Author: staff
Away from tariffs, the Brussels veteran has enthusiastically embraced the European Commission’s efforts to mobilize more funds for European defense, in the face of what he called an “existential threat” from Russia. He supported a Commission proposal to borrow €150 billion to lend to EU governments under a rearmament plan. This would amount to repackaging bonds from different countries in the form of a European “safe asset,” structured in a way to limit overall risk. “We need to find a combination of national and European solutions,” Rehn said. He applauded as “extremely important” the recent announcement by Germany — one country that…
Ten years after the Dieselgate scandal over cheating in exhaust emissions tests, European carmakers are in the frame again, this time for market skulduggery in the form of a clandestine agreement not to compete on grounds of environmental friendliness on the basis of their support for recycling. The European Commission has dished out whopping fines to 15 carmakers and their main Brussels-based lobby group, on the same day that the EU executive delivered a proposal to water down CO2 emissions standards following months of alarmist campaigning by the automotive industry. “These car manufacturers coordinated for over 15 years to avoid…
French President Emmanuel Macron convened France’s Ecological Planning Council meeting yesterday (31 March), for the first time in over a year and a half.Macron is a man with many competing priorities, but between hosting the “Coalition of the Willing” summit for Ukraine last week, and wrapping up the SOS Ocean Summit, he signalled that climate action is still high on the agenda for France. Greenhouse gas emissions fell by just 1.8 per cent last year, according to preliminary estimates from Citepa, the state’s official pollution monitor. As the Élysée Palace acknowledged on Friday, that is a “slowdown” that risks France’s goal…
“Government requests to restrict speech online alongside threats to shut down online services are severe and have a chilling effect on people’s ability to express themselves,” the spokesperson said. Elon Musk’s social media platform X has suspended several accounts belonging to journalists and opposition figures since the outbreak of the civil unrest, despite the tech billionaire’s claim to be a “free speech absolutist.” In 2024 Meta received 5,677 requests from Turkish authorities to remove content, 4,199 of which came from Turkey’s communications authority, Meta’s transparency report said. Meta heeded 40 percent of the requests, the report said. The Turkish government has been…
The government said the new programme will be a key tool for the “detection and disruption of harmful activity against our country.” The British government is placing Russia on the top tier of a security programme aimed at protecting the UK from malign foreign influence, the Minister of State Security has said.Dan Jarvis told lawmakers that any person or company “carrying out activity as part of any arrangement” with Russian authorities, including government agencies, armed forces, intelligence services and the parliament, will need to register with the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme from 1 July.Anyone who doesn’t sign up faces five…
PARIS — The Paris Court of Appeals said it would hear Marine Le Pen’s case and render a decision by summer 2026. Were the court to overturn Monday’s verdict, Le Pen would be eligible to run for president in 2027. This developing story is being updated.
The year 2024 marked the deadliest year for migrants, with drowning remaining the leading cause of death. At least 8,938 people died on migration routes worldwide in 2024, making it the deadliest year on record, according to the latest International Organization for Migration (IOM) figures. This number continues a five-year trend of increasing deaths each year, surpassing the previous record of 8,747 migrant deaths recorded in 2023.”The tragedy of the growing number of migrant deaths worldwide is both unacceptable and preventable. Behind every number is a human being, someone for whom the loss is devastating,” said IOM Deputy Director General for…
On Monday, the far-right leader was sentenced to four years in prison, with two years suspended. The remaining two years can be served under house arrest. Additionally, she was fined €100,000 and barred from running in elections for the next five years. Following the conviction, Le Pen’s allies across Europe, and on the other side of the Atlantic, denounced the court’s decision as undemocratic, with United States President Donald Trump calling the ruling “a very big deal.” Speaking on French television Monday evening, Le Pen said de Perthuis made a “political decision” and violated the law. French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin defended…
The EU executive has invited member states to redirect regional spending – accounting for one-third of the EU budget – toward various strategic areas such as water resilience and affordable housing, including defence to a limited extent. Water resilience, housing and defence are among priorities to which the European Commission on Tuesday urged member states to reallocate EU regional funds as part of a mid-term evaluation, but the executive stressed that funding weaponry would be off limits.This assessment aims to evaluate the performance, effectiveness, and efficiency of funds totalling nearly €370 billion for the 2021-2027 programming period, representing a significant…
Updated: 01/04/2025 – 16:15 GMT+2With the winter truce over, Paris authorities began clearing migrant camps along the Seine, drawing criticism from NGOs over forced evictions and relocations. … More Hundreds of migrants were evicted from makeshift camps along the Seine in Paris early Tuesday as French authorities carried out an operation marking the end of the winter truce. The annual pause on evictions during the colder months ended with police clearing around 100 tents set up along the riverbanks, according to NGO Utopia 56. The organisation condemned the operation, warning that it leaves migrants in an endless cycle of displacement.The…