The Latest Breaking News from Johan Bodin

Passengers who bought cabins for a 3 1/2-year round-the-world cruise have been waiting months for the vessel to depart

Our guest recently described the EU's action on cohesion – levelling up Europe's diverse regions – as "more than a policy: rather, a guiding principle to strengthen and unite Europe" in an op-ed. Elisa Ferreira has been the EU Commissioner in charge of Cohesion and Reforms since 2019. On Talking…

It's not often that an EU member state decides to hold a national election just as it takes over the rotating presidency of the European Union. But that's exactly what the Spanish government did on July 23, just three weeks after starting its six-month stint at the helm of the…

Bulgaria is one of the most recent members of the European Union, and also the poorest. EU funds contribute a vital role to the economy: €12 billion for the period of 2021-2027, and €6.6 billion already thanks to the post-Covid recovery fund.

How does the European Union use cohesion funds to reduce poverty and inequality across the bloc? Our first stops are in two of the EU’s poorest countries, Bulgaria and Romania, to look at the role that EU aid plays in the areas of education and public transport. We also visit…

Near the front line of the devastated city of Bakhmut, Ukraine is preparing for its long-anticipated counter-offensive against Russia. Some of the Ukrainian soldiers posted there say it has already begun. Embedded with Ukraine’s 28th brigade, FRANCE 24’s Catherine Norris Trent, Johan Bodin and Dmytro Kovalchuk filed this report.

Russian forces have for months been concentrating their offensive on eastern Ukraine with the aim of capturing the Donetsk region. Avdiivka, a town located on the outskirts of the occupied regional capital, is one of the most dangerous places on the front line. It has resisted Russian assaults for nearly…

Ukraine's armed forces are braced for the country's much-touted counteroffensive. Near the southern frontline in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, an intensive ground assault training programme is currently taking place. FRANCE 24’s Catherine Norris Trent, Johan Bodin and Dmytro Kovalchuk went to meet the troops poised to try and break through Russia’s…

Whether they're islands, mountains or territories far from the mainland, such areas are considered by the EU to be regions with a strong natural geographical handicap. The EU's cohesion policy, with its powerful budget, gives these regions substantial resources to help them try to catch up with metropolitan areas. The…