EU nations increasingly split on climate laws
Luxembourg Prime Minister, Xavier Bettel, has stepped into the fray over climate policy raging between Belgium's Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, and Dutch EU…
Politics
Latest reporting and analysis on politics.
Hot air from your ‘European bubble’ won’t get us climate results, Belgian PM tells EC green chief Timmermans
Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, has taken a swipe at the European Commissioner, Frans Timmermans, saying the ‘green’ Dutch politician will be unable…
Macron: we may have to re-consider Putin war crimes tribunal
French President, Emmanuel Macron, has said that war crimes trials targeting Russian President, Vladimir Putin, may have to be reconsidered if the Moscow-fuelled…
Riots erupt as German court convicts left-wing extremists of ‘commando-style attacks’
Four far-left extremists, including a female German student, have received jail sentences for a string of attacks on people they saw as belonging to Germany’s…
EC’s new Covid vaccine deal is ‘scandalous’ says Polish minister
Poland has slammed a Covid-19 vaccines agreement negotiated by the European Commission with BioNTech/Pfizer as “scandalous” and has rejected the deal.
Hungary to move Israeli embassy to Jerusalem, says Israeli foreign minister
In the latest evidence of a growing schism between Budapest and Brussels, Hungary will move its Israeli embassy to Jerusalem, according to Israeli Foreign Minister,…
How about porn? Brussels job-seekers asked if they’re willing to bare all
Unemployed actors have been asked if they'd bare more than their souls on camera after Brussels-based employment agency, Actiris, suggested those looking for work…
Italy’s GDP growth surpasses France and Germany
In an unexpected turn of events, Italy's GDP has surged since the beginning of 2023, reversing a fall of 0.
Will Erdogan repatriate a million Syrian refugees?
Amid an upsurge in Turkish nationalism, debate is raging over whether Turkey's President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will make good on his promised intention to repatriate…
Mercedes boss asks for delay to post-Brexit tariff rules
Ola Källenius, Mercedes-Benz’s chief executive, has slammed the European Union saying proposed new regulations will undermine competitiveness in the motor industry.
UK opposition declares future of country is outside EU
The leader of the UK opposition Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer, will hope to have finally killed off so-called Remainer dreams of a Brexit turnaround, or “Reversit”,…
Former Dutch minister raises spectre of EU exit
Henk Kamp, a prominent figure in Dutch politics, says the number of migrants and asylum seekers in the Netherlands is so high that the situation has become “untenable”…
US reprimands Kosovo after escalating violence
The United States has expressed its intense displeasure over escalating tensions in Kosovo, sternly reprimanding the Kosovan government.
Bullet-ridden Ukrainian ambulance visits Brussels European quarter
"This Ukrainian ambulance has been attacked by the Russian army in 2022 in the Kharkiv area" read the poster attached to a bullet-ridden vehicle in the Brussels…
Brussels threatens Twitter ban
Europe’s political big guns have Twitter in their sights, threatening to torpedo the social media giant if it refuses to follow European rules.
Hungary on EU Presidency controversy: ‘we’ve been attacked for our pro-peace stance’
Germany is the latest to voice concerns over Hungary taking up the rotating European Union presidency in the second half of 2024, questioning the country’s ability…
Russia’s Medvedev: UK officials helping Ukraine war are ‘legitimate target’
Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said on May 31 that Britain was Moscow's "eternal enemy" and that any British officials who facilitated…
Spanish PM calls snap general election after painful loss to Conservatives
Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, said he would dissolve parliament and call for snap elections after his PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party) was hammered…
China’s Belt and Road Initiative is a threat to Italian sovereignty – Meloni is right to be wary
China's Belt and Road Initiative is a land and maritime infrastructure project developed by the People's Republic of China.
Italy tries to fix strained ties with France
The Italian Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, believes his country and France “have a duty” to develop closer ties, which he says would be in the interests of…
UK demands millions in refunds from EU nationals
The UK Government has angered Brussels with demands for the refund of millions of pounds in benefits apparently wrongly paid to European Union nationals after a…
Kosovo rejects Serb demand that it remove mayors after violence
By Misha Savic and Jasmina Kuzmanovic
Polish Government could debar former EU President Donald Tusk from public office
Poland is to create a commission to investigate Russian influence over the process of government with the power to debar present and former officials, such as Poland’s…
Poland closes border to Russian and Belarussian freight
Poland will on June 1 close its border with Belarus to Russian and Belarusian freight vehicles until further notice and impose sanctions targeting 365 Belarusian…
EU scales back Covid vaccine purchases; contract secrecy remains
At the request of Eastern European countries, the European Commission and Pfizer have renegotiated a contract for COVID-19 vaccine doses, under which the European…
Belgian government secures release of aid worker in Iran ‘in exchange for convicted terrorist’
Belgian humanitarian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele is returning to his home country after an “excruciating” jail spell in Iran where he was subjected to “inhumane…
Hungary outrage at European Parliament presidency derailment plan
Hungary has reacted with outrage at a European Parliament proposal to derail the country’s presidency of the European Council, with Hungarian Justice Minister…
Local businesses already suffering as European Commission downgrades presence in ‘European quarter’
Businesses in the European quarter have resorted to promotional gimmicks to fill the hole left by the European Commission, which is downgrading its presence there.
Euro MP accused of harassement ‘demanded staff babysit her child’
In a high-profile case of alleged harassment that has further rocked the European Parliament, Belgian MEP Assita Kanko is the latest to stand accused of terrorising…
European Parliament gets tough on lobbyists and NGO’s
In the latest attempt by the European Parliament to promote openness and transparency in response to the Qatargate corruption scandal that implicated several MEPs…