Author: staff

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez are among the latest voices to support the idea of a European army to ensure a credible and lasting peace in the continent. “It is time to create a European army, EU armed forces with troops from all 27 member countries, working under a single flag with the same objectives,” Sánchez said. “This is the only way that we become a true union.” On paper, the concept is attractive. It could boost the interoperability of military systems, weapons, and forces, and would also involve a joint command structure to improve coordination among…

The Trump administration has announced the imposition of fees on Chinese-built and Chinese-owned vessels docking at US ports, marking a further escalation in the trade war between the world’s two largest economies.The decision, revealed by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), follows a one-year investigation initially launched under the Biden administration.“Ships and shipping are vital to American economic security and the free flow of commerce,” said Ambassador Greer. “The Trump administration’s actions will begin to reverse Chinese dominance, address threats to the US supply chain, and send a demand signal for US-built ships,” the USTR said in…

Beyond the political decisions on sanctions, the EU official also pointed to “major safety and security issues” related to the possible reopening of EU airspace to Russian jets, as “it is not known if Russian air operators and air traffic services have been properly maintained over the past three years, putting the airworthiness of the Russian fleet seriously in question.” Since Moscow’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russian airlines have been banned from landing in and flying over the territory of the EU and the U.S., as well as from accessing spare parts for aircraft from Western manufacturers such as…

The rising cost of living is the top area of concern for European citizens, according to a 2024 Eurobarometer survey. The finding is perhaps unsurprising as the price of housing continues to increase across the EU. In the fourth quarter of 2024, house prices in the region increased by 4.9%, while rents rose by 3.2% compared to the same period in 2023. Over the course of 2024, the annual growth in EU house prices was 3.3%, and rents saw a 3.1% increase.Price fluctuations varied across Europe, with some countries even experiencing declines. But which European countries experienced the highest increases in…

Gerald Knaus analysiert im Gespräch mit Gordon Repinski den neuen Koalitionsvertrag und benennt konkret, was eine echte Migrationswende ermöglichen könnte – und was bloß Symbolpolitik bleibt.  Es geht um Abschiebungen nach Afghanistan, sichere Herkunftsstaaten, das EU-Türkei-Abkommen, Drittstaatenlösungen, z.B. mit Kenia und um die Frage, ob Friedrich Merz und Alexander Dobrindt liefern können. Ein Gespräch über Realismus, Rechtsstaatlichkeit und Europas Verantwortung. Gerald Knaus ist Migrationsforscher und Gründer der Denkfabrik European Stability Initiative (ESI). Er gilt als Architekt des EU-Türkei-Abkommens von 2016 und berät seit Jahren Regierungen in Europa in Fragen der Migrationspolitik. Knaus verbindet wissenschaftliche Analyse mit politischer Umsetzbarkeit – und…

Lithuania aims to deter Russia by upgrading ‘critical’ road and anti-border defenses – POLITICO Skip to main content

Things were so much easier back then. That’s why POLITICO decided to extend to Brussels to cover European politics: If there’s something journalists love, it’s doing something easy. And so, POLITICO Europe was born. Making EU policy sexy? Piece of cake. Shining a light on European institutions to make them more intelligible? You got it. Covering overly complex processes to pass laws that most people don’t like, only some understand, and no one will ever hear about in the 27 member states? Sign us up. We went through the terrible twos with Brexit and Donald Trump in power in the…

Witkoff, who has traveled to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow on multiple occasions, just days ago told Fox News that the peace deal Russia has proposed hinges on “five territories of Ukraine.” The special envoy did not specify which territories he meant, but they likely refer to the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia illegally seized in 2014, as well as Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — four regions where Russia conducted sham referendums before illegally annexing them, even though the Kremlin doesn’t fully control those territories. Kyiv will never recognize these regions as Russian, Ukraine’s foreign ministry said…

The EU has already paused its retaliation against Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs in the hopes of negotiating a deal within the three-month window, even as some of the U.S. tariffs remain in place. Earlier this month, French President Emmanuel Macron called on European companies to pause investments in the United States until the situation could be “clarified.” While most analysts attribute the investment-chilling uncertainty to the Trump administration and its nebulous trade goals, Arnault says it is the European Union that must shoulder the responsibility to find a deal that protects its interests without raising tariffs. The U.S. is…

Coupes dans l’aide au développement, droits de douane… les alliés des Etats-Unis au Moyen-Orient font face au “scénario du pire” – POLITICO Skip to main content