Author: staff
Today the Commission will publish its European Semester Spring Package, a checkup on EU countries’ economies. But the news isn’t too good. The report warns that over a million jobs across Europe could be lost in the coming years as a result of high energy costs, competition from abroad and the green transition. On the pod, Zoya and Ian discuss these major labor market challenges. Also happening today, the European Commission is unveiling its long-awaited tech sovereignty package. Most of Europe’s cloud services, AI infrastructure, payment systems and government software relies on companies outside of the bloc. From a security…
In the battery industry, some 85,000 jobs are in jeopardy. The solar manufacturing sector accounts for nearly 59,000 jobs affected by market pressures, while low-carbon measures could affect another 4,500 positions in the steel industry. The concerns reflect a broader debate in Brussels about whether Europe is losing ground in strategic industries to rivals like China and the United States, despite plans to boost domestic manufacturing. Boosting skills At the same time, employers across the bloc continue to report difficulties in finding workers with the right qualifications. According to the Commission’s figures, 68 percent of medium-sized companies reported skills shortages…
“We could fall behind. If Germany continues at this pace, in five years, the argument that we have operational experience and a certain culture will no longer hold water,” the French general said. “For the Americans, Germany is gradually becoming the European benchmark.” By 2029, Germany is expected to spend €153 billion a year on defense. That’s about 3.5 percent of GDP, the country’s most ambitious military expansion since reunification. France, by comparison, plans to reach about €76.3 billion by 2030. Mandon was speaking during hearings about France’s updated military planning law, which earmarks an extra €36 billion for defense by 2030,…
Hungary has filed a 11-point plan to Kyiv on minority rights that includes the areas of education, language and cultural rights “These negotiations are proceeding very positively,” Magyar said. “We hope to conclude these technical-level negotiations as early as this week.” Ukraine hopes to join the EU as early as next year. But Budapest has so far prevented Kyiv from opening any negotiating “clusters” — groups of policy chapters core to accession talks. Should Hungary lift its veto, several clusters could be opened in the coming months. In a letter to EU leaders two weeks ago, Merz proposed a more-immediate…
Security-Update: Wer öffnet die Straße von Hormus? Mit Fregattenkapitänin Inka von Puttkamer – POLITICO Skip to main content
Switzerland’s World Cup preparations were dealt a blow Tuesday as forward Breel Embolo was forced to stay home following a last-minute decision by U.S. authorities to review his clearance to travel. The Swiss Football Association said it was told just hours before the team was due to travel that Embolo’s ESTA travel authorization had been placed under further review. “Unfortunately, Breel Embolo is currently unable to travel to the United States with the team,” the association said in a widely reported statement. “His ESTA authorisation had been approved until this morning. However, at 10:30am, we were informed that his ESTA…
Published on 02/06/2026 – 21:15 GMT+2 While Ukraine is still recovering after Russia massive missile and drone attack on Ukraine, killing at least 22, Moscow is already preparing the next barrage, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday evening in his regular daily address. “We know from intelligence services that a large-scale attack may happen again tonight.” Zelenskyy urged the Ukrainians to pay attention to air-raid warnings and seek shelter. He also called on Ukraine’s western partners to show more support to his country, including introducing tougher sanctions. Zelenskyy pointed out that none of Russia’s drones, nor indeed any type of Russian…
In a statement to the press, Police Chief Anthony Kies called the shooting an “act of evil”, seemingly caused by a domestic dispute. All six victims were family members of the killer, 52-year-old Ryan Willis McFarland. Law enforcement and emergency responders received the initial emergency call reporting a shooting at a residence in Muscatine, about 80 kilometres southeast of Cedar Rapids. Upon entering the home, police officers discovered four individuals dead from gunshot wounds. Police located the suspect, McFarland, a short time later. However, as they tried to speak to him, McFarland turned the gun on himself and died from…
The search-engine switch comes as Brussels doubles down on its push for “tech sovereignty.” The European Commission will on Wednesday unveil its long-awaited tech sovereignty package aimed at reducing dependence on foreign technology providers and boosting European alternatives. The email described Qwant as a “privacy-focused European search engine” designed to avoid tracking users or collecting personal data. Founded in 2013, Qwant markets itself as a privacy-first alternative to Google. Searches conducted through the address bar in Firefox and Edge browsers will automatically be routed through Qwant, although lawmakers will remain free to use competing search engines or change their default…
Published on 02/06/2026 – 19:06 GMT+2•Updated 19:13 US President Donald Trump sharply criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a tense phone call on Monday, according to three people familiar with the exchange cited by the news website Axios. The call came as Israel expanded its military operations in Lebanon and amid concerns that the escalation could derail ongoing US talks with Iran. A US official told Axios that Trump told Netanyahu, “You’re f****** crazy. You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your a**. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this.” Another source…