Author: Press Room
Published on 31/08/2026 – 22:22 GMT+2 Former French Prime Minister Edouard Balladur has died at the age of 97, his family told the AFP news agency. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT A private mass service is now planned for Balladur, who died in Paris on Monday, the family said, without giving further details. Balladur served as PM from March 1993 to May 1995 under the presidency of Francois Mitterrand, in the so-called “second cohabitation” government. French President Emmanuel Macron has paid tribute to Balladur on social media following the news of his death, calling him a “demanding, level-headed, and devoted public servant” who…
By Etienne Paponaud & euronews Published on 31/08/2026 – 20:55 GMT+2 This week, 3,000 young people are starting France’s new national service programme, a voluntary military scheme that replaces the country’s now-scrapped Universal National Service. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The volunteers have signed up for a 10-month stint, where they will learn discipline, drill, military songs and weapons handling. They will begin their service with five weeks of basic military training before joining a unit in the army, air force or navy. As well as receiving accommodation, food and clothing, participants will be paid €800 per month. Members of this first cohort were selected based…
Nearly a week after CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s secret trip to Moscow fuelled fears that Russia could be preparing to test NATO, European officials are pushing back against suggestions that a conventional attack might be imminent. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT From Finland and Romania to the Baltic states, governments say there is no evidence Moscow is preparing for a direct confrontation with NATO – even as they continue strengthening their defences and warn of a growing Russian threat. Officials across NATO’s eastern flank argue that preparing for Russian aggression is not the same as expecting it. John Hardie, deputy director of the…
Prosecutors in Poland have launched a terrorism investigation into a fire at a drone factory in the city of Skarżysko-Kamienna. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT In a statement, prosecutors said the fire, which broke out at a WB Electronics factory, was started deliberately “by planting an explosive device containing flammable materials.” CCTV footage had reportedly captured an unidentified person in a balaclava who allegedly entered the premises after climbing a fence. A backpack and a sweatshirt were also found near the site. WB Electronics is the largest private arms company in Poland. Its reconnaissance and attack drones are used by the Ukrainian armed…
Published on 31/08/2026 – 18:52 GMT+2 Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar has said the European Union is facing a leadership crisis and needs to make crucial decisions about its future not only to survive, but to win. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Magyar made the remarks at the Bled Strategic Forum, where he spoke alongside Slovenia’s Janez Janša, Croatia’s Andrej Plenković and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš about regional cooperation and competitiveness. “There is a lack of political leadership, to be honest, in the European Union,” Magyar said, pointing to the EU’s bureaucracy, which he said stifled action. “I was told by a…
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that the European Union must adapt its civil protection systems to a world of increasingly frequent, simultaneous and severe emergencies, as an exceptionally early wildfire season placed national firefighting services under growing pressure. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “We must be prepared for a world where extreme events happen more often, in more places, and at the same time,” von der Leyen told reporters on Monday from the European Emergency Response Centre, a unit from the Commission’s civil protection department. The Commission chief acknowledged that disasters are changing in nature as climate change is making…
Published on 31/08/2026 – 16:10 GMT+2 Hungary has fulfilled all the milestones required to receive the full €10 billion in post-coronavirus recovery funds earmarked for the country, Transport and Investment Minister Dávid Vitézy announced on social media. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The deadline for meeting the conditions attached to the payments expired on Monday. Prime Minister Péter Magyar, who won a landslide election victory in April, had campaigned on a promise to unlock EU funds that were suspended during Viktor Orbán’s 16-year rule In May, Magyar and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed to release €16.4 billion in EU funding…
Published on 31/08/2026 – 15:16 GMT+2•Updated 15:34 Romania is set to lose at least €770 million in EU funds after political disagreements prevented the country from meeting a key deadline in its post-pandemic recovery plan. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The main political parties failed to reach a consensus on a new public-sector salary law before the 31 August deadline for completing reforms linked to the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. According to EU sources, the missed deadline will cost Romania around €770 million, to be deducted from the €8.44 billion in EU funds still due to the country – around 40% of…
Published on 31/08/2026 – 14:20 GMT+2•Updated 14:33 European countries that still hold significant stocks of interceptor missiles are expected to face pressure from the European Commission to transfer them to Ukraine, as Kyiv’s need for air-defence systems grows increasingly urgent, EU officials told Euronews. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Spain and Greece, in particular, are expected to come under pressure at a defence meeting on Tuesday in County Wicklow, Ireland, to provide some of their stocks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late August that deliveries of Patriot interceptors had declined even as Russian missile attacks on Ukraine intensified. He said Kyiv needs an…
Israel’s defence ministry said on Monday it had signed a deal with Athens worth approximately €3 billion to set up the “Achilles Shield” aerial defence system for Greece. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “Under the deal, Israel will build Greece a comprehensive, multi-layered air defence array, drawing entirely on Israeli-made systems and on the extensive operational experience Israel’s defence establishment has gained during the war,” the ministry said in a statement. “This is the largest defence export deal in the history of Israel-Greece relations and one of the largest in the history of the State of Israel,” it added. The deal was signed…