Author: Press Room
Industrial decline. Disruptive technologies. Sluggish investment. Regulatory barriers. Punitive tariffs. Unfair competition. Climate change. Demographic crisis. The formidable challenges besetting the European Union have triggered a desperate search for bold, ingenious solutions that can deliver the much-needed big bang. But just how big are leaders willing to go? “Our ambition should always be to reach an agreement among all 27 member states,” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a letter to leaders ahead of an informal summit on Thursday. “However, where a lack of progress or ambition risks undermining Europe’s competitiveness or capacity to act, we should not…
United States Undersecretary of War Elbridge Colby is expected to tell European NATO allies that only a limited number of US troops will be withdrawn from NATO territory as part of any posture review, Euronews can reveal. Sources close to the situation have said Colby will use Thursday’s meeting of NATO defence ministers to commit to keeping the vast bulk of currently stationed troops in Germany and Italy and along Europe’s eastern flank in place Colby is deputising for US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, who will not be attending the meeting. There are currently approximately 80-90,000 US troops stationed…
Immigration has returned to the centre of the European political agenda, and with it, some of the toughest questions facing the European Union today. Across Brussels and national capitals, lawmakers are debating whether to apply the “safe third country” concept and create an EU-wide list of safe countries of origin to speed up asylum procedures. At the same time, Spain has moved ahead with a large-scale regularisation plan granting legal status to thousands of migrants already living and working in the country, a step that supporters say will strengthen labour markets and foster integration, but critics fear could alter migration…
With the 2026 Munich Security Conference taking place on Friday, 13, and Europe’s ongoing efforts to produce ammunition and achieve defence industrial autonomy, its gun industry takes centre stage. EU leaders are set to debate the need for permanent, Europe-based production of essential weapons and munitions. But a production increase brings new risks. Exporting firearms in the bloc involves a complex interplay between EU-wide rules and sovereign national regulations, creating loopholes that raise security doubts. Without public oversight, weapons can be sent to “neutral” third countries with weak regulations, which then re-export them to conflict zones. Within the EU’s borders,…
Published on 11/02/2026 – 17:43 GMT+1 European Union defence ministers on Wednesday approved the national investment plans of eight member states, paving the way for the first disbursements under the bloc’s €150 billion Security Action for Europe (SAFE) scheme. The plans by Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain, Croatia, Cyprus, Portugal and Romania are together worth €38 billion. “Today’s decisions show that the EU is not only talking about defence – we are delivering. Through SAFE, we are strengthening our security where it matters the most,” said Vasilis Palmas, minister of defence of Cyprus, which currently holds the presidency of the Council…
High energy prices in Europe are setting back energy-intensive industries and the European Union must take urgent measures to bring power costs down, industry leaders demanded after a summit in Antwerp on Wednesday. “EU electricity prices in Europe still remain higher inside Europe than in competing countries. Carbon costs are unique to Europe, and the system is designed to increase costs year-on-year,” reads the declaration, which is signed by more than 100 organisations. Energy-intensive industries like chemicals, steel, aluminium, cement and ceramics are all affected by high energy prices, which drive up production costs and hamper the EU27’s ability to…
Upon his re-election as president in 2022, Emmanuel Macron pledged to introduce legislation on assisted dying. Since then, the proposed law has faced sustained criticism, much of it focused on the conditions under which patients could qualify. Opponents argue that the criteria are too broad or insufficiently defined, raising fears of unintended consequences, including concerns that the law could penalise healthcare professionals who attempt to dissuade patients from seeking assisted dying. Part of the debate has taken place on the social media platform X, where discussions between civil society and political figures have intensified. Alongside legitimate concerns, misleading claims have…
By Alessio Dell’Anna & Baptiste Goudier Published on 11/02/2026 – 14:34 GMT+1 The intensification of extreme weather events is forcing many EU citizens to take matters into their own hands. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT A new surveyby the European Environment Agency (EEA) found that 40% now have a policy covering climate hazards Microstates aside, the countries with the highest rates of insured households are in Slovenia (66%), Hungary (58%), the Czech Republic (53%), and France (51%). At the other end of the spectrum are Sweden (18%), Greece (23%), Croatia (25%) and Bulgaria (27%). The destruction caused by Cyclone Harry in Sicily, where four kilometres of…
Two competing visions for the EU’s economic future are set to collide on Thursday, when the bloc’s leaders gather for an informal retreat to discuss reviving the bloc’s competitiveness. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT On one side stands France; on the other, a newly aligned Germany and Italy. Paris made a last-minute move to join an informal pre-summit scheduled by Berlin and Rome ahead of the retreat on Thursday morning in an unusual bid to coordinate their positions before leaders convene. The French intervention followed remarks on Tuesday from President Emmanuel Macron to several European media outlets, and amounts to an effort to…
Establishing a “Made in Europe” preference in public contracts is a “fine line to walk”, Ursula von der Leyen has warned on the eve of an informal summit of European Union leaders where the divisive topic is set to be firmly on the table. “I believe that in strategic sectors, European preference is a necessary instrument that will contribute to strengthen Europe’s own production base. It can help create lead markets in those sectors and support the scaling-up of European production capabilities,” the president of the European Commission said in Strasbourg on Wednesday morning. “But I want to be clear…