Author: Press Room
Germany has no plans to purchase additional F-35 fighter jets, a spokesperson for the German Defence Ministry confirmed to Euronews, dismissing earlier reports that Berlin might seek more US-made aircraft to offset delays in the German-French-Spanish Future Combat Air System (FCAS) project. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT While speculation had suggested that additional F-35 acquisitions could bridge a potential capability gap amid an apparent deadlock in the European trilateral programme, the ministry clarified to Euronews that there are no “concrete” or “political” plans to proceed with such a purchase. FCAS or F-35: Is Berlin forced to choose? Germany, France and Spain have been…
Published on 20/02/2026 – 12:34 GMT+1•Updated 12:35 European steel shipments to the US declined 30% between June and December 2025 compared with the same period a year earlier, according to recent Eurostat data compiled by Eurofer, the Brussels-based industry group. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The decline underscores the impact of the US’s 50% tariffs on EU steel, even after the EU and US signed a trade agreement in July 2025 agreeing a blanket 15% US tariff on EU goods. Steel was carved out of that deal and talks to ease duties remain stuck. “A 30% drop in steel exports to the US…
Canada recently signed up to the EU’s Security Action for Europe agreement (SAFE) — a loan scheme aims to speed up procurement for defence equipment across the bloc — becoming the first non-European member state to do so. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT On X, allegations that the European Union asked Canada for a €10 million participation fee to participate in SAFE fully, while demanding €6 billion from the UK have gained traction. One post viewed more than 139,000 times, claimed that the EU is treating the UK unfairly and offering it a rough deal compared to Canada, sparking a debate over the…
The majority of Europeans appear to be unhappy with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in its current form, with many wishing to change migrant rules and large numbers unsure about what role it even plays today. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT EU citizens in five member states support modifying the convention’s rules to allow countries to deport immigrants who commit serious crimes, even if their family resides in the new country, according to a recent YouGov survey. German respondents support it the most at 75%, while Italians are the least likely to, even though their level of support still sits at…
Published on 19/02/2026 – 18:02 GMT+1 The death of French far-right activist Quentin Deranque has reached the European Parliament, with the Patriots for Europe group calling for a minute of silence at next week’s plenary session, sources and MEPs from the group confirmed to Euronews. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT A demonstration organised by far-right groups is also planned in Brussels on Thursday evening. Deranque, 23, died on Saturday in a hospital after being beaten during an altercation between far-left and right-wing activists in Lyon, following an event featuring far-left MEP Rima Hassan. Witnesses said Deranque was providing security at a protest against…
Paris is demanding an explanation from the European Commission for its decision to send the Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica, as an observer to the first formal gathering of United States President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace on Thursday, saying she doesn’t have a “mandate”. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “We are surprised because she doesn’t have a mandate from the Council to go and participate in this meeting of the Board of Peace,” spokesperson Pascal Confavreux told reporters in Paris on Thursday. “She will have to explain it when she returns.” France, Belgium, Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, Sweden and Portugal were among…
By Alice Tidey with AFP Published on 19/02/2026 – 15:18 GMT+1 French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday stuck to his position that Europeans should develop a single common fighter jet, despite his German counterpart and Airbus both expressing their willingness to look into a two-fighter solution. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “We Europeans, if we understand the direction history is taking us, have an interest in standardising, simplifying and therefore having a common model,” Macron told reporters while on a visit to India. “I think we need to redouble our efforts, but I am also trying to look at the strategy of our countries, of our…
Published on 19/02/2026 – 14:28 GMT+1 The United States would consider dropping out of the International Energy Agency (IEA) if it continues to pursue a climate agenda of reaching emissions neutrality by 2050, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright told a panel on the sidelines of the IEA’s ministerial meeting on Thursday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “We’re definitely not satisfied (with current IEA’s policy scenarios), and we’re not there yet… For the US to remain a long-term member of the IEA, the agency needs to finish the reform… we don’t need a net zero scenario, that’s never gonna happen, net zero by 2050,”…
Homeownership was once the defining milestone for any working adult with a stable income. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT But soaring property and energy prices, job volatility and freedom of movement are slowly shifting the paradigm in Europe. Homeownership rates are declining in nearly half of the countries surveyed by real estate agency Re/Max Europe in its annual European Housing Trend report. The number of people owning their own house is down 2% in the UK, France, Germany, Romania and the Czech Republic; 3% in Croatia and Hungary; 1% in Greece; and a steep 9% in Turkey. Whether the slide continues remains to…
Good morning. I’m Mared Gwyn. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Today, as European Commissioner Dubravka Šuica joins the first formal meeting of US President Donald Trump’s controversial “Board of Peace” in Washington, there is deepening outrage in several European capitals. As scooped by my colleagues Maïa de la Baume and Jorge Liboreiro, a raft of member states voiced criticism of Šuica’s trip – which was not coordinated with EU governments – in a closed-door meeting of ambassadors in Brussels on Wednesday. France, Spain, Belgium, Ireland, Slovenia and Portugal were among those who raised strong objections. Germany, Sweden and Lithuania also spoke up. France…