Author: staff
The strategy claims Europe is facing “civilizational erasure” within the next 20 years, a narrative that has resonated well with Europe’s far-right leaders, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, as well as in Russia. The document also bashes European efforts to rein in far-right parties, calling such moves political censorship, and speaks of “cultivating resistance to Europe’s current trajectory within European nations.” Von der Leyen said this is one of the reasons why the EU proposed the Democracy Shield, meant to step up the fight against foreign interference online, including in elections. The Commission chief said she has always had…
Members of the “Coalition of the Willing” for Ukraine called for continued transatlantic unity as Europeans seek to exert greater influence in the peace talks with Moscow as Washington ups pressure for a quick deal. “We are working to ensure that the security guarantees include serious components of European deterrence and are reliable, and it is important that the United States is with us and supports these efforts,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after the virtual meeting attended by 34 mostly European countries. Zelenskyy also said he had had “a constructive and in-depth discussion with the American team” that comprised…
Published on 11/12/2025 – 20:10 GMT+1 Swiss singer Nemo, who won the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, said on Thursday that they will return the winner’s trophy because Israel is being allowed to compete in the politically troubled music competition. In an Instagram video, Nemo held the microphone-shaped glass ornament and said “Today I no longer feel like this trophy belongs on my shelf.” “Eurovision says it stands for unity, for inclusion and dignity for all people,” Nemo said, adding that Israel’s participation, given its conduct of the war against Hamas in Gaza, shows those ideals are at odds with organisers’…
In March, however, Hungary adopted a law restricting the freedom of assembly in cases involving the public portrayal to children of “divergence from self-identity corresponding to sex at birth, sex change or homosexuality.” The Budapest Pride parade was subsequently banned based on the legislation. But political opponents say the government banned Pride in an attempt to create a wedge issue to stay in power. Hungary faces parliamentary elections in April 2026, and in the most recent poll, conducted from Nov. 21-28 by 21 Research Centre, a Budapest-based think tank, the country’s ruling Fidesz party was on track for 40 percent…
Trying to describe Europe’s relationship with Donald Trump has become a full-time diplomatic exercise. Is he a partner? Occasionally. A threat? At times. A force reshaping the relationship on his own terms? Always. What’s clear is that Europe is dealing with an unpredictable, dominating partner whose impulses can upend the continent overnight. As we assembled POLITICO’s annual ranking of the 28 most powerful people in European politics and policy, one reality became inescapable: No one has exerted more influence in or on Europe this year than the U.S. president.
By Euronews Published on 11/12/2025 – 18:25 GMT+1 In remarks caught on a hot microphone, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić appeared to suggest he had received a “message from Moscow” as he arrived in Brussels for talks with top European Union officials. Vučić was walking next to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the Berlaymont building in Brussels for a family picture on Thursday when he appeared to whisper: “I got a message from Moscow now.” The exchange was abruptly halted by von der Leyen, who appeared to whisper: “Let’s … let’s wait until.” The two were accompanied by EU…
By Euronews Published on 11/12/2025 – 17:57 GMT+1 Austria’s parliament passed a law on Thursday banning schoolgirls under the age of 14 from wearing a headscarf. The coalition government, made up of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) and Neos, said the new law represents a “clear commitment to gender equality” and applies to girls in both public and private schools. Under the new law, all girls under 14 are forbidden from wearing what the government called “traditional Muslim” head coverings, which includes hijabs and burqas. If any student is found to have violated the ban, they…
The former Fox News host, now an ambassador, had suggested Beijing’s influence over Greece’s largest port was “unfortunate” and might be offset by boosting American investment in other infrastructure. Nov 19 3 mins read
Published on 11/12/2025 – 18:10 GMT+1 The European Union’s member states and the European Parliament have struck an agreement strengthen the screening of foreign investments in the bloc as tensions rise over investments from countries such as China. The Parliament had been pushing for broad screening of foreign direct investments, but it is EU member states who hold the ultimate authority over investment reviews. The two have now agreed on a common text that strengthens the existing rules. Under the deal, mandatory screenings will now cover military equipment, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, semiconductors, raw materials, transport and digital infrastructure, and…
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte praised Germany as a leading force in the transatlantic partnership stating it was “setting a good example,” during a meeting with Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday. At the Chancellery, Merz emphasised that Europe still needs to do “much more” in terms of security and become more independent from the US, so that it could stand on its own against Russia in the event of a war. However, Russia is already, in a sense, at war with Europe, warned John Lough, a former NATO staffer and geopolitical expert at the New Eurasian Strategies Centre (NEST), an…