Hundreds of firefighters are battling the blaze at the edge of Greece's Dadia national park. The European Commission described it as the largest single fire in the history of the EU.

The EU is set to launch a new mission in West Africa in the fall, a German newspaper has reported. The combined military-civilian operation will aim to prevent instability triggered by jihadi groups.

North Macedonia has been waiting since 2005 for EU accession negotiations to begin. Greece finally lifted its veto in 2019, but Bulgaria continues to throw a spanner in the works.

A year ago, Russia stopped gas flows to the EU via the Nord Stream pipeline to inflict pain on the bloc for its overwhelming support for Ukraine. The weaponization of its gas supplies has ended up hurting Moscow more.

The EU foreign ministers met to discuss ways to help West Africa's ECOWAS regional group handle the military takeover in Niger. The meeting came the junta stripped the French ambassador of diplomatic immunity.

The wildfires raging in northern Greece are causing unprecedented devastation. Nature reserves have gone up in flames and livelihoods have been destroyed. Some Greeks have accused migrants of starting the blaze.

Europe seems to have ever fewer options as it watches West Africa experience a series of military coups.

The Greek island of Paros, in the Cyclades, is a popular tourist destination during the summer season, when around 450,000 visitors flock to the picturesque island of 12,000 inhabitants. But locals have become exacerbated by this huge influx of tourists and the illegal privatisation of certain beaches. Protests have even erupted on Paros under the banner of "Reclaim the beach".

Pro-EU President Salome Zurabishvili is facing possible impeachment after she visited leaders in the bloc. The current government is seen by the opposition as taking the country away from Europe and toward Russia.

Syrians were the biggest group seeking asylum in Europe in the first half of 2023, according to the bloc's asylum agency. The count didn't include Ukrainian refugees.

Iran has repeatedly targeted foreigners and jailed them for espionage. The European Union confirmed that a Swedish diplomat working for the EU has been held in Iran for more than 500 days.

At least seven people have died after torrential rains caused flash flooding in Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria. The deluge comes on the heels of extreme heat over summer.