Author: Press Room
EU lawmakers on Monday moved to suspend the EU-US trade agreement after the United States Supreme Court ruled last week that some of the tariffs imposed in 2025 by Washington were illegal, prompting President Donald Trump to announce fresh 15% duties on imports. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The European Parliament holds the keys to implementing the deal, which was clinched in July 2025 by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Trump after weeks of brinkmanship and tariff threats from Washington. Widely viewed as lopsided by many in Europe, the deal locks in 15% US tariffs on EU exports, while granting zero-duty…
It’s one of the hardest threats to escape. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT You meet in the street. It seeps through the air. Sometimes it slips into your home. Excessive noise is putting Europe under strain. Around 112 million people are at risk —roughly 20% of the continent’s population. “Excessive” refers to annual average sound levels above 55 decibels across the day-evening-night period, and above 50 decibels at night. The consequences can be severe. According to the European Environment Agency(EEA)prolonged exposure to transport noise is linked to an estimated 66,000 premature deaths each year in Europe, as well as 50,000 new cases of…
Published on 23/02/2026 – 10:30 GMT+1•Updated 11:30 Lithuania is calling for an overhaul of the European Union’s voting system following Hungary’s announcement it is blocking two key decisions in relation to Ukraine because of problems with Budapest’s access to cheap Russian oil through the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Ahead of Monday’s foreign affairs meeting in Brussels, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó posted on X: “At tomorrow’s Foreign Affairs Council, the EU aims to adopt the twentieth sanctions package. Hungary will block it. “Until Ukraine resumes oil transit to Hungary and Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline, we will not allow…
Published on 23/02/2026 – 10:48 GMT+1 On the eve of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s war on Ukraine, the European Union has become effectively paralysed by two back-to-back Hungarian vetoes. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT A €90 billion emergency loan for Kyiv and a new package of sanctions against Moscow are being held up by Budapest over an energy dispute involving the transit of Russian oil through the Soviet-era Druzbha pipeline. “We should not tie together things that are not connected to each other at all,” High Representative Kaja Kallas said on Monday morning before heading to a meeting of foreign affairs ministers…
Published on 23/02/2026 – 9:17 GMT+1 Postponing sanctions against Russia is a “failure” for Europe, Sweden’s Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told Euronews’ morning show Europe Today on Monday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “Every delay that we have in the adoption of a sanctions package is a failure for Europe,” the minister said, calling for more support for Ukraine. “We need to increase the pressure on Russia, hence the sanctions, and I expect them to behave like Europeans today, but I’m not sure,” she added. Her comments come just 24 hours after Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said Budapest would block any…
Published on 23/02/2026 – 7:43 GMT+1•Updated 9:07 On today’s show: ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Our Shona Murray and Sasha Vakulina fill us in on the Foreign Affairs Council taking place in Brussels, amid Hungary’s blockade of the EU’s €90 billion loan for Ukraine. An interview with Maria Malmer Stenergard and Kęstutis Budrys, the foreign ministers of Sweden and Lithuania, respectively. Our Jakub Janas takes a look at the US Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Donald Trump’s tariffs, while our Maria Tadeo reports on the EU’s reaction and potential response to extra tariffs proposed by the US President. When and where to…
Published on 23/02/2026 – 8:00 GMT+1 The EU is the second largest global economy, but old and new regulatory and non-regulatory barriers still obstacle its growth potential and resilience. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The European Economic and Social Committee estimates that the single market’s fragmentation holds back €500 billions of additional GDP per year, leads to higher costs for businesses, reduces competition, and decreases consumer welfare. Non-tariff barriers between member states compare to tariffs of around 44% for goods and 110% for services, so the International Monetary Fund. These frictions hamper the bloc’s competitiveness, widening the economic gap with the US and…
By Lucy Davalou &  with AP Published on 22/02/2026 – 14:36 GMT+1 Russia targeted Ukraine with another heavy night of bombing as it launched 50 missiles and nearly 300 drones across different Ukrainian regions, days ahead of the four-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The country’s energy infrastructure remains one of the main targets, as well as logistical infrastructure such as railway facilities and water infrastructure in cities, according to a social media post by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Fifteen people, including four children, have been injured, and one man has been killed in a Russian strike on the Kyiv…
Hungary said it will block a €90 billion emergency loan for Ukraine as it accused the war-torn country of “blackmail” over a damaged pipeline used for the transit of Russian oil, escalating a confrontation ahead of a general election in April. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said Kyiv, Brussels and opposition forces were working in coordination to disrupt energy flows for political reasons ahead of a key vote in which Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is trailing in polls by double digits. “We are blocking the €90 billion EU loan for Ukraine until oil transit to Hungary via the…
Published on 20/02/2026 – 17:34 GMT+1•Updated 17:52 The European Commission is seeking clarification from the White House after the US Supreme Court struck down sweeping tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump in a landmark ruling that could have a knock-on effect on the European Union. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The court ruled that Trump exceeded his authority by imposing tariffs on nearly all goods entering the US under a law used for national emergencies only, raising questions over the viability of the agreement struck by the EU and Washington last summer. “We remain in close contact with the U.S. Administration as we…