Author: staff
Their message is that the EU executive is not yet ready to make compromises to appease lawmakers and national capitals. Although the Commission’s statement did not directly refer to Fitto’s comments, the note came hours after the Italian politician publicly suggested that “we [the Commission] are open to improve this part of this proposal” during a session of the Committee of Regions, a Brussels body that represents local entities. In his remarks, Fitto referred to a number of provisions in the budget proposal that could be amended to give regions — as opposed to national governments — more powers in handling EU…
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán celebrated the announcement that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will meet in Budapest to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. “The planned meeting between the American and Russian presidents is great news for the peace-loving people of the world,” Orbán said in a post on X on Thursday. “We are ready!” Trump said he and Putin had held a lengthy phone call earlier in the day, in which “great progress was made” and the two leaders agreed to meet in the Hungarian capital. The Budapest summit would follow an initial round of meetings between Secretary…
Updated: 16/10/2025 – 18:00 GMT+2 Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this October 16th, 2025 – latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel. … More
Deputy Defense Minister Tomas Godliauskas confirmed to journalists that unofficial discussions with public figures and journalists had taken place, but did not provide further details. The government chancellery — the office that supports the prime minister and coordinates the work of ministries — subsequently sent official requests for clarification on the meeting to the Defense Ministry. On Thursday morning, Social Democratic Party leader Mindaugas Sinkevičius told the news website Žinių radijas that he didn’t know why such a meeting was held, while Prime Minister Ruginienė called it “sabotage” (she later backtracked and called it a “misunderstanding”). Asked by reporters whether…
Published on 16/10/2025 – 18:20 GMT+2 •Updated 18:52 Poland’s president has signed a new law introducing zero personal income tax (PIT) for parents raising at least two children, a reform which aims to support families, increase household income and boost economic activity. The bill, presented by Karol Nawrocki in August, removes the income tax obligation on families earning up to 140,000 zloty (€32,973) a year. The tax break is available to all parents who have parental responsibility over children, including legal guardians and foster parents. According to calculations by the presidency, an average Polish family is expected to be around…
Georgia’s interior ministry has fined Finland’s foreign minister after she expressed support for protesters at a pro-EU, anti-government rally on Tbilisi’s main avenue, Rustaveli. Elina Valtonen, who visited Georgia on Tuesday in her role as chair of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), had recorded a video in front of the Georgian parliament. “Peaceful protestors have gathered in front of the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, to voice their concern over the repressive direction of their country … we are here to support them,” Valtonen said in the video. The authorities subsequently fined her 5,000 lari (€1,600)…
Published on 16/10/2025 – 18:33 GMT+2 Israel marked two years since Hamas-led militants staged attacks on southern Israel on 7 October 2023 with an official ceremony which fell on the anniversary according to the Jewish calendar. Top lawmakers in the country, including President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Parliament Speaker Amir Ohana, participated in the remembrances and spoke at the event. Netanyahu, in his address, vowed to bring more Israeli families to live in the southern communities which were attacked by Hamas. Over the past two years, various people who resided in these communities fled elsewhere, fearing similar…
“I believe that two years ago, before President Macron started speaking with me, he had … one opinion,” Milatović said. “After so many discussions that I had with him,” however, Macron was now “optimistic … about Montenegro’s position in the EU.” “And I believe this is the case also with all the other EU leaders,” Milatović added. “Montenegro is now perceived as a front-runner. But … I do want to see the end of the race, in a sense.” Another potential sticking point is the country’s reliance on Russian tourists and investors. Montenegro has yet to introduce visas for Russians,…
European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen outlined the three sections of the pact in a statement: People, economy, and the link between security, preparedness and migration. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told journalists the pact includes more than 100 projects, ranging from support for 5G networks and improved mobile connectivity in the region, to youth-focused programs and “rail, road, maritime links to subsea cables carrying data between our nations.” The EU’s Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica said the pact aims to “connect young people” and broaden the Erasmus Plus and Horizon Europe programs, calling it the “Mediterranean…
Two billion more people could be fed every year if the world stopped feeding grain to factory-farmed animals, according to a new report published today by Compassion in World Farming. The world could also free up farmland nearly equal the size of Mexico if the practice were to end. Released on World Food Day, the findings reveal the extent to which factory farming has affected food supplies, as well as the inefficiencies that worsen global food waste. “It is simply scandalous that while hundreds of millions of people go hungry and we face a triple planetary crisis, we are allowing…