Author: Press Room

Good morning from Brussels. I’m Mared Gwyn with your Thursday newsletter. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Former European Commission President José Manuel Barroso has told Europe Today that European Council President António Costa should contemplate excluding Hungary from some sensitive EU talks unless Viktor Orbán’s government can adequately explain allegations it has been leaking details of EU meetings to the Kremlin. A Washington Post report first raised the allegations that Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó had been routinely briefing his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on meetings of EU foreign ministers by calling him during breaks, a claim Budapest continues to deny. “First of…

Published on 25/03/2026 – 20:30 GMT+1 Imagine a former five-star army general in the same room as an anti-war activist? That is what we witness on this latest edition of The Ring, Euronews’ weekly debate show. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Riho Terras, an Estonian general and centre-right MEP, went face-to-face with far-left Turkish-born German MEP Özlem Demirel on the role of the EU in the ongoing war in the Middle East. As the conflict enters its fourth week, EU leaders have called for “de-escalation, the protection of civilians, and restraint,” while avoiding direct involvement. But the question of whether Brussels should take…

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said during a visit to Algeria on Wednesday that the two countries would work together towards “increasing deliveries of Algerian gas” to the EU member state. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “We have decided to reinforce our already very solid cooperation through our national champions,” Meloni said, referring to Italian energy major ENI and Algeria’s Sonatrach. “The relationship between our nations has never been so strong,” Meloni said at a press conference in Algiers. The two would work together on projects including shale gas extraction and offshore exploration, she said at a press conference alongside Algerian President Abdelmadjid…

With the US–Israeli war in Iran now entering its third week, Europe finds itself stuck on the sidelines. From the need to protect ships carrying crucial crude oil and liquified natural gas from Iranian strikes, to staying out of a war initiated that is already spilling over into the wider region, with attacks on critical infrastructure in Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, determining a course of action has been difficult. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT It follows last week’s European Council Summit, which saw leaders call for de-escalation in the region, protection of civilians and infrastructure, as well as increased efforts…

Published on 25/03/2026 – 18:21 GMT+1 Four men were jailed in Berlin on Wednesday for being part of a network that stored weapons for potential attacks in Europe under the direction of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT A court convicted the men, aged between 36 and 58, of membership of a foreign terrorist organisation jailing them for between four and six years. All four had helped build weapons depots as part of “preparations to carry out attacks on Jewish and Israeli targets in European countries,” presiding judge Doris Husch said. They were partially identified as Abdelhamid Al A.…

A long-awaited trial into Greece’s worst train tragedy opened on Monday only to be adjourned until 1 April amid chaotic scenes in a courtroom too small to handle the huge interest in the case, officials said. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Hundreds of people turned up for the trial into the 2023 train collision that left 57 dead, leading to complaints from lawyers that the venue was “insultingly” unsuitable and potentially violated fire safety regulations. Amid angry booing from the public, presiding judge Georgia Stefanidou said: “The court is adjourned until 1 April, owing to conditions that could cause fainting.” The hall was…

Published on 25/03/2026 – 15:39 GMT+1 Lille will host the European Custom Authority, a new decentralised agency tasked with supporting and coordinating national customs administrations across the bloc. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The decision was made on Wednesday in Brussels, after EU lawmakers from the European Parliament and the Council of the EU voted on the matter in three rounds. “France is one of Europe’s leading customs nations, [considering] one in three parcels entering the EU passes through French territory,” Dutch MEP Dirk Gotink, rapporteur on the customs reform, said in a press statement. “Lille’s strategic location at the crossroads of Europe…

Published on 25/03/2026 – 14:41 GMT+1 Police in the United Kingdom arrested two men on Wednesday in connection with an arson attack on four ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity, an assault that authorities are investigating as an antisemitic hate crime. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The Metropolitan Police said the two men, aged 45 and 47, were arrested in London on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life and that both men have been taken to a police station in the city for questioning. Officers are searching two properties in north London, a few kilometres from the scene of the attack…

Published on 25/03/2026 – 13:38 GMT+1 Hungary will gradually halt gas exports to Ukraine until Kyiv resumes oil shipments through the Druzhba pipeline. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The move was announced on Wednesday by the country’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who added that the gas would be redirected to refill the country’s own storage instead of being supplied to Ukraine. “We will gradually stop gas supplies from Hungary to Ukraine, and we will store the remaining gas at home,” Orbán said in a social media video posted after a cabinet meeting.”As long as Ukraine does not supply oil, we will not supply…

The Iran war is causing ” profound” impact on civilians in the region, the UN Refugee Agency chief Barham Salih told Euronews’ flagship show Europe Today. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The situation is “very dire” and around “600,000 to a million households in Iran” have already been affected, with “more than a million people” displaced in Lebanon, he added. “The region cannot afford these cycles of violence,” he said. “Human lives are at stake,” added Salih, who insists that what the Middle East needs is peace. Salih said the war poses a “terrible humanitarian challenge” and is “highly destabilising” for the region.…