Export-oriented Belgium badly needs free‑market reform, reports warn
Even while Belgium's economy remains focussed on exports, its internal market suffers from excessive regulation, fragmented governance, and blurred public‑private…
Politics
Latest reporting and analysis on politics.
As Bulgaria enters the euro, Greece’s pricey tragedy calls for caution
Welcome, Bulgaria, to the eurozone’s arena.
Tariff in EU-US deal ‘burdens’ German carmakers: industry group
The 15-per cent tariff that the United States will apply to exports of cars from the European Union as part of a new deal "burdens" Germany's carmakers, an industry…
German SPD politician steps down after drawing swastika on ballot beside AfD candidate’s name
The deputy speaker of Baden-Württemberg's parliament announced his resignation from that office after drawing a swastika on a ballot during an anonymous vote.
US flattens EU: Brussels is too weak to be a pole in a multipolar world
The trade deal on July 27 between America and the European Union was disastrous for Europe. The Financial Times described it as “the EU to Trump’s steamroller.
Is an ‘uneven’ EC-US tariffs deal better than no deal?
After tense negotiations with the US, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emerged from a last-minute meeting in Scotland with a preliminary trade…
Polish Speaker of Parliament claims he was pressured to ‘stage a coup’
Szymon Hołownia, Poland’s parliament Speaker and leader of Poland 2050 party, claimed he was pressured to stage a "coup" to stop Karol Nawrocki, the opposition…
No progress in EU-China talks as tensions mount
EU-China talks stalled this week amid growing global tensions and an unwillingness to compromise on either sides.
European Taxpayers’ Association files complaint against two ex-commissioners over NGO funding
Former climate change commissioner Frans Timmermans and former environment commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius are the subject of an official complaint by the European…
Germany says no plans to recognise a Palestinian state ‘in short term’
Germany said on July 25 it had "no plans to recognise a Palestinian state in the short term," after President Emmanuel Macron said France intended to do so in September.
German environmentalists obtain court injunction suspending construction of Polish container port
A regional administrative court in Warsaw has granted an initial injunction suspending the construction of a Polish deep-water container port near the German border…
Macron announces France will recognise Palestinian State
France will recognise a Palestinian State in September at the UN general assembly, President Emmanuel Macron said.
Is civil war coming to the West?
Is the West on the brink of civil war? A question that would have seemed absurd a decade ago, is becoming ever more prevalent.
Illegal asylum seekers in Germany from Greece hits 8,000 already this year, ministry says
The German interior ministry has said that about 8,000 migrants have moved from Greece to Germany, in violation of the European Union’s Dublin Regulations, between…
‘Global humiliation’ the Macrons sue podcaster Candace Owens for alleged defamation
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte have launched an alleged defamation lawsuit against US podcaster and right-wing political commentator Candace…
Syrians in Europe show support for violence against Druze at home
In Germany and the Netherlands, hundreds of radical Syrian migrants have been showing support for the new regime in Syria and the violence against minorities in…
German Chancellor Merz more unpopular than ever
The popularity of Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz has dropped to a new low since he took office on May 6.
Austrian minister claims State TV interview manipulated regarding Israel
Beate Meinl-Reisinger, Austria’s foreign minister, has accused State broadcasting behemoth ORF of deliberately cutting a passage from a television interview in…
Zelensky faces backlash over bid to curb anti-corruption agencies’ independence
The Ukrainian Government faced growing backlash after Zelensky signed a law limiting the independence of two anti-corruption agencies, the BBC reported on July 23.
Kyiv pushes for direct talks between Zelensky and Putin as US boosts Ukraine military aid
Ukraine has proposed direct talks within weeks between its President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia's Vladimir Putin but Moscow tempered prospects for progress at…
Dutch council rules country can no longer return single male asylum seekers to Belgium
The Dutch Council of State has ruled that the Netherlands no longer can return single male asylum seekers to Belgium because of “structural failures” in the…
Premium
Romania has just faced its Communist past, and the past won
A recent poll reveals that 66% of Romanians view Nicolai Ceausescu positively, with many believing the Communist regime was better, highlighting a complex nostalgia…
European Commission says Northvolt losses ‘in line with expectations’
European Commission Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné has said that money lost on Swedish battery developer and manufacturer Northvolt fell within budgetary bounds.
German Chancellor Merz tells Muslim students: Respect our constitutional order
German chancellor Friedrich Merz has used a visit at a university in Hannover (Lower Saxony) to remind Muslim students to respect the Liberal constitutional order…
MEP threatens to sue EC chief over alleged ‘false accusations’ of Russian support
Gheorghe Piperea, the Romanian MEP behind the motion of no-confidence against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, has threatened to bring her to…
French interior minister turns on Macron, eyes presidency
French interior minister Bruno Retailleau has publicly turned on President Emmanuel Macron, attacking his party political ideology.
Polish PM Tusk sacks a third of his cabinet in push to counter ‘defeatism’
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has sacked a third of his cabinet and promoted foreign minister Radosław Sikorski to Deputy Prime Minister.
Is Zelensky worried about what corruption investigators could find?
Ukraine’s parliament sent jitters through Brussels this week with the passage of a bill which would strip independence from two anti-corruption bodies – the…
Polish president-elect Nawrocki throws down gauntlet to Tusk over EU summits
Zbigniew Bogucki, the Polish opposition Conservatives (PiS) politician who was nominated to be chief of staff for president-elect Karol Nowrocki, said the president-elect…
X slams ‘politically-motivated’ attacks as France investigates platform
Elon Musk's X has denounced a French criminal investigation into its algorithm and data practices as allegedly "politically motivated".