Author: staff

Budapest is seeking to reset strained ties with Brussels after years of confrontation under the ousted former leader Viktor Orbán. Magyar, whose centrist movement swept to victory in Hungary’s election last month, is seeking to unlock billions in EU funds frozen over Budapest’s breaches of EU law under Orbán, who governed the country for 16 consecutive years. Unlocking €10.4 billion in EU post-pandemic recovery funds is the Magyar government’s top priority, Foreign Minister Orbán — no relation of the former leader — told POLITICO. The release of the funds is contingent on Hungary meeting specific reform criteria, the Commission said. Budapest…

Published on 27/05/2026 – 14:41 GMT+2 The European Commission might soon appoint an AI envoy — but what the job would actually entail remains undefined. The idea was floated last week by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a meeting with Europe’s top corporate executives gathered at the European Round Table for Industry. “It seems to be an idea that comes back now and again,” a diplomatic source told Euronews, noting it was not the first time the post had been suggested. What the position would actually entail is still far from clear, even within the European Commission.…

The crisis at Mexico’s state-owned oil company Pemex is the country’s biggest problem, according to tycoon Carlos Slim Helú, 86, Mexico’s richest man, whose fortune is estimated at around 125 billion dollars. Pemex is going through a deep crisis, marked by falling output, a lack of investment and debt of around 85 billion dollars (about 73 billion euros). Pemex ended 2025 with losses of roughly 2.5 billion dollars (2.148 billion euros), while the government is investing in its bailout with aggressive financial support. Slim’s annual press conference The owner of América Móvil, Latin America’s largest mobile operator, holds a press…

The ESN political group doesn’t face sanctions, and the only effect that AfD MEPs would feel would be the lack of a political party to provide support in future EU elections or to coordinate policy with like-minded factions. The ESN party and ESN group were founded by Alternative for Germany in the wake of the 2024 EU election, and include Bulgaria’s Revival, France’s Reconquest (led by Éric Zemmour), Poland’s Confederation, Czechia’s SPD, Hungary’s Our Homeland Movement, the Netherlands’ Forum for Democracy, and Slovakia’s Republic Movement. In 2026 it is slated to receive over €2 million in subsidies from the European…

The prospect of engaging directly with Russia to end its war on Ukraine has once again faded as foreign affairs ministers of the European Union gather in Cyprus amid Moscow’s explicit threats to hit diplomatic missions in Kyiv. The idea of direct talks, which has been on and off the political agenda since January, gained momentum earlier this month after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, frustrated by the White House’s heavy focus on the Middle East, asked Europeans to speak with “one common voice” and appoint a designated envoy. The plea led to various names, such as Finnish President Alexander Stubb,…

Published on 27/05/2026 – 18:02 GMT+2 The South African government and advocacy groups for the country’s Afrikaner white minority rejected on Wednesday the Trump administration’s position that there’s a humanitarian emergency affecting white people in South Africa. The argument served as the administration’s rationale for raising the US refugee cap, but only for white Afrikaners. The Trump administration said on Tuesday that it will admit an additional 10,000 white South Africans into the US as refugees this year, increasing its annual quota, but blocking people from other countries from entering through the programme. President Donald Trump announced he was increasing…

Warsaw and London will also work on a new joint action plan on irregular migration that “will discuss how to boost border security and dismantle organised crime groups,” according to the treaty. The agreement, which builds on similar pacts between the two countries signed in 2017 and 2023, is the latest in a long line of bilateral deals as European countries look to reinforce relationships with allies beyond NATO. Of the 169 multilateral defense deals signed by EU countries, the U.K. and Ukraine since 2014, 135 were signed after Moscow’s all-out war began in 2022, with 36 signed in 2025…

Published on 27/05/2026 – 17:18 GMT+2 Former president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, will face a crimes against humanity trial at the International Criminal Court from 30 November, the presiding judge said on Wednesday. Duterte faces three counts of crimes against humanity, with prosecutors alleging his involvement in at least 76 murders between 2013-2018 during his so-called “war on drugs.” The 81-year-old will be the first Asian former head of state to face trial at the ICC, which prosecutes individuals for the world’s worst crimes such as war crimes and crimes against humanity. Prosecutors had sought the 30 November start…

On Georgia’s Independence Day, protesters gathered near parliament and along the main avenues of Tbilisi to denounce the ruling Georgian Dream party, which critics accuse of eroding civil liberties and steering the country away from Europe, as chants of “Freedom” echoed through the streets amid renewed calls from opposition figures and civil society groups to revive a protest movement that has been ongoing for well over a year over Georgia’s stalled EU ambitions. The demonstrations began in November 2024 after the government suspended talks on joining the European Union following disputed parliamentary elections, a move the opposition branded a “betrayal”…

The European Commission is putting the brakes on subsidies for companies linked to Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš until conflict of interest allegations are fully cleared up.”Czech authorities should not report to the European Commission any expenditures related to operations from December 9, 2025, if those operations concern entities within the Agrofert group or any organization controlled by or associated with Andrej Babiš,” wrote Hugo Sobral, a top official in the Commission’s regional policy department, in a letter dated May 20. Obtained by POLITICO, the letter was first reported by news outlet Seznam Zprávy.”This should remain in effect until the…