Author: Press Room
The new Return Regulation marks a significant shift in EU migration policy as it enables member states to set up return hubs for migrants in countries outside the bloc. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT According to the law, these hubs are presented as an “innovative solution” to enhance and accelerate the return of irregular migrants from Europe. However, they also raise concerns regarding their compatibility with EU law, the protection of human rights, and the willingness of non-EU countries to host migrants on their territory, potentially for indefinite periods. Here is an overview of the controversial return hubs, proposed by the European Commission…
On Friday, a drone crashed into the top floor of an apartment complex in Galați, a port city in eastern Romania near the Danube River and the Ukrainian border. Two civilians were injured by the collision of the unmanned aerial aircraft, with the roof of the apartment building set alight. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The country’s president Nicușor Dan firmly pointed the finger at Russian President Vladimir Putin. Romania’s Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu confirmed the drone was Russian and laden with explosives. Kayoko Gotoh, co-director of the United Nations’ political and peace departments, said the incident crystallised repeated warnings from political leaders…
Published on 02/06/2026 – 9:00 GMT+2 For most Europeans, it was just another quiet weekend, but out in the Atlantic, a high-stakes naval standoff was playing out. In response of the interception, French President Emmanuel Macron declared it completely unacceptable for ships to bypass international sanctions and fund Russia’s ongoing war. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Russia’s infamous shadow fleet is a clandestine armada of tankers that Moscow has deployed to bypass international sanctions on oil sales, most notably the G7 price cap. The Kremlin has spent billions to buy dilapidated ships of murky ownership that fall short of the premium insurance and…
Published on 02/06/2026 – 17:17 GMT+2 An oil tanker suspected of being part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” has arrived in the Bay of Douarnenez in western France on Tuesday under the escort of the French Navy. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The Tagor was intercepted and boarded in international waters off the coast of Brittany on Sunday with support from the United Kingdom, the Elysée Palace confirmed. French officials said the vessel had departed from the Russian Arctic port of Murmansk and was sailing under a false Cameroonian flag when it was intercepted. Authorities said the ship’s Russian captain initially refused orders to…
By Inês Trindade Pereira & video by Léo Arnoux Published on 02/06/2026 – 9:00 GMT+2•Updated 9:28 Europe experienced an “unprecedented and historic” heatwave in the last week of May, with temperatures across parts of the continent reaching around 10°C to 15°C above the average for this time of the year. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The central Portuguese town of Mora, for example, saw a new record high temperature of 40.3°C for the month on 27 May. A new study shows pregnant people and their newborns are particularly vulnerable to high temperatures, with heat being an important environmental factor that can trigger early labour. It is…
Prime Minister Peter Magyar has signalled an imminent deal with Kyiv to resolve the dispute over the rights of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine, raising prospects for an agreement that could finally unlock EU accession talks after years of political deadlock. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Speaking to reporters in Berlin following a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Magyar said he was “very optimistic” about the discussions and pointed to a resolution on a technical level “as soon as this week”. The issue is politically delicate for both sides. “The negotiations are progressing encouragingly,” he said. “I am ready to meet…
Published on 02/06/2026 – 13:33 GMT+2•Updated 14:24 The “era of deportations” has begun in the European Union, according to Charlie Weimers, a Swedish conservative MEP and one of the negotiators of the bloc’s strictest-ever migration law, which was agreed on Monday and marked the most significant shift in the EU’s migration policy in decades. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Speaking to Euronews’s Europe Today show, Weimers — who is a member of the European Conservatives and Reformists group — said the new rules will lead to a significant change in migration management. “We’re moving from words to actual enforcement of our laws and…
Published on 02/06/2026 – 12:16 GMT+2•Updated 12:17 Speaking live from Beirut, Ghassan Hasbani said Israeli threats to strike Hezbollah strongholds in the capital’s southern suburbs had been temporarily put on hold following talks involving the Lebanese government and the United States. But he dampened any hopes of a full ceasefire. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “The impression here on the ground is that the ceasefire would probably be limited to not targeting the Beirut suburb, if it holds,” he said adding that he had little confidence in either side ending the conflict voluntarily. “I don’t trust any side to stop anything,” Hasbani said,…
As the shortage of labour in the agricultural sector becomes increasingly evident across all Western European countries – and particularly in Greece – an interstate agreement that had remained inactive for several years is now moving into the implementation phase. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The deal between Greece and Egypt provides for the legal employment of up to 5,000 Egyptian seasonal farm workers in crops and agricultural work in various Greek regions. According to Christos Giannakakis, a member of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Union of Agricultural Cooperatives, the process is already underway. As he told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency,…
A wide range of sectors – from transport to education, to health and public services – will be hit by the general strike called for Wednesday, 3 June, in Portugal. The walkout was announced on 1 May, Labour Day, by the General Confederation of Portuguese Workers (CGTP), and is expected to cause major disruption across the country. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The initiative is a protest against the proposed overhaul of labour legislation, also known as “Trabalho XXI”. Put forward by the PSD/CDS-PP government, it aims to bring more than 100 changes to the Labour Code. The package was negotiated within Portugal’s…