Author: Press Room
Published on 08/04/2026 – 20:30 GMT+2 After years of working closely on EU migration files and spending hours in tense committee meetings, this week MEPs Juan Fernando López Aguilar and Lena Düpont meet on The Ring. Vehemently opposed on how to handle EU asylum procedures, they took completely different stances on the recent EU reform that would allow EU member states to establish so-called “migration return hubs” in third countries. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The measure, voted on 26 March, would see rejected asylum seekers be transferred to external facilities outside EU borders while awaiting return to their country of origin. Supporters…
Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó called his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in 2023 to brief him on a debate among EU leaders over whether to open accession talks with Ukraine at a key summit in Brussels, according to one of the transcripts of leaked recordings published by several Hungarian investigative news outlets. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The transcript, stemming from a call recorded at an EU summit on 14 December 2023, reveals that Szijjártó stepped out of the meeting to call Lavrov and brief him on the state of negotiations. It also includes Lavrov reportedly saying: “Sometimes good-willed direct blackmailing is the…
Disinformation researchers are warning that Hungary’s ruling party, Fidesz, and its proxies are bypassing a ban on political advertisements across Meta platforms, ahead of the country’s national elections scheduled for 12 April. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT According to research by the Hungarian Digital Media Observatory, “there is a real risk that the Hungarian election campaign and other upcoming campaigns will be influenced by a significant number of illicit political ads — including deepfakes — with a huge reach.” Tech giant Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, banned all political, electoral and social advertisements on its EU platforms in October 2025, citing “unworkable…
Published on 08/04/2026 – 17:00 GMT+2 A video has gained significant traction online, purportedly showing the streets of Paris in turmoil following a recent riot. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Posts on X say that the clip shows scenes from the French capital in recent days, and question why there appears to be no reporting on it in the media. Another post, meanwhile, compares the scenes to missile strikes in the Middle East, as the Iran war continues, before pushing the blame onto French President Emmanuel Macron. These posts have been seen hundreds of thousands of times — some with even more than…
European leaders have hailed the initial ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran, though key issues affecting their own interests — such as access through the strategically crucial Strait of Hormuz— remain vague and uncertain. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the deal brokered by Pakistan would bring “much-needed de-escalation” to the Middle East, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for a solution leading to a “lasting end to the war”. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who has emerged as one of Europe’s staunchest critics of the US-Israeli strikes, said the ceasefire was “good news”…
The European Commission’s new initiative, called AGILE, Accelerating Groundbreaking Innovation for Defence in Europe, targets small and medium-sized enterprises, start-ups and scale-ups working on AI, drones, robotics, quantum technology and cybersecurity. Unlike existing funds, it does not require companies to form consortia to apply. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The Commission describes the gap between a working prototype and a deployed capability as the “innovation valley of death.” AGILE is designed to close it, offering up to 100% cost coverage and a retroactive clause allowing firms to claim costs incurred up to three months before a call closes. Between 20 and 30 projects…
Stressed or disengaged employees aren’t just a retention risk — but can potentially drag down productivity. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT That’s according to management consulting firm Gallup, which sets the loss as high as 9% of global GDP, in its 2026 State of the Global Workplace report. The trend appears to be worsening. Worldwide, employee engagement is dipping, with workers feeling less motivated, connected and committed. Gallup puts the global rate at just 20%, the lowest since 2020. Are workers more stressed in Europe or in the Americas? The global picture reveals a striking dichotomy. Europe is less stressed, but also the…
In an interview on Euronews’ flagship programme, MEP Marc Botenga (The Left, Belgium) welcomed the two-week ceasefire agreed between the US and Iran, following US President Donald Trump’s announcement mere hours before the expiration of his ultimatum to Tehran. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Yet Botenga was highly critical of the EU’s response to the crisis, telling Euronews’ flagship morning show Europe Today that the EU’s position had been “horrible”. “The European Union has done nothing, no diplomatic efforts whatsoever for a crisis that not only is violating human rights, is violating international law, but was also violating our interests,” said Botenga. The…
Trump is not always praising other people, but there is one exception – Mark Rutte. And as the NATO boss is set to visit Trump on Wednesday, your reporter wonders: could the US president one day say “bye, bye” to the alliance? Let’s take a look at what the actual rules say.
Good morning from Brussels. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The United States and Iran have agreed to a two-week ceasefire overnight, barely an hour and a half before Donald Trump’s deadline for Iran to capitulate was set to expire, avoiding a military escalation. Speaking to Europe Today, The Left group’s member of the European Parliament Marc Botenga said: “We should celebrate this. The position of the EU on this has been horrible, ignoring the fact that Israel and the US are illegally attacking Iran.”Watch. The agreement was announced by the US President on his social media platform Truth Social, and by Iran’s Supreme…