Author: Press Room

The European Union is growing optimistic about the imminent lifting of Hungary’s contentious veto on a €90 billion loan for Ukraine, ending a political dispute that has severely undermined the bloc’s collective decision-making. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Following a bruising defeat at the polls, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has indicated he will remove his veto as soon as Russian oil flows resume through the Druzhba pipeline, which is at the core of the controversy. Orbán cited “indications” from Brussels that flows will return soon. EU ambassadors could resolve the matter as early as Wednesday if Orbán relents. Only one regulation, which…

Hundreds of thousands of German-made components are used in Russian drones attacking Ukraine, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence service. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The HUR published a list of components without which Russian drones would not function, many of which originated in Germany. The War and Sanctions portal lists 137 components from Germany – 59 of them installed in drones. The remainder are found in missiles, radar systems, military vehicles and helicopters. German transistors in Geran drones Transistors are the most commonly used components. The HUR published a detailed list of such transistors from Germany, including their manufacturers. One German company name…

Published on 21/04/2026 – 10:33 GMT+2 Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is on a mission, and he is not giving up. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT On Tuesday once again he will formally propose severing the EU’s Association Agreement with Israel. The proposal has hit a wall multiple times. Will it work this time? Sanchez has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of setting the Middle East on fire and has doubled down on his criticism of the Iran war and the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in Lebanon. Established in 2000, the EU-Israel Association Agreement is the bedrock of the economic and political relationship between…

A total of 4.40 million non-EU citizens who fled Ukraine had temporary protection status in the EU in February 2026. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT This represents a 0.5% increase in just one month, according to the latest Eurostat data. The EU countries hosting the highest number of beneficiaries of temporary protection from Ukraine were Germany, Poland, and Czechia. However, the number of people under temporary protection increased in 24 countries, with the three largest absolute increases observed in Germany, Czechia and Spain. In contrast, the three EU countries that registered decreases were Estonia, France and Luxembourg. Ukrainian citizens represented over 98.4% of…

Published on 21/04/2026 – 7:56 GMT+2•Updated 8:01 On today’s show hosted by Mared Gwyn: ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Top story: Euronews’ Shona Murray reports on the EU’s foreign affairs meeting in Luxembourg. Interview with Espen Barth Eide, Norway’s foreign minister. Explainer by Jakub Janas: What’s behind the EU–Israel agreement and why is everyone talking about it. Euronews’ Sasha Vakulina reports on the latest developments on the Druzhba pipeline as Orban claims he will lift the veto of the EU’s Ukraine loan if oil starts flowing again. Euronews correspondent Jane Witherspoon live from Dubai on the Iran war. When and where to watch…

Dozens of sleuths have traced 45 Ukrainian children forcibly taken to Russia during an open-source investigative blitz hosted by Europol, it said on Monday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The Europol effort saw 40 investigators from 18 countries gather in The Hague for two days last week to use publicly available information known as open-source intelligence or OSINT to locate some of the children. “In total, information about 45 children was uncovered and shared with Ukrainian authorities to assist their ongoing investigations,” Europol said in a statement. “During this hackathon, investigators relied on various digital tools in their searches allowing them to trace…

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday he had been wrong to appoint Labour politician Peter Mandelson as UK envoy to Washington, seeking to quell anger over a scandal surrounding convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s long-time associate. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Starmer, whose popularity with the British public and many MPs in his own centre-left Labour Party has slumped, has also struggled to manage a controversy that threatens to bring down his leadership. Addressing parliament about the deepening political row, Starmer said: “At the heart of this, there is also a judgment I made that was wrong. I should not have…

France and Poland planned increased defence cooperation in a meeting of their leaders held on Monday against a background of Russia’s expansionist threat and a waning US commitment to Europe. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish premier Donald Tusk told a news conference in Gdansk, northern Poland, that the scope of the boosted ties between the two NATO members could cover elements of nuclear deterrence, military satellites, joint drills, defence industry and shared intelligence. “Our cooperation, whether in the nuclear domain or in joint exercises…is a cooperation that knows no bounds,” Tusk said. Macron said work would be…

Published on 20/04/2026 – 21:32 GMT+2 Slovakia will hold a referendum in summer to decide whether to cancel lifelong payments for Prime Minister Robert Fico and other leaders after their terms in office expire, the country’s president said on Monday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT According to President Peter Pellegrini, the vote is scheduled to take place on 4 July. At the same time, Slovaks will also vote on whether to reopen the office of the special prosecutor that used to deal with major crime and corruption. The referendum follows a petition organised by the Democrats, a non-parliamentary pro-Western opposition party, and signed…

Published on 20/04/2026 – 18:45 GMT+2•Updated 18:46 The European Commission is currently evaluating whether to suspend €1.5 billion in EU funding for Serbia due to rule-of-law concerns and contentious judicial reforms introduced by Belgrade in January, Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos told EU lawmakers on Monday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Kos said she was particularly concerned about legal amendments that introduce major changes, creating a flawed form of autonomy for Serbia’s anti-corruption prosecution and weakening the independence of the judiciary. “We are increasingly worried about what is happening in Serbia. From laws that undermine the independence of the judiciary to crackdowns on protesters…