Author: Press Room

Published on 29/01/2026 – 10:42 GMT+1 There is backlash, but NATO chief Mark Rutte does not care. Why? Because he is the only European who speaks the language of US President Donald Trump. Meet “Teflon Mark.” He was the longest-serving Dutch prime minister because absolutely nothing sticks to him. Rutte went from riding a bicycle in The Hague during his premiership to flying constantly across the Atlantic to put out NATO fires. Also, meet the pianist. Rutte gave up his dream of being a musician because he claimed he was not “good enough”. Yet he mastered a different instrument called…

Published on 29/01/2026 – 18:32 GMT+1 The European Union has begun considering a new proposal to ban the entry of Russian soldiers who have fought in the war in Ukraine, fearing security risks. The plan, which is still in under development, was put up for discussion by Estonia during a meeting of foreign affairs ministers on Thursday. “We have close to one million combatants in Russia. They’re mainly criminals. They are very dangerous people,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said upon arrival. “I’m sure, and we have information, that most of them will come to Europe after the war. And…

The European Union is set to pursue a policy of “assertive migration diplomacy” in the next five years, according to two non-legislative documents presented by the European Commission on Thursday. The proposals include reinforcing the bloc’s system of partnerships with third countries, using visa access, trade and financial support as leverage to push foreign governments to take back their nationals and stop illegal departures towards Europe. This will include upgrading a visa suspension mechanism for countries considered insufficiently cooperative with the EU’s border policies. The first document, called European Asylum and Migration Management Strategy, is a blueprint for the Commission’s…

Published on 29/01/2026 – 16:35 GMT+1 European Commissioner for Competition Teresa Ribera said on Thursday that enforcement of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the European Union’s landmark antitrust regulation on digital markets, involves treating big tech cases in a “discreet manner.” Her comments come as the DMA faces constant attacks from the Trump administration, which argues that the EU’s rules constituted a “non-tariff barrier” and amount to discrimination against tech companies based in the United States. “There have been many problems that have been solved in a very discreet manner, benefiting all the consumers,” Ribera told reporters. “It is something…

The European Union’s lending arm said on Thursday that it expects to spend at least €4 billion on security and defence projects in 2026 – the same as it did last year after effectively quadrupling its financing in the area. Overall, the European Investment Bank (EIB) spent 5% of its financing in the EU on security and defence projects last year, a target it had initially planned to reach only in 2026. EIB President Nadia Calviño told reporters in Brussels this represented a “step change” for her institution, which expanded the scope of eligible activities to pure military investments, and…

Published on 29/01/2026 – 12:58 GMT+1 An exhibition at the European Parliament in Brussels is shedding light on tourism projects from European countries with positive impacts on nature, locals and the economy. From a social enterprise making beaches more accessible to an opportunity for tourists to give back to German beauty spots, Euronews spoke with some of the innovators behind the schemes. From Germany to Serbia: The tourism projects having a positive impact Along Germany’s North Sea coast, tourists can purchase a ‘passport’ to collect stamps at museums and nature spots with QR codes giving information on the impact of…

Thirteen European countries are selling apples in markets and supermarkets with a concerning abundance of pesticide residues, commonly known as “cocktails of pesticides”, according to an NGO report urging the European Union to regulate exposure to these chemicals. Belgium, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and Switzerland have reported contamination in apples, according to the latest report from Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Europe, which criticises the EU’s risk assessment procedure for looking at pesticides in silos and disregarding the “cocktail” effect. “One of the most striking results is that 85% of the tested apples…

Claims are spreading online that the European Union is building its own social media platform to replace X, with posts alleging that a new network called “W” will be funded by taxpayers and run as a censorship tool. Posts, shared widely on X, claim the project is backed by Brussels, financed by taxpayers’ money and designed to impose EU oversight on online speech. One post, viewed more than 60,000 times, claims that “500 million of our tax money will be spent on a censorship system in which everything is checked, corrected and eliminated”. Another, with more than 570,000 views, claims…

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte this week faced a serious European backlash for remarks that have been interpreted as disparaging the continent’s defence capabilities, but US contacts have told Euronews his verdict was spot on, warning that Europe must not engage in “dangerous fantasies”. Rutte clashed with lawmakers at the European Parliament on Tuesday, saying “if anyone thinks … Europe can defend itself without the US, keep on dreaming. You can’t. We can’t. We need each other.” The comments came at a particularly volatile moment in transatlantic relations. A week earlier, European allies were prophesying the end of NATO if…

Europe produces excellent AI talent, but many of its best researchers, engineers, and founders are leaving for other countries. Most go to the US, UK, or the Gulf countries for better opportunities. This dynamic creates a familiar European paradox. Despite strong universities, world-class research, and a highly educated workforce, Europe struggles to turn these strengths into global AI champions. Recent data show the scale of the challenge. One mapping of global AI professionals found that Europe has about 30% more AI talent per capita than the US and nearly three times as many as China. Still, Europe experiences a substantial…