Author: Press Room

Good morning, I’m Mared Gwyn. It’s Thursday, and EU leaders are about to descend on a remote castle in the Belgian countryside for talks on how to restore European competitiveness and revive a stagnant economy. Enrico Letta and Mario Draghi – the Italian duo who diagnosed the EU’s outdated economic doctrine in two separate reports in 2024 – will also join the talks, two years after Draghi warned the continent could face “slow agony” if it didn’t act fast. The informal “retreat” is not expected to result in any concrete decisions. But the momentum suggests that the talks could be…

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is producing empty phrases, Former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said, arguing Europe must choose between federalisation or dissolution. “We have two choices – we are at a fork in the road. We can move in the direction of federation or we can disband the euro,” Varoufakis told Euronews’ Europe Today programme on Thursday. The economist said EU leaders were choosing neither option and “falling in the vacuum in between”. Varoufakis blamed Europe’s problems on a monetary union lacking fiscal and investment structures, claiming the continent has been starved of investment for two…

The European Union is working to strengthen its weapons industry, increase defence spending, and improve joint procurement. As it prepares for less US military involvement and aims to limit American companies’ roles in contracts, Brussels is encouraging faster production and closer cooperation. However, even with strict rules, loopholes and ambiguities still allow weapons to reach high-risk destinations. A defence push reshaping the system The EU has pledged to support Ukraine, strengthen its own defence industry, and buy more equipment from European sources through new plans such as EDIS and the 2025 Defence Readiness Omnibus. These strategies aim to simplify joint…

Published on 11/02/2026 – 6:08 GMT+1 ArcelorMittal announced in May 2024 that it planned to invest in an electric arc furnace at its Dunkirk plant, and formally confirmed the investment on 10 February 2026. French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné and several ministers were present for the announcement, which involves a total planned investment of €1.3 billion. The company says the project will allow the construction of an electric arc furnace with a capacity of two million tonnes a year, due to come on stream in 2029. The aim is to produce steel without coal, whose combustion generates…

Industrial decline. Disruptive technologies. Sluggish investment. Regulatory barriers. Punitive tariffs. Unfair competition. Climate change. Demographic crisis. The formidable challenges besetting the European Union have triggered a desperate search for bold, ingenious solutions that can deliver the much-needed big bang. But just how big are leaders willing to go? “Our ambition should always be to reach an agreement among all 27 member states,” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a letter to leaders ahead of an informal summit on Thursday. “However, where a lack of progress or ambition risks undermining Europe’s competitiveness or capacity to act, we should not…

United States Undersecretary of War Elbridge Colby is expected to tell European NATO allies that only a limited number of US troops will be withdrawn from NATO territory as part of any posture review, Euronews can reveal. Sources close to the situation have said Colby will use Thursday’s meeting of NATO defence ministers to commit to keeping the vast bulk of currently stationed troops in Germany and Italy and along Europe’s eastern flank in place Colby is deputising for US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, who will not be attending the meeting. There are currently approximately 80-90,000 US troops stationed…

Immigration has returned to the centre of the European political agenda, and with it, some of the toughest questions facing the European Union today. Across Brussels and national capitals, lawmakers are debating whether to apply the “safe third country” concept and create an EU-wide list of safe countries of origin to speed up asylum procedures. At the same time, Spain has moved ahead with a large-scale regularisation plan granting legal status to thousands of migrants already living and working in the country, a step that supporters say will strengthen labour markets and foster integration, but critics fear could alter migration…

With the 2026 Munich Security Conference taking place on Friday, 13, and Europe’s ongoing efforts to produce ammunition and achieve defence industrial autonomy, its gun industry takes centre stage. EU leaders are set to debate the need for permanent, Europe-based production of essential weapons and munitions. But a production increase brings new risks. Exporting firearms in the bloc involves a complex interplay between EU-wide rules and sovereign national regulations, creating loopholes that raise security doubts. Without public oversight, weapons can be sent to “neutral” third countries with weak regulations, which then re-export them to conflict zones. Within the EU’s borders,…

Published on 11/02/2026 – 17:43 GMT+1 European Union defence ministers on Wednesday approved the national investment plans of eight member states, paving the way for the first disbursements under the bloc’s €150 billion Security Action for Europe (SAFE) scheme. The plans by Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain, Croatia, Cyprus, Portugal and Romania are together worth €38 billion. “Today’s decisions show that the EU is not only talking about defence – we are delivering. Through SAFE, we are strengthening our security where it matters the most,” said Vasilis Palmas, minister of defence of Cyprus, which currently holds the presidency of the Council…

High energy prices in Europe are setting back energy-intensive industries and the European Union must take urgent measures to bring power costs down, industry leaders demanded after a summit in Antwerp on Wednesday. “EU electricity prices in Europe still remain higher inside Europe than in competing countries. Carbon costs are unique to Europe, and the system is designed to increase costs year-on-year,” reads the declaration, which is signed by more than 100 organisations. Energy-intensive industries like chemicals, steel, aluminium, cement and ceramics are all affected by high energy prices, which drive up production costs and hamper the EU27’s ability to…