Author: Press Room

Good morning from Brussels. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT EU leaders are meeting for a second day of an informal summit in Cyprus today, after making history on Thursday with the adoption of a €90 billion loan for Ukraine. Hungary’s election outcome last week helped clear the path for the move, lifting Budapest’s veto and giving Kyiv additional resources to continue resisting Russian forces. Outgoing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, long one of the EU’s main disruptors, did not travel to Cyprus, leaving heads of state and government also celebrating a new package of sanctions against Russia adopted earlier in the day. That…

Arctic sea ice, which has been monitored by satellites since 1978, has beenshrinking dramatically in recent decades. On 22 March, with winter already over, the period of greatest accumulation, the maximum extent for 2026 is thought to have been reached – 14.33 million square kilometres, according to the United States (US) National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). It is the lowest peak since records began, something now seen for the second consecutive year. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT With this region warming almost four times faster than the rest of the planet, new sea routes and business opportunities are opening up for…

With a €90 billion loan for Ukraine and a new round of sanctions against Russia now unblocked and finally approved, the focus at an informal summit in Cyprus is rapidly shifting to Hungary’s long-standing veto on Kyiv’s EU accession amid hopes of using political momentum in Budapest as a new government prepares to take office. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT But Volodymyr Zelenskyy insisted on Thursday that what Ukraine needs is full membership and not any kind of partial participation. Speaking with the reporters on the presidential WhatsApp chat on his way to Cyprus, Zelenskyy rejected the idea of partial EU membership for…

Good morning from Brussels. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The leaders of the European Union are meeting today in Cyprus for an informal summit that will consider, among other things, how to strengthen European defence. The meeting kicks off with a dinner in a resort, and on the menu is Article 42.7 of the EU treaties, a mutual assistance clause that could one day stand in for NATO’s Article 5, meaning that all countries have to assist one when it comes under attack. Speaking to Europe Today, former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said: “I think we in Europe have to be…

Published on 23/04/2026 – 17:09 GMT+2•Updated 17:41 French liberal MEP Christophe Grudler told Euronews the Commission’s proposed European preference, once adopted, covering public procurement in strategic sectors such as clean tech, cars and energy-intensive industries (aluminium and steel) should be limited to a core group of non-EU countries. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The “Made in Europe” provisions of the so-called “Industrial Accelerator Act” have triggered a fierce political battle between supporters, led by Germany and Nordic countries, of a broad definition including “like-minded” partners, and those, led by France, pushing for a narrower approach. In its proposal unveiled on 4 March, the…

Lower speed limits in cities are reducing road deaths and injuries without increasing congestion or journey times, a new Eurocities survey reveals. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Around 75% of European cities which have introduced 30 km/h limits in targeted areas have reported fewer road deaths and injuries. The study was based on responses from 38 cities in 19 European countries, including France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, and Germany. These figures come as the EU aims to reach zero road deaths by 2050, in an initiative known as “Vision Zero”. Most cities have prioritised reduced speeds in specific zones, such as residential areas, historic…

The US and its NATO allies have, on “a practical and military level”, an “excellent relationship” and cooperate continuously, Latvian Defence Minister Andris Sprūds told Euronews’ flagship morning programme, Europe Today. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “I see that the alliance remains strong, that it is one for all, all for one, that it is beneficial for all member states, including the United States,” Sprūds said, adding that he prefers to focus more on “practical cooperation” rather than the denigrating public statements coming from the White House. Minister Sprūds also affirmed that he has “no doubt that the US would come to help”…

After several months of negotiations, France and the United Kingdom have agreed to renew the Sandhurst Treaty for the next three years. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The agreement signed in 2018, which aims to prevent illegal crossings of the English Channel, was extended for the first time in 2023 and expires in 2026. British authorities will be able to provide funding of up to €766 million over three years, but this will include a so-called “flexible part” valued at €186 million, conditional on the effectiveness of the measures taken. London is therefore guaranteed to pay €580 million, an increase on previous contributions…

Published on 23/04/2026 – 12:56 GMT+2 Several MEPs from the Greens/European Free Alliance group have called on the European Commission to impose a temporary EU-wide ban on non-essential private jet travel, citing mounting pressure on energy supplies and rising fuel costs across Europe. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The appeal comes in the wake of a sharp surge in global oil prices following the blockade of the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping lane amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The increase in oil prices is the steepest since Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Jet fuel shortages have been…

Published on 23/04/2026 – 12:22 GMT+2•Updated 12:28 The 18th European Economic Congress in Katowice has begun, with geopolitics, defence and economic self-sufficiency dominating the agenda of one of Central Europe’s largest business and political forums. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The three-day event, held at the city’s iconic Spodek arena under the motto “The Power of Dialogue,” brings together politicians, entrepreneurs and experts to debate the economy, energy transition and digitalisation. ‘The era of competition was replaced by managed chaos’ Jerzy Buzek, Poland’s former prime minister and a former president of the European Parliament, set the tone in his opening address, calling on…