Author: Press Room
Following a blockbuster 2024 with more than one billion passengers in the EU alone, 2025 is shaping up to be an even better year for the continent’s aviation sector. In the first half, passenger volumes in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and the UK rose by 4.3%, according to Airports Council International (ACI), an organisation of airport authorities. Central Europe claims the title of the fastest-growing region, driven by significant passenger volume increases in Slovakia (19%), Poland (15%), and Hungary (14%), compared to the first half of 2024. Outside the EU, increases are even more striking: +49% in Moldova,…
Greek Finance minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis was elected president of the Eurogroup on Thursday, rewarding the country’s turnaround story ten years after Greece almost crashed out of the eurozone in a deep economic crisis. Sources familiar with the matter told Euronews that ministers appreciated the country’s reforms agenda and saw in the Greek finance minister a positive story for the bloc. His rival, the Belgian Budget Minister Vincent Van Peteghem, who was also in the running, saw his candidature caught up in a political crossfire over a reparations loan for Ukraine, which his country opposes, but most member states support. A…
Published on 11/12/2025 – 18:10 GMT+1 •Updated 18:14 The European Union’s member states and the European Parliament have struck an agreement to strengthen the screening of foreign investments in the bloc as tensions rise over investments from countries such as China. The Parliament had been pushing for broad screening of foreign direct investments, but it is EU member states who hold the ultimate authority over investment reviews. The two have now agreed on a common text that strengthens the existing rules. Under the deal, mandatory screenings will now cover military equipment, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, semiconductors, raw materials, transport and…
Members of the “Coalition of the Willing” for Ukraine called for continued transatlantic unity as Europeans seek to exert greater influence in the peace talks with Moscow as Washington ups pressure for a quick deal. “We are working to ensure that the security guarantees include serious components of European deterrence and are reliable, and it is important that the United States is with us and supports these efforts,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after the virtual meeting attended by 34 mostly European countries. Zelenskyy also said he had had “a constructive and in-depth discussion with the American team” that comprised…
Published on 11/12/2025 – 19:08 GMT+1 •Updated 19:13 Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo told Euronews that migration remains an economic opportunity for the European Union, even as the debate around it is hijacked by “false narratives” that keep public perception disconnected from reality. Asked if the debate around migration has a racist undertone, he told Euronews’ 12 Minutes With that in some cases it does, and that this should be combated by presenting data rather than political slogans. Spain is one of the fastest growing economies in the eurozone, expected to see growth of 2.9% this year – almost triple…
By Euronews Published on 11/12/2025 – 18:25 GMT+1 In remarks caught on a hot microphone, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić appeared to suggest he had received a “message from Moscow” as he arrived in Brussels for talks with top European Union officials. Vučić was walking next to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the Berlaymont building in Brussels for a family picture on Thursday when he appeared to whisper: “I got a message from Moscow now.” The exchange was abruptly halted by von der Leyen, who appeared to whisper: “Let’s … let’s wait until.” The two were accompanied by EU…
Tech billionaire and X owner Elon Musk launched a tirade of comments against the European Union last weekend, calling for it to be dismantled as well as comparing it to the “Fourth Reich”. The background to his comments was a €120 million fine imposed on X by the European Commission on 5 December, for allegedly violating its transparency obligations under the EU’s Digital Services Act. He was joined in his opposition by several top members of the Trump administration, including the president himself, who said Europe was “heading in a very bad direction”. Many of Musk’s remarks about the EU…
The European Union has agreed to indefinitely immobilise the assets of the Russian Central Bank, a central element of the reparations loan to Ukraine, still under intense negotiations ahead of a make-or-break summit next week. By doing so, the EU will lock the assets under its jurisdiction amid concerns that the US would seek control of the frozen assets and use them in a future settlement with Moscow as it negotiates an end to the war. The long-term immobilisation was agreed by ambassadors on Thursday afternoon under Article 122 of the EU treaties, which only requires a qualified majority from…
Probes such as the ongoing investigation into how the College of Europe was awarded a contract by the EU’s diplomatic arm (EEAS) could tarnish the EU’s name, the bloc’s watchdog, Teresa Anjinho, said in Euronews’ interview programme 12 Minutes With. “Whenever you have these kinds of allegations that are related to integrity issues, it is very important to acknowledge that you always have high risks in terms of damaging the reputation of the European Union as a whole,” Anjinho said. The inquiry revolves around suspicions that the EEAS broke its own rules by providing upfront information to the College of…
Published on 11/12/2025 – 12:00 GMT+1 “French politics, money and sex“ was the answer of the Europe Today team to your reporter when he asked what today’s explainer is about. Easy to mock and laugh at, as you cannot imagine a more powerful trio. But perhaps the topic needs a more mature take? Brothels have been banned in France since 1946. But French far-right lawmaker Jean-Philippe Tanguy wants to bring them back. His pitch? They would not be run by souteneurs. The plan would be to create “cooperatives” managed by the women themselves. As Tanguy poetically put it: “sex workers…