Author: Press Room
Italy’s Industry minister Adolfo Urso urged the European Union to suspend its carbon market until the bloc presents a revised proposal due this summer, citing the hardship faced by European businesses because of high power and carbon costs. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The Emissions Trading System (ETS) is the bloc’s mechanism for making companies pay for their pollution, with the dual aim of reducing emissions and encouraging industry to invest in more sustainable alternatives. In Europe, the ETS currently covers heavy industries, power plants as well as airlines and shipping. Additional sectors such as international aviation, landfills and incinerators will be included…
The possession, manufacture and trafficking of illicit firearms could soon carry prison sentences ranging from two to eight years across the entire European Union, under a new proposal unveiled by the European Commission on Thursday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The draft directive presented by the EU executive in Brussels plans to harmonise how firearms-related offences are defined and punished across the 27 member states. It argues that the divergent national rules have created loopholes that criminal networks exploit when operating across borders. The creation, acquisition, possession or dissemination of 3D-printed firearm blueprints would for instance carry a maximum prison sentence of at…
Published on 26/02/2026 – 14:04 GMT+1 Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has proposed that a “fact-finding mission” be deployed to the Ukrainian section of the Druzhba pipeline to assess the damage caused last month by a Russian attack, which precipitated a halt in oil deliveries. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “It is in the interest of Hungary to restore the transfer as soon as possible. Hungary is ready to constructively engage in all efforts that contribute to this objective,” Orbán says in a new letter sent on Thursday to António Costa, the president of the European Council, and seen by Euronews. “In this…
Published on 26/02/2026 – 7:44 GMT+1•Updated 10:48 On today’s show: ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Our Babak Kamiar reports on the new round of US-Iran nuclear talks taking place in Geneva, Switzerland. Our Sasha Vakulina fills us in on the latest developments in the peace negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. An interview with German Member of the European Parliament Bernd Lange, from the S&D Group. We travel to Berlin, where Diana Resnik breaks down Chancellor Merz’s visit to China. Our Jakub Janas takes a look at why Iceland is planning to fast-track a referendum on EU membership. When and where to…
By James Thomas & video by Loredana Dumitru Published on 26/02/2026 – 10:30 GMT+1 Europe’s job market is standing fairly strong as of early 2026, with record-high employment rates in the face of economic slowdowns and global volatility. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Yet despite the overall market’s resilience, certain sectors are crying out for workers and are struggling to fill the gaps left in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. New figures released by Eurostat show that between 2019 — before the pandemic — and 2023, manufacturing labourers recorded the largest increase in their job vacancy rate, up by 4.2%. The rise suggests that the…
Published on 26/02/2026 – 9:24 GMT+1 German MEP Bernd Lange (S&D) made clear Thursday he would not bow to pressure to salvage the EU-US trade deal, arguing Washington has already broken it following last week’s Supreme Court ruling and President Donald Trump’s fresh tariff salvo. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “Nobody can pressure me. I’m a European Parliament representative and the representative of the people,” Lange told Euronews’ flagship morning show Europe Today. “For us it’s crystal clear that the US really is breaking the deal,” he added. “If in the next week nothing happen, then we have to reflect about countermeasures, counter…
The European Commission is set to table a sweeping “One Europe, One Market” action plan at the March 2026 EU summit, with “Buy European” at its core. Politically, the idea is clear: use European taxpayers’ money to support European industry. But the economic situation is more complicated. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The big picture Von der Leyen’s competitiveness roadmap, based on the Draghi and Letta reports, aims to complete the EU single market by 2027. It also redirects public procurement and industrial funding towards EU-based production in strategic sectors: defence, clean tech, chips, chemicals and automotive. The Commission describes this as Europe’s…
The European Parliament has approved a new category of companies, small mid-cap enterprises (SMCs), which will benefit from a simpler legal framework, including exemptions that were previously available only to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Voted through on Wednesday in a joint session of three parliamentary committees, the move gives these companies the benefit of simplified rules in the fields of data protection, access to capital markets, batteries, and critical infrastructures. SMEs represent 99% of businesses in Europe, and are defined as such when they have fewer than 250 employees and an annual turnover not exceeding €50 million…
Published on 25/02/2026 – 20:30 GMT+1 Should Ukraine be given fast-track membership into the European Union? ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The majority of MEPs seem to think so. Although they may not see eye to eye on the how or the exact when, most MEPs think Ukrainian EU membership would send a strong message of support to Ukrainians and one of defiance to the Kremlin. To mark four years since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia, this week on The Ring, we are joined by two Lithuanian MEPs: Aurelijus Veryga from the ECR (European Conservatives and Reformists) group and Petras Auštrevičius…
Published on 25/02/2026 – 17:15 GMT+1 One hundred and five members of the European Parliament sent a letter on Wednesday to the Commission’s President Ursula von der Leyen, asking for a European-funded pathway that ensures real and effective access to abortions. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The letter aims to put pressure on the Commission, the day before the decision on the European Citizens’ Initiative “My Voice, My Choice”, which collected 1,124,513 signatures across all 27 countries and asked to improve access to safe abortion in Europe. This initiative calls to establish financial support to perform safe termination of pregnancies for women abroad…