Author: Press Room
By Akis Tatsis with ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ, AFP Published on 17/09/2026 – 22:43 GMT+2 The Greek parliament on Thursday voted to lift the parliamentary immunity of former European Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, clearing the way for Belgian authorities to continue their actions in the investigation into the affair known as Qatargate. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Of the 266 MPs present, 264 voted in favour of lifting his immunity, while two declared themselves “present”. The parliament’s Ethics Committee had earlier unanimously recommended the move. The procedure followed the issuing of a European arrest warrant by a Belgian investigating judge in June. The 73-year-old Dimitris Avramopoulos, an MP for the…
Published on 17/09/2026 – 15:12 GMT+2 When Germany’s finance minister chose Volkswagen’s headquarters to deliver a warning about China, the symbolism wasn’t subtle. Standing in the shadow of the carmaker’s flagship plant on Thursday, Lars Klingbeil told Brussels it was time to stop pulling punches with Beijing — a message aimed less at EU trade officials than at the tens of thousands of German autoworkers watching their jobs disappear. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “We cannot, when all is said and done, be naive in our dealings with China,” Klingbeil said, fresh from meetings with VW staff representatives and local politicians. Germany, he…
Once considered a niche, the space economy is now a major, mature industrial force supporting innovation, public policy goals, and services in Europe and beyond. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT EU countries currently invest a bit more than 0.04% of their GDP in space, but some countries are moving faster than others. Regarding civilian space projects, Italy now spends more relative to its GDP than any other European country except Luxembourg, overtaking France after a major spending boost over the past 15 years. The OECD’s latest Space Economy at a Glance report claims that Rome’s space economy “is now a strategic high-value industrial…
Published on 17/09/2026 – 16:26 GMT+2 Sweden’s bloc of centre-left parties has won a parliamentary majority in the tightly contested general election. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The alliance is led by Magdalena Andersson and her party, the Social Democrats. It also includes the Left Party, Greens and the Centre Party. They now hold a three-seat majority in the 349-seat Riksdag (Sweden’s parliament) over outgoing prime minister Ulf Kristersson’s right-wing alliance. After the final count, the result was very close with only around 50,000 votes separating the two opposing blocs nationwide. For Andersson, the hard work starts now. She must form a government…
Published on 17/09/2026 – 17:20 GMT+2 Residents in parts of the Lublin and Podkarpackie provinces received a Government Security Centre alert at midday on Thursday warning of a possible air attack. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Earlier, the Operational Command of the Armed Forces reported that Polish military aviation had been activated in response to Russian strikes on Ukrainian territory. Alert for residents Residents of parts of Lublin and Podkarpackie provinces were sent an SMS reading: “ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION! Threat of an air attack. Find a safe place. Follow the instructions of the emergency services. Await further announcements.” Alarm sirens were also activated…
Published on 17/09/2026 – 17:24 GMT+2 The European Commission stepped up pressure on China on Thursday, calling for tangible results with Beijing following a one-hour video call between Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Wentao. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The EU executive hopes to secure commitments from Beijing to rebalance the trade relationship, as the bloc’s trade deficit with China has been widening by €1 billion a day. However, Beijing wants to secure access to the EU’s market of 450 million consumers, resisting calls from the Europeans to reduce its exports. “While genuine engagement remains a priority, it is…
Europe is bracing for a potential oil supply shock after Saudi Arabia shut its East-West pipeline, also known as Petroline, following drone attacks earlier this month from Iran-backed allied Houthis and Iraq. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The Saudi energy ministry announced a precautionary shutdown on 10 September after drone attacks on the pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions the previous day. The siege knocked out one of the kingdom’s most important alternatives to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz – the transit ruote for 20% of the world’s oil and gas supplies – since the US and Israel launched military…
After Ursula von der Leyen’s annual State of the Union speech, Euronews spoke to Commissioners Valdis Dombrovskis, Maroš Šefčovič, Wopke Hoekstra and Andrius Kubilius about what to expect following the President’s address. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Covering the economy, trade, climate and defence, the four Commissioners share their views on what’s next for the European Union, from boosting competitiveness and trade to tackling climate change and strengthening Europe’s defence.
European leaders are once again rushing to mitigate rising oil prices as Saudi cargoes are delayed or cancelled amid another conflict escalation in the Middle East, raising fears of soaring prices at the pump across many capitals. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The latest shock is coming from Saudi Arabia, where Houthi and Iraqi attacks have forced the temporary closure of the 1,200-kilometre East-West oil pipeline – a crucial route designed to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. The disruption threatens as much as 4% of global oil supply if it persists, this after Saudi crude output fell sharply in August to its lowest…
Published on 17/09/2026 – 13:32 GMT+2•Updated 13:45 Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has welcomed Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s invitation to become the EU’s first “associate member”, with some caveats. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT In her State of the Union address on Wednesday, von der Leyen floated the idea of the unprecedented arrangement, which has yet to be fully defined. In his own speech before the European Parliament, Carney welcomed the move, pointing to opinion polls showing an overwhelming majority of Canadians favour much closer ties with Brussels. At the same time, he spelled out some limits in how far Ottawa…