Author: Press Room
Published on 14/09/2026 – 15:23 GMT+2•Updated 15:26 12 European nations have urged the European Union to scale up its presence in the Arctic amid threats from Moscow and US President Donald Trump. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “We call for the European Union to take on a more strategic and proactive role in the European Arctic,” the countries wrote in a joint statement following the European Arctic Summit in Rovaniemi in northern Finland. The summit was attended by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, among others. Speaking to reporters on Monday morning, Kaja Kallas,…
Published on 14/09/2026 – 13:49 GMT+2•Updated 13:50 Greek authorities say one person is dead and 25 are missing after a boat carrying migrants sank off the coast of Gavdos island near Crete on Sunday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The Greek coast guard said they rescued 51 people from the water. A search and rescue operation was launched under the coordination of the Joint Search and Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC), in the sea area 38 nautical miles south of the island of Gavdos, after the alarm was raised about a boat carrying migrants. The search mission involved patrol boats, a helicopter and a…
Published on 14/09/2026 – 13:40 GMT+2 The number of small parcels valued below €150 arriving in Europe has fallen by nearly 50% since 1 July following the EU’s introduction of a €3 flat tax on such shipments, according to data from Dutch and Belgian customs. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT In Belgium, the number of small parcels have decreased by 53% compared to the previous year, according to data from the Belgian authorities. Dutch customs present similar data, finding that e-commerce parcels, particularly from China, decreased by 46%. Together, the two countries make up almost 50% of the total low value parcels arriving…
Paris and Berlin have never agreed on how far the EU should go in building up its own defence industry versus keeping the market open to outside partners. Now, as Europe’s defence needs to grow more, that disagreement is coming to a head. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT With Washington gradually pulling back from Europe, Russian pressure mounting on the eastern flank and China’s geopolitical ambitions growing, the EU has rarely faced a more urgent moment to build up its own defence capabilities. But France and Germany cannot agree on how to do it. Ever since Donald Trump returned to the Oval Office…
Published on 14/09/2026 – 11:12 GMT+2 The French government has submitted a reworked proposal to ban social media for children, after its previous ban was struck down by the country’s top constitutional authority, President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT France’s Constitutional Council struck down the previous legislation in mid-August, finding that part of it constituted an unnecessary infringement on the freedom of expression of those affected. “After rigorous technical work the government today is notifying” the European Commission of the new draft, Macron wrote on X. The notification is a key step, as it ensures that the legislation…
Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs says the EU must “remain strong” in the face of Russian aggression, insisting that “the one who prepares for the worst has peace” in an exclusive interview with Euronews. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Kulbergs said European politicians have a “clear understanding” of the Russian threat and a “commitment” to security, even though wider society is “still behind”. For Kulbergs, there is only “one way” to deal with Russia: “to deter it by force”.
Published on 14/09/2026 – 8:15 GMT+2•Updated 9:34 Europeans already use national digital systems or private-company apps, like Apple or Google Wallet, to store boarding passes or access social security benefits. The EU wants to simplify citizens’ administrative tasks with an EU-wide digital space usable across borders. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The EU Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet) is a personal digital platform that allows citizens and businesses to store private data in one place, without relying on third parties or a patchwork of national systems. In the Wallet, users can store and share digital documents, including diplomas, rental history, driving licences, and…
Marine Le Pen put housing and the cost-of-living crisis at the heart of her presidential campaign on Sunday, using her first major speech in the former northern mining town of Hénin-Beaumont to promise French citizens that they would come “first in their own country” — regardless of skin colour, religion or origin. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “We will guarantee all French citizens a natural and fair right, as is done in every country in the world,” said the far-right National Rally party’s figurehead, stating that French nationals would have “more rights in France than others” under her leadership. Le Pen announced that…
By Roselyne Min & Malek Fouda & Ioannis Karagiorgas Published on 13/09/2026 – 8:30 GMT+2•Updated 14/09/2026 – 1:57 GMT+2 Sweden’s centre-left opposition bloc, which backs Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson for prime minister, was leading Sunday’s parliamentary election, with the Social Democrats on 28% of the vote in preliminary results from the Swedish Election Authority. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The Sweden Democrats were in third place in the preliminary count, behind Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s Moderates, with 17.6% of the vote compared with 19.9% for the Moderates. Based on early results, the Swedish Election Authority’s preliminary seat distribution gave the centre-left bloc 175 seats, just one more…
Published on 13/09/2026 – 17:49 GMT+2•Updated 18:33 Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is exploring closer ties with the European Union, including becoming an “associate member” of the bloc, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The status does not currently exist, but the EU could be open to creating special membership arrangements, the newspaper said, citing unnamed EU and Canadian officials. The European Commission did not respond to a request for comment. The report comes ahead of a speech by Carney to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Thursday, where he is expected to set out his vision…