Author: Press Room

Published on 15/04/2026 – 20:30 GMT+2 Péter Magyar’s landslide victory in Hungary’s parliamentary elections on Sunday has sparked renewed optimism in Brussels. After years of Viktor Orbán’s controversial rule, including numerous vetoes, the change in government has raised hopes that previously stalled EU support for Ukraine may finally be unblocked. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT While the European Union faces increasing global challenges – from Ukraine to the Middle East – its foreign policy responses often appear slow and fragmented, raising doubts about whether its current structure remains fit for purpose. In this context, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) Daniel Freund (Greens)…

Dozens of boats carrying activists and aid for Palestinians in Gaza set sail from the northeastern Spanish city of Barcelona on Wednesday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Organisers of the Global Sumud Flotilla say that more than 70 boats and 1,000 people from around the world will participate, with campaigners saying it’s the biggest civilian-led mobilisation of its kind against Israel’s actions in the Palestinian territory. Nearly 40 boats left Barcelona while the rest will join the fleet from other ports along the Mediterranean as they sail eastward, according to Thiago Ávila, one of the flotilla’s leaders who spoke at a news conference…

Published on 15/04/2026 – 18:19 GMT+2 MEPs from the Committee on Budgets on Wednesday adopted their position on the long-term EU budget, calling for a 10% increase and for the repayment of Next Generation EU — the joint debt approved in 2020 to address the economic impact of COVID-19 — to be kept outside the EU budget. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The proposed 10% increase would be evenly distributed across the budget’s three main political priorities: national plans, competitiveness funds and Horizon as well as Global Europe. The Competitiveness Fund will support actions to strengthen Europe’s position in the global economy. Horizon…

Published on 15/04/2026 – 17:47 GMT+2 Ukraine is facing a critical shortage of Patriot air defence missiles, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during his visit to Germany, admitting it is as bad as it gets. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “The situation is in such a deficit, it could not be any worse,” Zelenskyy told German national broadcaster ZDF on Tuesday. He also admitted that the war in the Middle East is having an impact on Ukraine, reducing Kyiv’s chances of receiving military aid. Patriot missiles are critically important for Ukraine. Made only in the US, they remain by far the best defence…

A video circulating widely on social media appears to show Israeli soldiers pushing bodies from the roof of a building in the West Bank. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The footage has attracted millions of views and gained further traction after it was reshared by South Korea’s president, Lee Jae Myung. In a post on X, he said he would seek to verify the clip and determine what action, if any, had been taken. He later clarified that the video dates back to September 2024, and emphasised the need to uphold international humanitarian law. The footage has been shared online from multiple angles,…

Published on 15/04/2026 – 11:24 GMT+2 Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez, is now facing trial on charges of influence peddling and embezzlement, accused of using her position to secure funding for her private university projects. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Second, Sánchez’s inner circle is collapsing. Last June, his former senior aide Santos Cerdán was placed in pre-trial detention for alleged bribery. Then in November, his former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos and top aide Koldo García were placed in custody over the so-called “Koldo Case”. The two officials allegedly accepted secret cash payments to award lucrative government face mask…

Despite global tensions and the 2025 Trump tariff war, trade between the European Union and China last year remained strong. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The EU exported €199.6 billion worth of goods to China, while imports reached €559.4 billion, creating a trade deficit of €359.8 billion, according to the latest Eurostat figures. Compared with 2024, EU exports fell by 6.5%, while imports from the Asian giant rose by 6.4%. But over the longer term, since 2015, EU exports to China have grown by 37.1%, while imports have surged by 89%. EU exports to China are led by machinery and mechanical appliances, such…

Péter Magyar, the winner of the Hungarian elections and the country’s incoming prime minister, has called on Viktor Orbán to lift his controversial veto on the €90 billion loan for Ukraine before vacating his office in May. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The financial scheme was agreed by the 27 leaders of the European Union in December, but Orbán used his veto in mid-February to block the legal procedure over an unrelated dispute with Kyiv involving the Druzhba pipeline, which carries low-cost Russian oil. The spat featured prominently in Orbán’s failed re-election campaign. “Viktor Orbán accepted the loan (in December), and he said…

Published on 15/04/2026 – 11:32 GMT+2 Hungary’s prime minister-elect, Péter Magyar, has announced plans to suspend the signal of the national broadcaster after forming a government, following a very heated appearance on public Hungarian television on Wednesday morning. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Magyar, whose Tisza Party secured a landslide victory in last Sunday’s election, has long accused state media of bias against his movement. The interview marked his first appearance on the national broadcaster in 18 months, although MTVA, the state media authority, said it had extended multiple invitations to Magyar and his party during the campaign. Magyar gave two interviews —…

Published on 15/04/2026 – 9:31 GMT+2 US President Donald Trump on Tuesday launched a stinging criticism of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, one of his main European allies, over her unwillingness to join the Iran war. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “I’m shocked at her. I thought she had courage, but I was wrong,” he said in an interview with Italian daily Corriere della Sera. The interview was published the day after Meloni condemned as “unacceptable” Trump’s criticism of Pope Leo XIV, after the supreme pontiff’s repeated calls for an end to the US intervention in Iran. “She’s unacceptable because she doesn’t mind…