Author: Press Room

France’s local elections and the leaked communication between centre-right and far-right parties in the European Parliament have brought the issue of political polarisation in the European Union back to the forefront. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Brussels, My Love? explored these topics with the French-German researcher Sophie Pornschlegel, Svenska Dagbladet’s correspondent Teresa Küchler, and Euronews’ Stefan Grobe. The right-wing group chat According to an investigation by the German news agency dpa, the centre-right, pro-EU European People’s Party (EPP) has been collaborating with far-right parties, including Alternative for Germany (AfD), on tougher EU migration laws, with communication happening on a WhatsApp group. Manfred Weber,…

Humanitarian funding has been declining since 2023, showing how vulnerable it is to the political whims of the day. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The biggest blow to overseas spending happened in 2025, when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that 83% of programmes by USAid — the country’s international development agency — would be cancelled. It’s a similar story around the world: between 2025 and 2026, total global humanitarian funding plummeted from around €23.97 billion ($27.60 billion) to approximately €7.34 billion ($8 billion), according to the latest data from the Financial Tracking Service (FTS). Currently, the EU and its member states…

Fury over Viktor Orbán’s decision to veto the European Union’s €90 billion loan for Ukraine burst into the open on Thursday as leaders castigated, one by one, in the harshest terms yet the “unacceptable” behaviour of the Hungarian prime minister. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The condemnation was led by António Costa, the usually mild-mannered president of the European Council, whose authority is being directly challenged by Orbán’s disruption. “The leaders took the floor to condemn the attitude from Viktor Orbán, to remember that a deal is a deal and all the leaders need to honour that word,” Costa said at the end…

Across the European Union, energy prices remain highly sensitive to global instability — and recent developments are adding new pressure. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The Ring turns its attention to the ripple effects of escalating tensions in the Middle East, where disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz are tightening global oil supply. The United States has broadened a sanctions waiver allowing all countries to purchase Russian oil currently stranded at sea. This decision has prompted unease among European leaders, who fear it could weaken efforts to isolate Moscow. How should the EU respond to rising costs while staying aligned with its political…

Russia’s oil earnings have increased since the start of the war in Iran, data shows, as the ongoing conflict has halted oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and raised global energy prices. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Data from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) shows that Russia has already increased its profits from oil and fossil fuels in general, two weeks into the conflict, which has spilt over into other countries in the Middle East. In the first 15 days of March, Moscow pocketed around €372 million a day from oil exports, around 14% higher than its…

Published on 19/03/2026 – 17:47 GMT+1 We debrief the key issues from the European Council summit underway in Brussels— leaders scramble to find a response to a fresh energy shock as the war in the Middle East escalates and grapple with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s veto on a critical loan for Ukraine. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Interviews with former Trump adviser John Bolton, former Italian prime minister Enrico Letta, Ukraine’s finance minister Serhiy Marchenko, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon, and Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov. Live updates from our correspondents on the ground, Shona Murray and Mared Gwyn. When…

Slovenia is in the grip of a major political scandal just days before its parliamentary elections on 22 March, following the leak of video and audio recordings alleging misconduct by Prime Minister Robert Golob and his inner circle. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Three days before the elections, Golob sent a letter to EU leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa, raising concerns about foreign influence in Slovenia’s elections. The recordings, published on the anti-corruption 2026 website, reportedly show high-ranking officials discussing the acceleration of public procurement processes, the transfer of state funds, and manipulations…

Published on 19/03/2026 – 13:10 GMT+1•Updated 13:12 Denmark and its allies reportedly deployed troops to Greenland in January because they feared a US invasion, Danish broadcaster DR said on Thursday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT DR said it had seen a military operations order dated 13 January, which served as the basis for the deployment of Danish forces in the autonomous Danish territory as tensions spiked over US President Donald Trump’s bid to annex it. The document described an operation organising the defence of Greenland, immediately after the US operation in Venezuela to oust President Nicolás Maduro. “When Trump says all the time…

Published on 19/03/2026 – 12:17 GMT+1•Updated 12:25 After witnessing the US administration’s confrontation with Denmark and the EU over Greenland, the government of Iceland now has its sights on potential EU membership. The Nordic island country is set to hold a referendum on 29 August 2026 on whether it should resume EU membership negotiations. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The country’s foreign minister Þorgerður Katrín told Euronews that despite Iceland already being a NATO member, EU membership would strengthen the country’s economic security, while also providing additional cover in its position amongst like-minded states. Last January, US President Donald Trump announced he would…

Published on 19/03/2026 – 10:54 GMT+1 Prime Minister Donald Tusk recently warned that there’s a real threat of Poland leaving the EU, amid the rise of far-right and populist parties in the country. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT In a post on X, Tusk said that Russia, MAGA supporters in the US, and the European right-wing led by Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, wish to “destroy” the EU. Leaving the bloc “would be a catastrophe” for Poland, he said, adding “I will do everything to stop them.” The prime minister made the comments after President Karol Nawrocki, previously affiliated with the right-wing populist…