Author: staff
While the bloc has so far shied away from a major confrontation with Hungary — it hasn’t stripped Budapest’s voting rights, for example — this cautious calculus may well change after the election. At that point, fears of feeding into Orbán’s campaign narrative will be displaced by the need to dissuade other leaders from copying the Hungarian strongman, said the same diplomats and officials, who were granted anonymity to discuss sensitive summit preparations. A reckoning was in the cards regardless of the outcome of Hungary’s April 12 election, the officials said, but would arrive much faster if Orbán is re-elected.…
In the immediate aftermath of the bombing that started the latest war in the Middle East, Madrid’s firm opposition to the conflict and criticism of the “illegal” action contrasted with the more ambiguous positions taken by other European capitals keen to avoid clashing with U.S. President Donald Trump. But during the past two weeks EU leaders have changed their tune, with even Italy’s right-wing prime minister and noted Trump ally, Giorgia Meloni, saying the attack fell “outside the scope of international law.” According to draft conclusions obtained by POLITICO, at Thursday’s European Council summit the bloc will rebuke Trump and…
By Andreas Rogal & Euronews Farsi Published on 18/03/2026 – 21:50 GMT+1 Iranians have celebrated the Fire Festival, the ancient Chaharshanbe Suri festival, as they do every year, despite the ongoing attacks from Israel and the United States. The celebrations, starting a few days before Nowruz, the Persian New Year, took place in some Iranian cities with authorities warning people not to set off fireworks, declaring the practice illegal. But Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last Shah of Iran, called on citizens in two statements to hold the Chaharshanbe Suri celebrations and “ignite the fire of peace and life in the…
Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Romania, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Bulgaria, Austria and Croatia are urging the EU executive to reexamine the scheme by the end of May at the latest, arguing it harms their industries and is contributing to rising energy prices. But not everyone agrees, with two EU officials from ETS-supporting countries saying the cap-and-trade system must remain in place. The first official argued it is not contributing to the energy crisis and is actually helping Europe’s economy, with its revenues needed for the green transition. On the topic of energy, the Commission’s proposed gas price cap is also likely to be raised, though not all countries are likely to get on board with that either, according to a senior German government official. According to the draft conclusions, EU leaders will instruct the Commission to “present without delay a toolbox of…
The city of Bălți and the surrounding areas in northern Moldova have been without running water for several days, according to Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu. “Our teams are working around the clock on the ground, using all available resources, and our priority is to restore the water supply. However, this will only be done under conditions that fully ensure people’s safety and health,” wrote Munteanu. Russia’s ambassador to Moldova, Oleg Ozerov, was summoned by the government on Monday to answer for the damage, and was “gifted” a plastic bottle filled with polluted water from the Dniester River. Brussels triggered its Civil Protection…
The Fed left its key rate unchanged on Wednesday for a second consecutive meeting, holding it at about 3.6%. In a statement, the central bank said the “implications of developments in the Middle East for the US economy are uncertain”. Policymakers expect the Iran war will worsen inflation this year while having little impact on growth, but they still expect to cut their key rate once in 2026. By keeping their forecast for a rate cut this year and next — the same projections that they made in December — central bank policymakers appear to expect the gas price spike…
Les déclarations contre le système d’échange de droits à polluer, pilier de la politique climatique européenne, portent les attaques contre la régulation environnementale à un autre niveau. Feb 17 10 mins read
“The big question is if politically they can do that even if they can legally,” said one Rayner ally. “The one thing that appears to unite a growing body of people is a blunt retrospective five to ten year element, with no protections.” The opponents hope they can get the PM to water the plans down himself, but failing that, they want to push for a vote. They’re yet to land on a means, but tabling an amendment to one element of the legislation is one possibility under discussion, one adviser told POLITICO. Like other critics, the same adviser had…
The 27 leaders of the European Union are heading into a stormy summit on Thursday, with Hungary’s veto of a €90 billion loan for Ukraine, the widening war in the Middle East and persistently high energy prices set to dominate the talks. The single market, trade, defence, security, migration and the state of the multilateral system will also be on the table, along with a brief – almost blink-and-you-miss-it – discussion on the next seven-year budget. From the moment leaders arrive, all eyes will be on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, whose decision to block the support loan for Ukraine…
When Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi meets Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, she will be the first G7 leader to visit since the backlash over Washington’s push for allies to help secure the Strait of Hormuz. Last weekend, Trump had asked Tokyo and other capitals to participate in his war effort and send naval vessels to unblock the critical waterway. After the allies rebuffed him, he aborted his call: “Because of the fact that we have had such Military Success, we no longer ‘need’, or desire, the NATO Countries’ assistance – WE NEVER DID! Likewise, Japan, Australia,…