Author: staff

According to the European Commission’s latest data (2024), the EU currently imports 95% of its rare earth materials, which are crucial for electric vehicles, daily technology and defence systems. Recycling rates remain below 1%, and although the bloc has set a series of goals for 2030, it is unlikely to meet them without major acceleration. This means that the very technologies meant to enable Europe’s green transition depend on other countries, leaving the EU highly exposed to economies such as China and Russia. Whilst global competitors are tightening their grip on supply chains, Europe is lagging in securing access to…

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent in any way the editorial position of Euronews. We have many reasons in Europe to be proud of ourselves. We are the continent of the Enlightenment and of universal human rights. A continent in which many people live in prosperity and most live in dignity and freedom. With the European Union, a system was created that enables cooperation instead of confrontation. And yet we must once again begin to think of Europe as something larger than the EU in its current form allows. Because we…

Published on 20/01/2026 – 8:14 GMT+1 Eurogroup’s session in Brussels this Monday confirmed Croatia’s Boris Vujčić as the successor to Spain’s Luis de Guindos, whose eight-year mandate at the ECB expires in May. While the nomination must still undergo consultative hearings at the European Parliament, and a review by the ECB’s Governing Council, this process is mostly protocol. Vujčić is expected to take office on 1 June and become Christine Lagarde’s right-hand man. The decision defied predictions and dismissed the European Parliament’s recommendations. The Croatian beat five other candidates for the job, including the favourite to win, Finland’s Olli Rehn,…

Davos rückt in den Mittelpunkt der Weltpolitik. Zum Start des World Economic Forum stellt sich die zentrale Frage, wie geschlossen EU, NATO und G7 auf Donald Trump reagieren und welche geopolitischen Weichen in den kommenden Tagen in der Schweiz gestellt werden. Gordon Repinski über ein Forum, das von Trump, Grönland, Zoll-Drohungen und der Zukunft des transatlantischen Verhältnis geprägt wird. In Deutschland rückt derweil auch wegen Trump die Energiepolitik in den Fokus. Die deutschen Gasspeicher sind so leer wie selten zu Jahresbeginn. Was politisch gewollt war, könnte sich mittelfristig als Risiko erweisen. Im Gespräch mit Josh Groeneveld vom POLITICO Pro-Newsletter “Energie…

For the past four years, European leaders have been working overtime to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity against Russia’s war of aggression, often putting together strongly worded statements of condemnation, holding phone calls at late hours and getting together for hastily convened crisis meetings. But this past weekend, the script flipped in dramatic fashion. European leaders found themselves doing the exact same thing – joint statements, phone calls and crisis meetings – to defend Denmark’s sovereignty and territorial integrity against a country that, on paper, is supposed to be their time-honoured ally and main security guarantor: the United States.…

Updated: 20/01/2026 – 7:00 GMT+1 Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this January 20th, 2026 – latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel. … More

U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to seize Greenland has upended this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos as European leaders scramble to agree on a response. In their speeches from the Alpine resort today, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron may signal how hard they are willing to push back — ahead of Trump’s own appearance on Wednesday. POLITICO’s team of reporters in Davos, Brussels, Washington and beyond will be bringing you every key development. Follow along below from 8 a.m. CET.

The status quo is not tenable.  Since the global financial crisis, Europe has endured a prolonged slump in private investment that has been especially pronounced in future-shaping industries. In the past five years alone, our analysis found that companies with headquarters in the United States have invested €2 trillion more in digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) than their European peers. And in traditional manufacturing industries, China is out-investing Europe at a rate of 3:1.  This investment gap not only stifles European economic growth, but prevents the continent from inventing, developing and deploying the technologies it needs to increase productivity and drive prosperity.  And the need to boost investments is growing: when the landmark Draghi report on European competitiveness was released in 2024,…

Down the promenade from Ukraine House, the U.S. pavilion is the hottest ticket in town, with long lines outside and delegates being turned away from the small non-denominational church playing host to U.S. speakers this week. At the opening ceremony Monday afternoon, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent — who recently said Europe is too weak to guarantee Greenland’s security — called on other countries to follow Donald Trump’s agenda. “I’m here to spread the message that America First does not mean America alone,” he said, under a stone half-dome lit up in MAGA red. “We invite friends, and potential friends,…

A blueprint for Brussels? It’s not that simple. While the EU has tried to thread the needle on its trade relations with Beijing — the Asian country remains its second-largest trading partner  — policymakers are keenly aware of the competitive threat posed by China, Inc. Germany’s automotive industry is reeling from high energy prices and fierce competition from China (now the world’s top automotive exporter). In general, overcapacity — the term for China’s dizzying output of products that, unable to be absorbed by its domestic market, are sold abroad — keeps EU business leaders up at night. Compared with Canada,…