Joanna Kakissis

People of the former Soviet bloc rejoiced when the Iron Curtain fell and embraced membership in the European Union. Hungary is an example of a growing culture clash in the conservative East.

Adults "can see us as serious or they can see us as a joke," one of the kids says. "A lawsuit is not a joke," her brother adds. The European Court of Human Rights has fast-tracked their 2020 lawsuit.

Anyone who refuses to get vaccinated will face monthly fines of 100 euros, or roughly $114. The monthly fine is substantial for retirees — the average pension is 730 euros a month.

Portugal, where nearly everyone is vaccinated, is becoming a test case for living with the coronavirus — as a worrying new strain spreads worldwide.

The first of more than 20 volunteers who helped migrants in Greece are going on trial, in what rights groups say is a politically motivated attempt to criminalize humanitarian work.

Six young Portuguese, alarmed at how the warming climate is affecting their future, are suing 33 European countries to compel them to significantly reduce carbon emissions.

Some Afghans evacuated by the U.S. are being held on a U.S. military base in Kosovo because of insufficient security vetting. Their future is unclear.

Former Soviet block countries were elated when they were able to open to the West. But that emotion has been replaced by discomfort, as deeply conservative societies grapple with the EU's liberalism.

This summer has seen forest fires across southern Europe, which scientists say were worsened by climate change. Evia lost its forests, the island's source of livelihood and joy.

After catastrophic fires razed the forest that was the lifeblood of Greece's second largest island, residents are planning for a hotter, drier future — and demanding the government do the same.

The owners and insurers of the giant container ship Ever Given have announced a settlement with the Suez Canal Authority, which has held the ship since it got stuck in the canal in March.

As new COVID-19 strains threaten southern Europe's summer of recovery, tourism-reliant countries are scrambling to save vacation season while adapting their hospitality industries to the uncertainty.

Rights groups accuse nations of using COVID-19 as an excuse to shut out refugees. Here's one story of migrants attempting a deadly voyage to Europe, only to be pushed back to where they fled.

Governments around the world are using the pandemic to ignore international asylum law and shut out refugees. Advocates expect these policies will continue long after the COVID-19 crisis.

Leaders from across the European Union's 27 member-states celebrated the start of vaccination efforts on Sunday. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called it "a European success story."

Media that are supportive of leaders in Hungary, Poland and Slovenia either repeat the false claims or suggest President-elect Joe Biden is part of a vast liberal conspiracy to stifle conservatives.

As Eastern European nationalists prepare for life after President Trump, the media they control are promoting false claims that Joe Biden's victory was rigged.

Statements poured in congratulating Joe Biden on his election victory — including from President Trump's global allies. Iranian and Palestinian leaders expressed relief at the president's loss.

Most European leaders are congratulating Joe Biden for winning the U.S. presidency. But not two leaders who have backed President Trump.

Hashim Thaci, a senior guerrilla commander during the Kosovo war in the late 1990s, said he had a confirmed indictment from a special court in The Hague.