Author: Press Room
Latvia has become the latest focus of what EU governments describe as Belarusian President Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s campaign to use migration as a tool of political pressure against the bloc’s eastern frontier. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT After years in which Latvia, Lithuania and Poland shared the bulk of irregular crossings from Belarus, Latvian authorities say the pressure has now shifted towards their border. The increase comes just months before Latvia’s parliamentary elections on 3 October, raising concerns that Minsk is once again seeking to exploit migration to destabilise the region. The scale of the shift is reflected in recent border data. On Thursday,…
By Greta Ruffino with AP Published on 17/07/2026 – 21:51 GMT+2•Updated 22:11 Protesters greeted the American ambassador’s luxury yacht in Venice on Friday with inflatable water toys, beach balls and a sign reading “Venezia non si USA,” a play on words meaning “Venice is not to be used.” ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Several hundred protesters marched against Tilman Fertitta’s arrival, briefly clashing with riot police as they neared the vessel. Activists described his visit as an unwelcome display of American wealth and influence at a time when many Italians see the Trump administration as upending the post-World War II international order. During the protest, people…
The European Commission chief, Ursula von der Leyen, pledged to curb social media access to protect children earlier this week. Her comments came after an EU-appointed expert group called for restrictions for under-13s. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT She warned that “the status quo, a world where we continue to allow big tech unrestricted access to our children, will only consign another generation to more mental harm, addiction and misery.” While the bloc’s executive branch has not specified a minimum age, von der Leyen did note that she was convinced by the “staged approach” to internet use, a recommendation by the panel that…
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday that Germany will take part in a French nuclear exercise later this year, following a joint meeting of the French and German governments near Cologne. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “Alongside this work on a shared doctrine, German conventional forces will this year take part in a nuclear exercise of the French military,” Merz said. Speaking at a press conference alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, the Chancellor said a “strategic steering group” created by the two countries would examine how to strengthen deterrence in the future. “This is complementary to our nuclear participation and deterrence within…
The European Commission on Friday proposed extending its carbon market to international flights arriving in Europe from destinations within 5,000 km from 2029, as part of its long-awaited overhaul of the bloc’s Emissions Trading System (ETS). ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Routes such as Frankfurt–Dubai and Frankfurt–Istanbul will be brought into the carbon market while longer sectors such as Frankfurt–Tokyo will be excluded, according to the Commission proposal. Landing flights from the United States and China will be exempt. Exemptions for domestic services to the EU’s outermost regions, including routes linking mainland Spain with the Canary Islands, will remain in place until the…
Poland’s conservative President Karol Nawrocki on Friday vetoed a bill to legalise civil partnerships, he announced in a statement. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The legislation had been proposed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s centrist government ahead of last year’s parliamentary elections in Poland. “I have always emphasised that nothing that is a quasi-marriage can count on my support,” Nawrocki said on X. “As the guardian of the Constitution, I cannot accept a solution that would lead to the loss of the special status of marriage defined… as a union of a woman and a man.” The bill, first submitted to parliament last…
Published on 17/07/2026 – 16:41 GMT+2•Updated 16:42 Hungary has taken significant steps to restore the rule of law in the two months since Prime Minister Péter Magyar took office, the European Commission said in a report presented on Friday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The new government has launched “intense reform efforts”, with several legislative changes already advanced, according to the report, which describes the progress made as “impressive” given the short time since the change of government. “You have a very radical change compared with last year’s report. Things have moved very, very quickly in the right direction,” a senior EU official…
The European Union’s economy should reach a 46 percent electrification target in transport, industry and buildings by 2040 in order to cut €260 billion per year in imported fossil fuel costs, the EU Commission said on Friday as it unveiled a set of proposals to ease the process. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The proposed measures include reforms to fees charged by energy network operators, energy taxation, and building efficiency. Brussels is stepping up its electrification efforts as part of a scramble to find quick solutions to offset the loss of oil and gas from the Strait of Hormuz, which exposed the EU’s…
What began as spontaneous anger over Mykhailo Fedorov’s dismissal has swelled into public outrage over Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s management of the military, with protesters demanding radical changes at the top command**.** ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Zelenskyy is now scrambling to contain a bitter stand-off between the reform‑minded, tech-saavy former defence boss, widely supported by the military and civil society, and the army chief at the heart of Ukraine’s war effort. Reshuffle gone wrong On Sunday 12 July Zelenskyy announced a sweeping cabinet reshuffle. With nationwide elections suspended under martial law amid Moscow’s full‑scale war, a cabinet revamp is his only viable instrument for…
The European Union’s push to approve a new round of sanctions against Russia has bumped into a formidable roadblock: Greece. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The country, which hosts the world’s largest merchant fleet, has put its foot down and demanded an adjustment to the EU-wide ban on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG), scheduled to take full effect on the first day of 2027. The ban, as agreed last year, will prohibit the “purchase, import or transfer, directly or indirectly,” of LNG that “originates in Russia or is exported from Russia”. Greece now seeks to reopen the measure and insert an exemption to…