Author: Press Room
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…
Published on 11/02/2026 – 11:28 GMT+1 The European Union is setting up a strategy to efficiently detect malicious drones entering the bloc, with the Commission presenting an action plan on Tuesday in response to multiple incidents affecting critical infrastructure. The aim of the strategy is to increase investments in technologies that can improve the integration of surveillance systems as well as better detection technologies to distinguish malicious drones from others. In recent months, countries like Poland and Belgium have experienced several incidents of suspicious drones entering their national airspace or disrupting critical infrastructure and services, such as nuclear sites and…
Published on 11/02/2026 – 7:44 GMT+1•Updated 11:19 On today’s show: Our EU news editor Maria Tadeo reports from Strasbourg on the debate French President Emmanuel Macron has launched on EU common debt, or eurobonds. We interview Saskia Bricmont, a Belgian Member of the European Parliament from the Greens group. Our Jakub Janas explains what European Commission President von der Leyen means when she talks about a “multi-speed Europe”. Our Eleonora Vasques joins us in our studio to explain to our viewers the latest on the EU migration debate. Our Shona Murray updates us on why the US is not attending…
Published on 11/02/2026 – 9:07 GMT+1•Updated 9:45 “I’m part of the ones that say that the EU-US trade deal is a total capitulation”, Belgian MEP Saskia Bricmont (Greens/EFA) told Euronews’ Europe Today morning show in Strasbourg Wednesday, commenting on the political agreement European lawmakers reached the day before to approve the trade deal. “There is obviously a willingness from the von der Leyen majority to show signs of appeasement with Trump. I’m not sure this is the language he understands,” Bricmont said. Representatives of the European Parliament’s political groups have agreed on the conditions to attach to the deal, which…
Good morning, I’m Mared Gwyn writing in the early hours from Brussels. The real heavyweights steering EU policy – top industry chiefs – will join political leaders including the French President and German Chancellor at an annual industry summit in Antwerp later today, in what is set to be a taster session before EU leaders gather to talk competitiveness on Thursday. Corporate leaders called on the bloc to streamline and simplify its industrial policy in a statement at the same summit two years ago. Geopolitical upheaval, fiercer global competition and a lagging European economy are now adding an immense sense…
Europe’s top leaders will meet some of the most influential industrial chiefs at a gathering in Antwerp ahead of a crunch summit later this week focused on competitiveness. The meeting comes as the power dynamic between the industry and the political leadership shifts with a focus on reducing bureaucracy and cutting costs for European companies faced with higher energy costs, tariffs and increasing competition from China. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are expected to particulate at the gathering held in the Belgian port city. They will be joined by the…