Canary Islands rejects hantavirus-infected vessel, citing ‘co-ordination gap’
The President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, has stopped the hantavirus-infected cruise ship MV Hondius from docking in the region, demanding an urgent…
Bureaucracy
Latest reporting and analysis on bureaucracy.
Number of state employees in Germany has grown by 16% in 10 years
While employment in once key industrial sectors is in decline Germany is seeing a significant increase in people working for the state.
Berlin SPD wants to set up ‘rental police’ to combat exorbitant rents
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) in the German capital of Berlin has announced plans to set up a special investigative unit to examine thousands of rental contracts…
EC urges member states to adopt age-verification app
The European Commission is turning up the pressure on European Union capitals to deploy the age-verification app.
Meta ‘breaches EU digital rules over child protection’, EC says
The European Commission has found Meta to be in preliminary breach of the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA) over alleged failures to protect children…
EU delegation to China ‘blocked’ from having official WeChat account
The European Union delegation to China said it was blocked from opening an official WeChat account, blaming diplomatic hurdles.
Reform UK wants ‘patriotic curriculum’ in schools, including King’s portrait and English flag
Reform UK has unveiled education proposals requiring every state school in England to fly the Union Flag and display a portrait of King Charles, while pledging to…
Ombudsman calls for stronger transparency and accountability as EU complaints surge
The European Ombudsman has highlighted a sharp rise in complaints against EU institutions and agencies in 2025, while urging greater transparency and accountability…
RN chiefs write to French business leaders amid concerns over economic programme
Jordan Bardella and Marine Le Pen, the co-leaders of France’s Rassemblement National (RN), have sent a joint letter to business executives offering dialogue and…
Ex-council president Charles Michel slams EC chiefs ‘authoritarian governance’
Former European council president Charles Michel attacked European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, accusing her of running an "authoritarian" leadership,…
Starmer faces resignation calls as Foreign Office permanent secretary forced out over Mandelson vetting override
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing growing political pressure, including explicit demands for his resignation from all opposition leaders.
How the elites govern by ’emergency powers’ instead of democracy: Here is the list
As progressive policies find increasing backlash in western democracies, the growing tendency of the elites is to justify bypassing both public sentiment and political…
German MoD retracts demand for permission for foreign travel by men of military age
Days after a clause in Germany’s new conscription law sparked a wave of criticism, the country’s defence ministry has announced it was repealing the controversial…
Updated: German army spent €2 billion on non-functional radio system, says internal report
Germany has spent more than €2 billion on a new digital radio system for its army, the Bundeswehr – while also failing to get the system to work.
UK scraps its controversial non-crime hate incidents
The UK government has formally scrapped its system of recording non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs), which for years has controversially seen police forces divert their…
‘Rule of law?’ European Commission defies court order
On March 4, the Grand Chamber of the Court of Justice of the European Union convened to hear the European Commission's appeal against its own judicial defeat.
Musk’s X to challenge €120 million DSA fine in top European court
Elon Musk’s social media platform X has launched a landmark legal challenge against a €120 million fine imposed by the European Commission under the Digital…
Berlin court upholds road-salt ban despite hundreds of ice-related accidents
A Berlin court has thwarted an emergency plan of the city government to allow the use of road salt to keep pavements useable after an unprecedented cold spell turned…
EC opens formal investigation into Musk’s Grok after sexualised pics go viral
The European Commission has launched a formal investigation into X under the Digital Services Act (DSA), focusing on the platform's recommender systems and the integration…
Bureaucracy costs German companies €62 billion a year
German companies are paying around €62 billion a year to cover the cost of bureaucracy and administrative demands, both from Berlin and Brussels.
Kremlin rules out talks with ‘semi-literate, incompetent’ EU bureaucrats
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has categorically ruled out any negotiations with Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas or the European Union's broader…
Merz says EU crippled itself with over-regulation, proposes ’emergency brake’
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said the European Union has hobbled its own competitiveness through excessive regulation and bureaucracy.
Italy’s privacy watchdog hit by probe into alleged corruption
The Italian Data Protection Authority (GPDG) is under criminal investigation following raids on its Rome headquarters by the country's Financial Guard (GdF).
Dutch court invalidates marriage after use of ChatGPT to ‘liven up’ ceremony
A Dutch court ruled a couple's marriage was invalid after a civil registrar used ChatGPT to draft a "lighter" ceremony speech–which omitted legally required declarations.
Poland’s EU post-pandemic funding under threat as Tusk rows back on labour law reform
Some €2.5 billion worth of Poland's post-pandemic European Union funding could be under threat because of Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Swiss local authorities admit inspections failure at burnt-out bar
Swiss local authorities admitted Tuesday they failed to conduct periodic fire and safety inspections over the past five years at a bar where an inferno killed 40…
45,000 Berlin households left without electricity for days after Antifa destroys power line
Large areas of Berlin’s Southwest were left without electricity for several days in sub-zero temperatures after an attack claimed by hard-left group Antifa on…
How Brussels is moving to bailout Europe’s left-wing NGO industry
Brussels is panicking—and for once, the reason has nothing to do with Russian tanks or climate deadlines. The real crisis is informational.
Wave of cyberattacks expose French failure to protect public digital systems
France’s national postal service fell victim to a cyberattack December 22, disrupting parcel distribution days before Christmas.
Transparency International ‘pressured party to remove MEP demanding transparency on EC contracts’
Transparency International, an anti-corruption group advocating for openness and accountability, faces hypocrisy allegations after reportedly attempt to quash an…