Author: Press Room

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…

The murder of an 11-year-old French schoolgirl has sparked outrage at the country’s judicial system after it emerged that authorities had failed to fully investigate the suspected killer about previous allegations of child sexual abuse. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The girl, named in the press only as Lyhanna, went missing on 29 May near the southwestern town of Fleurance after she was last seen getting into a man’s car. After days of searching, investigators found the body of a child wearing the same clothes as Lyhanna in an abandoned silo in the nearby village of Puycasquier on 4 June. A 41-year-old father…

Published on 10/06/2026 – 10:34 GMT+2 They say hospitality begins at home, and Brussels is putting that to the test this week. European leaders António Costa and Ursula von der Leyen are hosting South Korean President Lee Jae Myung for the EU-Republic of Korea summit. Meanwhile, their northern neighbours in Pyongyang have a busy schedule hosting China. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Your reporter won’t cover every single summit here, but this one matters. Why it is important? The big news is a newly finalised Digital Trade Agreement, which sets binding rules for data flows and e-commerce. But the real driver here is…

Published on 10/06/2026 – 11:02 GMT+2 Has French footballer Kylian Mbappé accused President Emmanuel Macron of sexual harassment? ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT That question might sound a bit strange, but that’s what a supposed Eurosport headline claims, which is being shared on social media with a video reporting the same thing. “Kylian Mbappé, one of the world’s most famous footballers, has recently accused French President Emmanuel Macron of sexual harassment, and claims it was the reason he left France and moved to Spain,” one post on X with thousands of views said. Indeed, according to the story linked in the post, Macron’s…

Published on 10/06/2026 – 10:45 GMT+2 Hungary has submitted its revised Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) to the European Commission, a spokesperson confirmed to Euronews, in a crucial step towards unlocking billions of euros in EU funds frozen over corruption concerns under the previous government. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Now-prime minister Péter Magyar won April’s general election, ending Viktor Orbán’s 16 years of rule. Brussels had suspended the funds during Orbán’s tenure over concerns about corruption and the rule of law. Magyar agreed with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen two weeks ago to release €16.4 billion of funds to Hungary.…

Published on 10/06/2026 – 7:44 GMT+2•Updated 8:04 Anti-immigration protests broke out in Belfast on Tuesday following a stabbing in the city. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Vehicles and buildings were set alight as hundreds of people took to the streets in response to the attack, graphic footage of which has been circulating online. The video shows a man straddling another man in the middle of a street as he slashes at his head and neck with a knife before a group intervenes. Northern Ireland police charged a 30-year-old Sudanese man with attempted murder over the incident, which occurred in the Kinnaird Avenue area…

Morning, Brussels. Angela Skujins here holding down the fort for your Wednesday newsletter. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Everyone in the Belgian capital is gearing up for a closely watched EU-South Korea Summit, which aims to boast more than just the East Asian country’s soft power of skin care, K-pop and cinematic feats. ‘Parasite’ by Bong Joon Ho, anyone? Cultural diplomacy aside, European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will represent the EU at the summit, aimed at boosting closer ties between the capitals. The meeting comes as ChinesePresident Xi Jinping finishes a two-day visit to North…

The European Union has invested €527 million into a flagship fund designed to better connect the Western Balkans to the bloc’s transport network. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT However, more than a decade after the initiative was launched, EU auditors warn that the region is unlikely to complete its core European transport network by the 2030 deadline. As the EU seeks to deepen ties with candidate countries and expand its influence in the Western Balkans, the bloc still lacks a reliable overview of whether many of the projects it finances there are being delivered on time and within budget, according to the latest…