Author: Press Room

The European Commission is renewing its push to open Serbia’s accession clusters, arguing that Belgrade has made sufficient progress on a range of reforms to justify advancing its EU membership bid. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Ahead of a discussion among EU ambassadors on Wednesday, the Commission has presented member states with an information note outlining why it believes Cluster 3 should be opened after Serbia reversed controversial judicial reforms and made what Brussels describes as progress on media freedom, electoral reforms and alignment with the bloc’s foreign and security policy. The opening of Cluster 3 has been blocked since the Commission first…

Published on 06/07/2026 – 16:27 GMT+2•Updated 16:27 Ukrainian forces carried out a drone strike on an oil refinery in the Russian city of Omsk on Monday, hitting the country’s most important fuel production site more than 2,500km from the Russia-Ukraine border. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The Omsk Oil Refinery is Russia’s largest, with a design capacity of around 22 million tonnes of crude oil per year. It produces gasoline, diesel, aviation kerosene and other petroleum products, including fuel used by the Russian military. The facility had previously been considered beyond the reach of Kyiv’s deep‑strike campaign, but according to Ukraine’s Special Operations…

Published on 06/07/2026 – 15:24 GMT+2 Britain unveiled sanctions against seven Russian scientists and two research labs on Monday said to have helped develop chemical weapons used in two attacks. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The sanctions target those involved in developing the Novichok nerve agent used in a 2018 attack on a former Russian spy hiding in England and a chemical believed to have fatally poisoned Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny in Siberia in 2024. “These new measures directly hit two leading scientific research centres and key individuals involved in the development and production of toxic chemicals,” the UK foreign ministry said…

As Europe boosts its efforts toward tech sovereignty, the high-tech manufacturing sector could be a significant player in the EU’s efforts to distance itself from the likes of the US and China. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The EU sold €414 billion worth of high-tech products in 2024, according to the latest Eurostat figures. This is up from €273 billion in 2014, representing an average annual increase of 4.3%. Pharmaceuticals made up 29% of the 2024 total, followed by electronics and telecommunications at 23% and scientific instruments at around 21%. The smallest category was armaments, with a 1.1% share of the sold production…

Published on 06/07/2026 – 13:20 GMT+2 A Russian patrol aircraft staged “unsafe” activity near the UK’s flagship aircraft carrier as it conducted NATO air defence operations off Iceland, Britain’s defence ministry said on Monday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The Bear-F plane “repeatedly approached” the carrier group last week, passing the HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier “unnecessarily close” at low altitude and dropping numerous sonar devices nearby, according to the ministry. Two UK F-35 warplanes were dispatched from the carrier to intercept and escort the patrol plane until it departed, it added. “This activity was unsafe and unprofessional,” an ministry spokesperson said…

Published on 06/07/2026 – 9:00 GMT+2 Last Thursday, Donald Trump blasted again his allies on Truth Social, saying that Europe abandoned the US with its Iran war and it is “ridiculous” for Washington to keep up its one-sided relationship with NATO. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT It’s a bold statement, so let’s look at the raw numbers to see if its most powerful member is right about it. Reports show a massive 20 percent surge year on year in core defence spending across Europe and Canada. In simple English, the allies injected an extra $258 billion into the pot over the last two…

Published on 06/07/2026 – 10:27 GMT+2 Ukraine’s air defences failed to intercept any of the 29 ballistic missiles launched by Russia during the attack overnight on 6 July, air force spokesperson Colonel Yurii Ihnat confirmed, saying the interception “success rate is low, to put it mildly.” ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Ihnat stated bluntly that Ukraine does not have the means to counter Russia’s ballistic missiles. “To shoot down ballistic missiles, you need the assets to do so. We have enough systems, but what we need is a steady supply of missiles.” He also said that Moscow is aware of this shortage and…

Published on 06/07/2026 – 9:53 GMT+2 Gradual integration of Ukraine into the EU is a good way to deliver early benefits of enlargement, but the focus should be on substance rather than titles, Kyiv’s ambassador to Brussels told Euronews. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT In the past few weeks, European capitals have floated a series of ideas on how to reform the EU accession process, including a proposal from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for an “associate membership” status that would include security guarantees. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, by contrast, has insisted that Ukraine deserves full membership, not partial participation of any kind. “Let’s…

The report shows that 85 per cent of the monitored sites achieved the highest “excellent” quality rating. Coastal waters outperformed inland rivers and lakes due to natural water circulation and the quicker dilution of contaminants. However, nearly 300 locations across the bloc failed to meet basic safety thresholds, leading to immediate swimming bans. The main cause? Agricultural run-off and sewage overflows during periods of heavy rainfall. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Historically, EU authorities struggled with recurring industrial chemical contamination and inadequate urban wastewater infrastructure. Frequent discharges of untreated sewage directly into public waterways forced unexpected beach closures during peak tourism months. Earlier…

Published on 06/07/2026 – 7:59 GMT+2 On today’s show: ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Ukraine’s Ambassador to the European Union, Vsevolod Chentsov, joins us to discuss Russia’s latest deadly attack on Kyiv, Ukraine’s expectations ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara and the country’s path towards EU membership. Euronews’ Luca Bertuzzi explains the European Commission’s plans to reform the EU enlargement process and what the proposed changes could mean for candidate countries. Euronews’ Sonja Issel reports from Germany after thousands of protesters gathered in Erfurt to demonstrate against the far-right AfD during the party’s annual conference. Finally, we round up the latest FIFA…