Author: staff
This was shot down by Close, who argued that military personnel would be better deployed at the Port of Antwerp or in prisons, rather than participating in joint patrols with the Brussels police. “Almost all cocaine that enters Europe passes through Antwerp,” he added, flagging the drug trafficking in a city known as Europe’s cocaine capital. Soldiers might even be useful in Haren prison in northern Brussels, Close suggested, which has recently made headlines due to corruption among its guards. Quintin’s proposal was backed by his conservative-liberal Reformist Movement and the conservative New Flemish Alliance, but is opposed by Close’s Socialist Party,…
While comparisons have been drawn between “Block Everything” and the Yellow Jackets, an analysis by the Jean Jaurès Foundation concluded that the two movements are “profoundly different,” with Wednesday’s plans driven in large part by the radical left. Wednesday’s campaign, however, is supported by 46 percent of the French, according to a recent survey by pollster Ipsos. The shutdown campaign began gaining steam after outgoing Prime Minister François Bayrou unveiled his plans to squeeze the 2026 French budget by €43.8 billion in July. | Remon Haazen/Getty Images Unlike the Yellow Jackets, which began online in opposition to a fuel tax hike…
“He succeeded rather well in Macron’s world,” said a parliament official who, like others in this story, was granted anonymity to speak candidly. “He has a bit of a survivor side.” Over the past seven years, Lecornu has established his credentials as a loyal Macron ally, honing a political style that chimes well that of the president — in particular his engagement with local-level politics. Alongside his government role, Lecornu serves as a councilor in his home district of Normandy, where he spends most weekends. The minister keeps a low public profile, revealing little about his personal life and maintaining…
“The priority must be an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, and a huge surge in aid into Gaza. This is the only solution towards long-lasting peace,” Starmer said. “Today’s Israeli strikes on Qatar are unacceptable, whatever the reason. I express my solidarity with Qatar and its Emir, Sheikh Tamim Al Thani. Under no circumstances should the war spread throughout the region,” said Macron. Spain also called for restraint and a return to diplomatic negotiations.“This attack is a violation of Qatari territorial sovereignty and a flagrant violation of international law,” the Spanish foreign ministry said. From New York, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres…
ASML, a 40-year-old Dutch crown jewel, has grown into one of the bloc’s most politically sensitive assets in recent years. The U.S. government has repeatedly tried to block some of the company’s sales of its advanced microchips printing machines to China in an effort to slow down Chinese firms. Mistral is only two years old but has been politically plugged in from the start, with former French Digital Minister Cédric O among its co-founders. When the company faced the need to raise new funding this summer, several non-European players were floated as potential backers, including the Abu Dhabi-based MGX…
Updated: 09/09/2025 – 18:00 GMT+2 Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this September 9th, 2025 – latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel. … More
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will deliver her eagerly awaited State of the European Union speech on Wednesday morning. Her address will set out the Commission’s priorities for the weeks and months ahead, as the EU faces up to massive geopolitical and strategic challenges. Follow all the action here, as POLITICO’s expert reporters unpack von der Leyen’s remarks.
“We are facing a growing number of provocations from Russia and Belarus,” he added. The war games, running Sept. 12–16, will involve tens of thousands of Russian and Belarusian troops in maneuvers close to Poland and Lithuania. Some drills — near the Belarusian village of Gozha and in the Russian exclave Kaliningrad’s Dobrovolsk — will take place just a few dozen kilometers away from the NATO countries’ borders. Russian and Belarusian troops will also practice planning to use Oreshnik nuclear-capable missile systems. Tusk said a key “target” of the drills is the Suwałki Gap, the NATO-controlled, 70-kilometer choke point separating Belarus and Kaliningrad that…
The European People’s Party (EPP) has decided to “initiate a scrutiny process” about associate membership of Aleksandar Vučić’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), EPP President Manfred Weber announced on Tuesday. Mass demonstrations began in November, after a concrete canopy collapsed at the freshly renovated Novi Sad train station, killing 16 people. Student protesters alleging corruption and negligence have demanded that the president resign. Lately, protestors have complained about police brutality, excessive force, and sexual harassment against opposition activists. Vučić and his ruling SNS have rejected calls for early elections, accusing protesters of seeking to incite unrest. “The EPP has not turned…
The demonstrations coincided with a Spanish cabinet meeting expected to approve new measures in response to what President Pedro Sánchez has described as “genocide”, but these will not include the previously announced arms embargo. In Madrid, around one hundred people gathered in Puerta del Sol, while a similar number blocked a street in Barcelona. Demonstrators carried banners and shouted slogans, urging Spain to immediately cancel 46 defence contracts tied to Israeli companies.