Author: Press Room

Young Europeans seem to be more politically active than their older counterparts. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT In 2025, nearly one in four Europeans aged 16 to 29 said they engaged in civic or political issues online, according to the latest Eurostat figures. This includes expressing their opinions on civic or political issues, participating in online consultations, or voting. In comparison, slightly more than one-fifth of the overall population said they did the same sort of thing. One of the main things that draws young Europeans to the web to express their political views appears to be its flexibility and ability to give…

Leaders across Europe have condemned the shooting that took place at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on 25 April, which US President Donald Trump attended. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and Vice-President JD Vance were among those evacuated at the Washington Hilton hotel after gunshots were fired near the main security screening area for the annual event. Suspect Cole Tomas Allen has since been charged with attempting to assassinate the president. He has not yet entered a plea, and the US Department of Justice says it has yet to establish a clear motive. European Commission President Ursula…

Published on 29/04/2026 – 19:25 GMT+2•Updated 19:33 Prime Minister-elect Péter Magyar said EU funds could soon be released to Hungary following a series of high-level meetings in Brussels on Wednesday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Magyar met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in their first direct talks since his election victory on 12 April. The pair discussed steps to unlock billions of euros in EU funding currently frozen over concerns about corruption and rule of law. Hungary risks losing around €10 billion in post-pandemic funds intended to support its economy unless Magyar secures a deal before an August deadline. Magyar will…

Published on 29/04/2026 – 19:36 GMT+2 Italy’s government said on Wednesday that it had filed to be a civil party in the criminal proceedings surrounding a devastating fire at a bar in Switzerland which killed 41 people, including six Italians. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The civil claim was prompted by “the substantial resources” used for “medical, psychological and logistical assistance to the Italian nationals involved,” the government said in a statement. The blaze at Le Constellation, a bar in the upmarket Alpine resort, broke out in the early hours of 1 January as people celebrated the New Year. Prosecutors believe the New…

Published on 29/04/2026 – 18:54 GMT+2 An international taskforce formed to crack down on “violence for hire” has led to 280 arrests in its first year, the European Union’s police agency Europol said on Wednesday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The arrests underscore a trend across the continent of criminals hiring people, many of them youngsters, via social media and messaging apps to carry out acts of violence ranging from assaults to murders in a chilling form of a gig economy. “Violence is no longer confined to isolated acts or local dynamics. It is increasingly offered as a service: accessible, scalable and driven…

Published on 29/04/2026 – 17:47 GMT+2 Women MEPs will be allowed to delegate their vote to a colleague before and after childbirth, thanks to a new measure aimed at strengthening work-life balance – despite claims that it runs against the European Parliament’s gender equality policy. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The changes, adopted by MEPs in Strasbourg on Wednesday, introduce a temporary waiver to the rule requiring in-person voting for the Parliament’s plenary sessions. The rules will let female MEPs delegate their vote to a trusted fellow lawmaker for up to three months before their due date and for six months after giving…

Published on 29/04/2026 – 16:57 GMT+2 The European Union will ease its strict state aid rules to help fuel-dependent sectors cope with surging energy prices and other economic effects of the crisis in the Middle East, the European Commission announced on Wednesday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The emergency, short-term measures will allow national governments to subsidise up to 70% of the extra cost of fuel and fertilisers for farmers, fishing firms and road transport carriers. The measures are “a targeted, temporary and proportionate response that will help to shield European businesses from the immediately felt effects of the Middle East conflict,” EU…

Published on 29/04/2026 – 13:07 GMT+2•Updated 15:15 The EU must deal with the US as an equal partner, not as a junior one, European Parliament vice-president Sophie Wilmès told Euronews on Wednesday, as EU leaders weigh a harder line with Washington over the Iran war and trade tariffs. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “What is very important regarding the United States is that we are talking to each other as equal partners and not as a big brother against the little brother or the little sister,” Wilmès said. “Europe should do with Europe,” the former Belgian prime minister replied when asked whether the…

Published on 29/04/2026 – 14:28 GMT+2•Updated 14:49 Two people were stabbed in north London on Wednesday, Jewish groups said, following a series of arson attacks targeting Jewish sites in the area, as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the incident “deeply concerning.” ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT A man was arrested after he was seen running with a knife “attempting to stab Jewish members of the public,” the Shomrim Jewish neighbourhood watch said on social media. It added that two people were stabbed and were being treated by Hatzola, a Jewish volunteer ambulance service. The incident happened in Golders Green, a part of…

EU Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius is pushing a new geopolitical proposal: a treaty-backed European Defence Union that would include the EU as well as Britain, Norway and Ukraine. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Speaking in Poland on Wednesday, Kubilius said Europe must be ready to defend itself with or without allies in Washington – adding, “there is no time to waste”. “It would (be) a big strategic mistake from our side not to seek such an integration,” Kubilius said. “Let’s be realistic. NATO membership for Ukraine for the time being is not available and full membership of the European Union is a complicated…