Author: Press Room
Ukraine and Moldova have finished screening their laws against the EU rulebook. Montenegro has closed 18 of its 33 negotiating chapters, chasing a self-declared “28 by 28” target for membership. Albania hopes to conclude talks by 2027. Each of these candidates is poorer, less institutionally secure, or closer to Russia’s borders than Iceland will ever be, and all want in. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Iceland, richer and more stable than most existing EU member states, said no. On 29 August, voters rejected reopening accession talks by 52.8 percent to 47.2 percent. Iceland remains in the European Economic Area and the Schengen Area,…
Published on 03/09/2026 – 7:17 GMT+2 A Maltese court acquitted tycoon Yorgen Fenech of orchestrating the car-bomb killing of investigative reporter Daphne Caruana Galizia on Wednesday, sparking outrage from her family and media freedom advocates. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The wealthy businessman had stood accused of masterminding the 2017 assassination of 53-year-old Caruana Galizia, which sparked unprecedented protests and brought down a government. Caruana Galizia’s family said in a statement that Fenech’s acquittal was “denying her the justice she deserves.” Her son Matthew Caruana Galizia said jurors had made a “terrible decision…that our country may never recover from.” The European Centre for…
By Frances Lopez & Leo Arnoux Published on 02/09/2026 – 10:27 GMT+2 From binge-watching weekend drama series on Netflix or streaming live football matches on DAZN, nearly one in three people across the European Union now pay a recurring monthly fee just to watch films, series, or live sports online. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT New data released by Eurostat shows that 32.7% of internet users across the bloc held a paid streaming subscription in 2025. But how much Europeans actually open their wallets for digital content varies dramatically depending on the country they call home. When breaking down the numbers by member state, a stark…
Published on 02/09/2026 – 12:29 GMT+2 European foreign ministers have said they’re ready to stand firm against a surge of Russian hybrid war attacks across the continent, rallying behind Germany after its decision to formally hold Russia responsible for a drone incident at Leipzig airport last month. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The show of unity came at a summit of EU foreign affairs ministers in Wicklow, Ireland, also attended by ministers from Ukraine, Canada, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The Leipzig airport incident on 4 August saw German authorities intercept a drone carrying military-grade explosives. Berlin has been unequivocal in attributing the…
Russia may attempt to influence next year’s general election in Italy, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Wednesday, calling it an “issue that concerns the entire European Union.” ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “It cannot be ruled out that there may be attempts to influence the elections in the countries where the vote is being held,” said Tajani after arriving for an informal EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Wicklow, Ireland. “I do not rule out attempts by the Russian Federation to interfere in the democratic life of European Union countries, interfering in free democratic elections held in our countries, attempting to influence the…
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday that incidents such as last month’s Russian drone sabotage in Germany had become the “new normal”, marking a further escalation of Russian activity on European Union soil. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “Leipzig marks a new escalation on European Union soil directly attributed to Russia, but it is part of a broader pattern of increasingly dangerous incidents,” she said, alongside NATO’s Secretary-General Mark Rutte at a press conference in Brussels. If the attack had succeeded, “this would have resulted in enormous damage, and possibly even loss of life.” “Europeans are faced with a…
Uncertainty over fishing quotas may have made many Icelandic voters reluctant to embark on an EU membership pathway. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The country voted no on 29 August on resuming negotiations with Brussels by 52.8%, with the talks between the two on hold since 2013. The campaign was fierce and, as with many crucial public votes in recent years, was also marked by inaccurate claims circulating online and among media channels. One of them involved the referendum’s main sticking point: fisheries. A few media outlets reported on talks between Iceland’s foreign affairs minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir and Dutch Prime Minister Rob…
The man suspected of fatally shooting an Italian woman at a rave party in Switzerland is suffering from “psychological problems” and has remained silent while in custody, prosecutors said on Wednesday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT According to AFP, the man turned himself in to police and confessed to the shooting, saying he had “been suffering from health problems for some time”. He is a 43-year-old Swiss citizen living in the canton of Jura. The man is in custody and faces charges of intentional homicide, bodily harm and violations of firearms legislation. Gunfire broke out early on Sunday as an annual rave was…
Published on 02/09/2026 – 20:30 GMT+2 On Sunday, Saxony-Anhalt could become the centre of a political earthquake. The AfD party is polling at more than 40 percent, far ahead of Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democrats (CDU). ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Such a strong result could give the far right a path to governing a German state for the first time since World War II. That would shatter one of the most important political taboos in modern Germany — and send a powerful signal to Europe. A stronger AfD would mean a tougher battle over migration, climate policy and support for Ukraine — and…
It was the highlight of Emmanuel Macron’s two-day visit to the United Kingdom, which began on Wednesday: the French president and the British prime minister joined King Charles III and Queen Camilla for a private viewing of the Bayeux Tapestry. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The masterpiece of medieval art, which depicts the Norman conquest of England in 1066, is a centuries-old symbol of Franco-British relations. Macron personally decided on the one-year loan during his state visit to the UK in July 2025, to “reinvigorate cultural relations” and underline “the trust that now exists” between Paris and London. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham…