Author: Press Room

Europe is simultaneously in desperate need of workers and determined to keep more people out, with its Migration and Asylum Pact taking full effect on June 12. That contradiction sits at the heart of one of the continent’s most politically charged debates, and it is becoming harder to ignore. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT With unemployment at historic lows and employment rates at record highs, EU labour markets are running on empty. Structural shortages plague healthcare, construction, agriculture, transport and tech sectors. And the cause is no mystery: Europe is ageing rapidly. In 2022, roughly 22 per cent of the EU’s population was…

On Friday, June 12, the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum enters into force, two years after it was signed into law. For the first time, all 27 member states must follow a single set of rules covering border screening, asylum procedures, reception conditions, and a solidarity mechanism for relocating asylum seekers between countries. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The goal is to end a patchwork system where someone arriving in Greece faces an entirely different legal reality than someone arriving in Germany. But ambition is already running into reality. The 2026 relocation target was 21,000; member states pledged fewer than half that…

Published on 10/06/2026 – 18:11 GMT+2 The UN’s nuclear watchdog board demanded Iran fully cooperate with the agency on Wednesday, provide “complete information” about its stockpile of near weapons-grade nuclear material and grant its inspectors access to its nuclear sites. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The resolution stressed that providing information and access are “essential and urgent” in order to enable the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to verify that there is no “diversion of nuclear material.” Twenty-one countries on the IAEA’s 35-member board of governors voted for the resolution at the agency’s headquarters in Vienna, according to diplomats who spoke on condition…

Without long-term solutions to secure fertiliser supplies, the European Union will see food scarcity, the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen, has told Euronews. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT His comments come as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East has sent fertiliser prices soaring. In response, the European Commission — fearful that high fertiliser prices could reduce crop yields and lower food production — introduced the Fertiliser Action Plan, bringing support in the form of financial aid. But Hansen says that beyond short-term relief, the EU must tackle structural weaknesses in its fertiliser supply chain. “We need to do our…

Published on 10/06/2026 – 19:34 GMT+2•Updated 19:56 Bulgaria will no longer provide weapons from its army stocks to Ukraine, the country’s prime minister said on Wednesday, calling for “the pursuit of a diplomatic solution” to end the war. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT While the country’s defence industry is set to remain one of the main suppliers of ammunition destined for Kyiv, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the government was “putting an end to the provision of weapons from the Bulgarian army to Ukraine.” “We have already given enough, while our country continues to suffer socio-economic damage from this bloody war,” he told…

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa and with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung celebrated the signing of new a digital trade agreement at a ceremony in Brussels on Wednesday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The event marked the EU and South Korea’s 11th summit, with everything from security and defence to trade on the agenda. “Korea is one of Europe’s closest partners in the Indo-Pacific region and on the global stage,” von der Leyen said. “In today’s uncertain world, stable and trusted partnerships like ours are more precious than ever.” The trio released a joint statement extolling…

President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday he feared for trust in France’s institutions after a botched investigation into the main suspect in an 11-year-old girl’s likely murder triggered public outrage. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The body of the girl, named as Lyhanna, was found last week after she went missing on 29 May in the southwestern town of Fleurance. The suspect, a 41-year-old father of a school friend of the victim, had twice before been formally accused of raping a child, but investigations had been dropped or had stalled. “It is trust in our institutions that is at stake,” Macron told a…

Published on 10/06/2026 – 14:08 GMT+2 A package of measures aimed at accelerating defence investment and improving defence responsiveness to security challenges across the European Union was approved by European Parliament and European Council negotiators on Wednesday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Representing the 27 EU member states on behalf of the Cypriot presidency of the EU Council, Cyprus’ Deputy Minister for European Affairs Marilena Raouna said rubber-stamping the “Defence Readiness Omnibus” is important for the continent’s security and competitiveness. “For a strategically autonomous Europe, defence readiness and competitiveness must go hand in hand,” Raouna said in a statement provided to Euronews. The…

The European Union should be equipped with additional tools to respond more swiftly to new member states that violate fundamental rights and democratic principles, five countries have said as EU enlargement gains renewed urgency. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT A joint proposal by Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, seen by Euronews, recommends that the accession treaties of the bloc’s future members be beefed up with various safeguard clauses to crack down on legal breaches and impose swift penalties, such as suspension of funds and voting rights. Newcomers should also have their veto power restricted for an undefined period to prevent sudden…

Published on 10/06/2026 – 14:50 GMT+2 A coalition of 45 major European investors managing €11.4 trillion in assets has warned European Union leaders that if Europe wants private capital to finance industrial decarbonisation, the bloc’s carbon market, the Emissions Trading System (ETS), must remain strong, predictable and central to economic strategy. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The investors made their plea in a letter ahead of EU Council talks on 18 and 19 of June, where leaders will discuss the future of the ETS. A legislative review of the carbon market system is scheduled for 15 July. The European Commission recently laid out…