Good Friday morning from Brussels.
Just in: Latvia’s defence minister Andris Sprūds has told our flagship morning show that Europe needs to “realise what it’s dealing with” when contemplating talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Yes, we can engage in some diplomatic activity, but there must be some limits in terms of how far we can go,” he said, throwing cold water on calls on the EU to name an envoy for talks with Russia. Watch.
But we lead this morning with the latest on Iran. As tension still lingers over the Middle East, the European Union’s diplomatic arm has sent EU capitals a list of fresh sanctions designed to retaliate against the regime in Tehran for its recent crackdown on protesters.
Diplomatic sources told Euronews that after technical talks on Thursday, the EU proposal now includes sanctions on 20 further individuals for human right violations and ten companies involved in developing drone technology. Brussels is aiming for approval when EU foreign ministers gather in Brussels at the end of the month.
The question on whether to include Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) on the EU’s terrorist list remains unanswered. Earlier this week, Euronews reported that EU ambassadors meeting in the Political and Security Council (PSC) held a broad discussion on the issue, but that several member states asked for a proposal on paper first before making a formal decision.
Brussels is proceeding with caution as it awaits for signals of the US administration’s next move. An EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told my colleague Shona Murray that there seems to be some “respite” as the “Americans are clearly still weighing their options.”
“Outside intervention always carries a risk of a rally-behind-the-flag effect, and the best chance for successful transition comes from within,” the official told Shona.
The New York Times reported late on Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had asked Trump earlier this week to postpone any planned strike on Iran, citing a senior US official.
Meanwhile, the US President also said overnight that Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado gave him her Nobel Peace Prize during a meeting at the White House on Thursday in what he described as “a wonderful gesture of mutual respect.”
The White House has since confirmed Trump will be keeping the prize. We should note that the prize is not transferable according to the Nobel committee.
Reminder: Trump has so far seemed comfortable with keeping Delcy Rodríguez – a key figurehead of the regime formerly led by Nicolás Maduro – at the helm in Caracas, and has completely sidelined Machado.
Commission chief insists EU will ‘work with’ the US on Arctic security, despite Trump threat to grab Greenland
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said the EU will continue to work closely with the US to strengthen security in the Arctic, despite President Donald Trump’s persistent threats to seize Greenland from Denmark, my colleague Jorge Liboreiro reports from Limassol, Cyprus.
It’s another signal that Europe is trying to appease Trump, who has said this week that anything less than US control over the territory is “unacceptable” to him. The Danish foreign minister said yesterday that the US had agreed to set up a high-level “working group” to find a “common way forward” on the matter.
The EU executive also confirmed to Euronews that Denmark could invoke a special clause that would legally oblige other member states to assist it should the US attempt to annex Greenland.
The so-called mutual assistance clause, enshrined in Article 42.7 of the EU treaties, says that if a country is “the victim of armed aggression on its territory”, the other member states will have an “obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in their power” in accordance with the right of collective self-defence recognised by the UN Charter.
“Greenland is part of the territory of the Kingdom of Denmark and therefore in principle covered by the mutual solidarity clause in Article 42.7 TEU,” a Commission spokesperson told Euronews in a statement.
“However, currently the question doesn’t ask itself,” the spokesperson added, referring to the hypothetical scenario of an US intervention.
The fact that Greenland came up during von der Leyen’s trip to Cyprus, a country on the opposite side of the continent, attests to the dramatic shifts unleashed by Trump’s foreign policy, which has left the bloc in a scramble to catch up with the news cycle.
Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt said overnight that the recent deployment of a small number of European troops in Greenland has no impact on US President Donald Trump’s plans to take control of the Arctic island.
Jorge has more from Limassol.
Humanitarian workers acquitted of migrant trafficking charges in Greece
Two dozen humanitarian workers on trial for participating in search and rescue operations on the Greek Island of Lesvos from 2016-2021 were acquitted on Thursday evening following a protracted case framed by Greek authorities as a border security issue but denounced by rights groups as “baseless” from the onset, my colleague Estelle Nilsson-Julien reports.
After eight years of living in a legal limbo, the Lesvos Court of Appeal acquitted them of a string of charges including alleged participation in a criminal organisation, facilitating the entry of third-country nationals into Greece and money laundering.
Reacting to his acquittal, German-Irish citizen Seán Binder – who went to Lesvos in 2017 to work for a registered humanitarian NGO – said it was a “huge relief” to not have to “spend the next 20 years in a prison cell”, stressing that it was “troubling” that it was ever “a possibility”.
Speaking to Euronews, Wies de Graeve, Executive Director of Amnesty International Belgium said the outcome was “bittersweet”, describing “heartbreaking testimonies from defendants on the stand, showing the trial’s psychological, financial and emotional implications on their lives.” Meanwhile, Eve Geddie, Amnesty’s Director of International European Institutions Office urged the EU to “introduce stronger safeguards against the criminalization of humanitarian assistance under EU law.”
Humanitarian groups say the trial has acted as a deterrent for the work of humanitarian and rescue organisations on the Aegean islands, where the scale of such operations has dramatically been reduced. They also say it epitomises a broader European crackdown on individuals and organisations assisting migrants and asylum seekers: an estimated 124 other people faced similar judicial proceedings in Europe in 2024 alone, according to Brussels-based NGO PICUM.
More from our newsrooms
UN chief attacks world leaders putting cooperation on ‘deathwatch’ in final annual speech. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres used his final speech to criticise countries committing brazen violations of international law, but held off naming offending countries. Gavin Blackburn hasthe details.
Iranian footballers killed in protests as former national team captain slams FIFA silence.Several footballers have reportedly been killed in the Iranian regime’s recent crackdown on protests, prompting Iran’s former national team captain to criticise FIFA for its silence. Babak Kamiar has the story.
Euronews journalists’ voices stolen in fake anti-Ukraine videos. A collection of doctored reports shared on a pro-Russian Telegram channel has edited the voices of genuine reporters to spread incriminating false information about Ukrainian refugees. Our fact-checking team, The Cube, has more.
‘We need competitive bidding systems for clean power,’ wind industry leader tells Euronews. Tinne Van der Straeten, the former Belgian energy minister and new CEO of trade association WindEurope, says the industry is ready to scale up to continue delivering clean power, urging EU countries to effectively implement auction systems. Marta Pacheco hasthe story.
We’re also keeping an eye on
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President António Costa travel to Brazil to meet President Lula, a key actor in the region, before heading to Paraguay’s capital of Asunción for the signature of the EU-Mercosur agreement on Saturday
That’s it for today. Shona Murray, Maïa de la Baume, Maria Tadeo, Jorge Liboreiro, Estelle Nilsson-Julien, Vincenzo Genovese and Marta Pacheco contributed to this newsletter. We’re back on Monday. Remember to sign up to receive Europe Today in your inbox every weekday morning at 08.30.
