Author: Press Room
Published on 03/09/2026 – 10:36 GMT+2•Updated 10:45 Estonia’s Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur announced on Wednesday that he would step down from his political post after it emerged that the government had used European Union funding to purchase artillery shells for Ukraine from companies with no previous track record of producing the weapons. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Estonian public broadcaster ERR reported on Wednesday that the government struck a deal in 2024 to acquire artillery shells for Ukraine, paying €70 million upfront from the EU’s European Peace Facility to fund the purchase. The companies involved, however, had never previously sold a single artillery…
In a civil defence shelter cut into rock, behind doors designed to withstand a nuclear or biological attack, two Finnish conscripts wearing hazmat suits and breathing masks are measuring radiation levels as they take part in an exercise to turn a cave into a place of safety for thousands of people. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Inside, in what is normally a sports hall, hundreds of people are sleeping overnight on camp beds. More than 2,000 people including volunteers and students are taking part in the biggest civil defence exercise in Europe since the end of World War II. In the scenario, critical…
Ukraine and Moldova have finished screening their laws against the EU rulebook. Montenegro has closed 18 of its 33 negotiating chapters, chasing a self-declared “28 by 28” target for membership. Albania hopes to conclude talks by 2027. Each of these candidates is poorer, less institutionally secure, or closer to Russia’s borders than Iceland will ever be, and all want in. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Iceland, richer and more stable than most existing EU member states, said no. On 29 August, voters rejected reopening accession talks by 52.8 percent to 47.2 percent. Iceland remains in the European Economic Area and the Schengen Area,…
Published on 03/09/2026 – 7:17 GMT+2 A Maltese court acquitted tycoon Yorgen Fenech of orchestrating the car-bomb killing of investigative reporter Daphne Caruana Galizia on Wednesday, sparking outrage from her family and media freedom advocates. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The wealthy businessman had stood accused of masterminding the 2017 assassination of 53-year-old Caruana Galizia, which sparked unprecedented protests and brought down a government. Caruana Galizia’s family said in a statement that Fenech’s acquittal was “denying her the justice she deserves.” Her son Matthew Caruana Galizia said jurors had made a “terrible decision…that our country may never recover from.” The European Centre for…
By Frances Lopez & Leo Arnoux Published on 02/09/2026 – 10:27 GMT+2 From binge-watching weekend drama series on Netflix or streaming live football matches on DAZN, nearly one in three people across the European Union now pay a recurring monthly fee just to watch films, series, or live sports online. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT New data released by Eurostat shows that 32.7% of internet users across the bloc held a paid streaming subscription in 2025. But how much Europeans actually open their wallets for digital content varies dramatically depending on the country they call home. When breaking down the numbers by member state, a stark…
Published on 02/09/2026 – 12:29 GMT+2 European foreign ministers have said they’re ready to stand firm against a surge of Russian hybrid war attacks across the continent, rallying behind Germany after its decision to formally hold Russia responsible for a drone incident at Leipzig airport last month. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The show of unity came at a summit of EU foreign affairs ministers in Wicklow, Ireland, also attended by ministers from Ukraine, Canada, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The Leipzig airport incident on 4 August saw German authorities intercept a drone carrying military-grade explosives. Berlin has been unequivocal in attributing the…
Russia may attempt to influence next year’s general election in Italy, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Wednesday, calling it an “issue that concerns the entire European Union.” ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “It cannot be ruled out that there may be attempts to influence the elections in the countries where the vote is being held,” said Tajani after arriving for an informal EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Wicklow, Ireland. “I do not rule out attempts by the Russian Federation to interfere in the democratic life of European Union countries, interfering in free democratic elections held in our countries, attempting to influence the…
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday that incidents such as last month’s Russian drone sabotage in Germany had become the “new normal”, marking a further escalation of Russian activity on European Union soil. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “Leipzig marks a new escalation on European Union soil directly attributed to Russia, but it is part of a broader pattern of increasingly dangerous incidents,” she said, alongside NATO’s Secretary-General Mark Rutte at a press conference in Brussels. If the attack had succeeded, “this would have resulted in enormous damage, and possibly even loss of life.” “Europeans are faced with a…
Uncertainty over fishing quotas may have made many Icelandic voters reluctant to embark on an EU membership pathway. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The country voted no on 29 August on resuming negotiations with Brussels by 52.8%, with the talks between the two on hold since 2013. The campaign was fierce and, as with many crucial public votes in recent years, was also marked by inaccurate claims circulating online and among media channels. One of them involved the referendum’s main sticking point: fisheries. A few media outlets reported on talks between Iceland’s foreign affairs minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir and Dutch Prime Minister Rob…
The man suspected of fatally shooting an Italian woman at a rave party in Switzerland is suffering from “psychological problems” and has remained silent while in custody, prosecutors said on Wednesday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT According to AFP, the man turned himself in to police and confessed to the shooting, saying he had “been suffering from health problems for some time”. He is a 43-year-old Swiss citizen living in the canton of Jura. The man is in custody and faces charges of intentional homicide, bodily harm and violations of firearms legislation. Gunfire broke out early on Sunday as an annual rave was…