Author: staff

“A militarised Russia poses a persistent threat to European security for the foreseeable future,” says the document, which was first reported by Bloomberg. While EU countries are rapidly increasing their defense budgets, much of that spending “remains overwhelmingly national, leading to fragmentation, cost-inflation and lack of interoperability,” says the 16-page document. The EU executive body is pushing capitals to buy weapons together and wants at least 40 percent of defense procurement to be joint contracts by the end of 2027 — up from less than a fifth now. The roadmap also sets targets for at least 55 percent of arms purchases to come…

Updated: 15/10/2025 – 18:00 GMT+2 Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this October 15th, 2025 – latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel. … More

“Then they ripped my frog hat off, threw it on the ground, stomped and kicked it and kind of had a tantrum,” she said. Thunberg alleged her hands were cable-tied and soldiers lined up to take selfies with her as her belongings were slowly cut up with knives. At one point, far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir appeared before the group of activists and shouted, “You are terrorists. You want to kill Jewish babies,” Thunberg said. “There’s a lot I don’t remember,” she added. “So much happening at once. You’re in a state of shock.” During their captivity, Thunberg claimed jail guards frequently…

NATO members, especially those in Europe, are growing increasingly concerned about a wave of suspected hybrid attacks from Russia in recent months. They include cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, and drone harassment. As part of this alleged interference, airports in countries including Denmark and Germany have been forced to shut down in recent weeks due to sightings of unidentified drones, causing significant delays for passengers. European officials say the aim is to cause disruption to everyday life and damage the morale of European citizens. In an interview with Euronews, Manfred Boudreaux-Dehmer, NATO’s first Chief Information Officer (CIO), estimates that these attacks are…

But Magyar, who holds a sharp lead on Orbán in current polling ahead of April’s parliamentary election, wrote in a Facebook post: “In my opinion, Olivér Várhelyi, the current EU Commissioner and former EU Ambassador (and my former boss), did not reveal the whole truth when he denied this during the official investigation the other day.” Várhelyi served as ambassador to Hungary’s permanent representation to the EU between 2015 and 2019, having previously worked as the deputy ambassador from 2011. Magyar worked at the permanent representation office in Brussels between 2011 and 2015. POLITICO contacted several members of Commissioner Várhelyi’s…

A growing number of NATO allies are calling for harmonising national caveats that hinder the alliance’s ability to respond quickly to threats such as airspace violations — but the task is likely to be arduous. As defence ministers from the 32 member states gathered in Brussels for a meeting on Wednesday, most allies called for a reduction in the use of national caveats in northern or eastern Europe, where an increasing number of airspace violations has been recorded in recent weeks. Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson said “there’s room for improvement within the alliance” and that his country’s model should…

Gesundheitsministerin Nina Warken legt ihr erstes großes Sparpaket vor und will damit das drohende Zwei-Milliarden-Defizit in der gesetzlichen Krankenversicherung verhindern. Im Update erklärt Jürgen Klöckner, wie Kliniken besonders betroffen sind, warum CSU-Politiker Klaus Holetschek und Landkreistagspräsident Achim Brötel gegen die Kürzungen keilen.  Außerdem: Der neue Ärger um den Wehrdienstkompromiss. Nach parteiinternen Spannungen hält SPD-Verteidigungsminister Boris Pistorius offiziell am Zeitplan fest, doch das Vertrauen bröckelt. Rixa Fürsen gibt einen Einblick in die Stimmung am Tag nach dem überraschenden neuen Streit um die Wehrpflicht. Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es jeden Morgen ab 5 Uhr. Gordon Repinski und das POLITICO-Team liefern…

Spain will be protected against any attempt by US President Donald Trump to impose punitive tariffs on the country in retaliation for its refusal to meet NATO’s 5% target, the European Commission said on Wednesday, as the dispute over defence spending further interweaves with lingering trade tensions. All EU countries, including Spain, are bound by a common commercial policy, which means their products face the same tariffs when they are sold abroad. Technically speaking, it would be possible for the US to single out Spanish-made goods at customs and place them under a duty higher than the 15% rate currently…

“A rejection can only be avoided if the Commission improves its proposal shortly. No option is off the table,” Mureșan added in a written statement. The EPP is turning the screws on the Commission after days of meetings with commissioners in charge of the budget that were described by party insiders as unproductive. If the standoff continues, the European Parliament could put forward a motion to reject the proposal during a plenary session in Brussels on Nov. 12. Such a move would likely receive the backing of most political groups. The Commission could theoretically ignore the Parliament’s vote — but that…

Published on 15/10/2025 – 11:45 GMT+2 Dutch far-right lawmaker Geert Wilders said on Wednesday that he was resuming his election campaign, just days after suspending his activities due to reports that he was a possible target of a suspected plot in Belgium to kill politicians. Three young men were arrested in Belgium on Thursday after investigators discovered a homemade explosive which the suspects were allegedly planning to attach to a drone to carry out the attack. Prosecutors said the police raids were part of an investigation into “attempted terrorist murder and participation in the activities of a terrorist group”. Belgium’s…