Author: Press Room
Vsevolod Chentsov, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, said Russia must take “real, concrete” steps towards peace before the European Union considers “any easing of sanctions”. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “We expect the EU to maintain unity,” Chentsov insisted after France pushed for Uzbek-Russian businessman Alisher Usmanov to be removed from the sanctions list as part of efforts to secure the release of two French nationals imprisoned in Azerbaijan. Ahead of US President Donald Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Chentsov said he was “optimistic” about the…
Published on 22/09/2026 – 8:41 GMT+2•Updated 8:45 Latvia has opposed the removal of Uzbek-Russian businessman Alisher Usmanov from the European Union’s sanctions list, blocking a compromise deal favoured by France. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “As long as Russia continues the war, Europe’s pressure must become stronger, not more convenient for the Kremlin,” Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs saidin a video published on Monday just before midnight. France has linked Usmanov’s removal to the release of two French nationals currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan, angering other member states. Uzbekistan, the country where Usmanov was born, is said to have facilitated the arrangement. Slovakia has…
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent in any way the editorial position of Euronews. With AI, Europe has within its reach the biggest productivity opportunity the world has seen since computers and the internet. Much of Europe missed that last wave. It cannot afford to miss this one. It is a chance to break out of decades of sluggish growth and meet the costs of an ageing society. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT That is if it makes the right decisions, makes them quickly, and manages the risks without giving up the upside. It…
A confrontation between two elderly men over a sunbed on an Athenian Riviera beach on Sunday morning ended in tragedy with the death of one of the men involved. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT According to initial information from Greek authorities, shortly before 10 am at the popular Akti Vouliagmenis beach, a 76-year-old man, who was accompanied by a 21-year-old woman, first had a heated argument with an 82-year-old over a spot on the beach which led to a fight. During the scuffle, the 82-year-old collapsed and it was found that he had suffered a cardiac arrest. A nurse on duty at the…
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz faced growing pressure on Monday after bruising regional election defeats to far-right and far-left parties, with the AfD even predicting he will be out of power within months. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) came first in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on Sunday where Merz’s CDU sank to 4.9%, below the threshold to stay in parliament and its worst result since the party was formed in 1945. In Berlin the far-left Die Linke came first, beating the CDU into second place. Its candidate is now on course to become mayor in the…
EU ambassadors are nearing a deal to break the deadlock over France’s request to delist Russian-Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov from the sanctions list as part of a package that could see two French nationals released from prison in Azerbaijan. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The Irish presidency, which runs the EU Council for six months under the bloc’s rotating presidency system, proposed a compromise to delist Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, another Russian businessman, in exchange for an unprecedented 36-month renewal of the sanctions regime to avoid a similar impasse in future, diplomats told Euronews. Ambassadors met on Monday morning but failed to strike…
The far right’s victory in a German regional election this weekend has offered an early warning of how Europe’s energy crisis could reshape politics ahead of major elections in France and Italy next year. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The Alternative for Germany (AfD) emerged as the strongest party in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on Sunday, extending a run of electoral gains that has shaken Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s governing coalition. Its success comes as nationalist and far-right parties across Europe seek to turn soaring fuel and energy costs into an electoral weapon. The immediate political threat is now spreading beyond Germany. France, Italy, Spain and…
Thirteen member states are calling on Brussels to systematically design new EU legislation as pro-innovation and assess whether the current laws are still fit for purpose, as part of a broader push to cut red tape and make the bloc more business-friendly. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia and Slovakia signed a non-paper calling for “an exercise in legislative deep-cleaning” to determine, sector by sector, whether existing rules are still needed, need updating, or impose burdens without added value. “EU legislation cannot be an end in itself. Therefore, regulatory restraint to avoid…
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has asked EU countries to strengthen the Aspides mission in the Red Sea, amid increasing threats from Houthis to navigation in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, which is crucial for trade routes between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The proposal, contained in a letter dated 19 September and sent to EU capitals, follows a request by Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, who raised the alarm after an Italian frigate intervened to escort an Italian merchant vessel off the coast of Yemen last Friday. “We need more suitably equipped naval and air…
Published on 21/09/2026 – 23:19 GMT+2 Pope Leo XIV is making his first official visit to France from 25 to 28 September. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT In the French capital, excitement is building. According to the police prefecture, up to 250,000 people are expected to line the streets along the route of Leo XIV’s procession through the streets of Paris. Around 80,000 people have also bought tickets to attend the youth mass that is set to be held at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, in the north of the city. Paris has not welcomed a pope since 2008, when Benedict XVI…