of violence between Israel and the Islamist militant group Hamas has prompted discussions in Brussels over aid programmes for the Palestinian people. The EU has strongly condemned the attack by Hamas on Israel but has sent out mixed messages over the future of its development aid to the Palestinians.