Author: staff
“This [reparations loan] is what we’re working on. We are not there yet and it is increasingly difficult, but we’re doing the work and we still have some days,” she said. Belgium has long been opposed to using Russia’s frozen assets to help Ukraine, arguing that this would imperil the peace process and expose Brussels to legal retaliation from Russia. In recent days, Italy, Bulgaria and Malta came out against the scheme, while Hungary and Slovakia have previously voiced opposition. Over the weekend, Czechia’s newly-installed prime minister, Andrej Babiš, came out against the loan, saying Prague would not provide any financial guarantees…
From 2028, European Union countries will be able to expand cross-border energy infrastructure, like grids and pipelines, and renewable energy projects, as energy ministers overwhelmingly backed on Monday the architecture of the bloc’s multi-annual energy budget for 2028-2034. The funds, under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), will target grid infrastructure and renewable energy projects to boost solar and wind power, as outlined in the European Commission’s recent initiative to modernise electricity infrastructure and support cross-border projects. Hydrogen and natural gas infrastructure are also on the list, with critics arguing that the money will continue to prop up fossil fuels, as…
A spirited 10-year-old girl, a prominent assistant rabbi, a Ukrainian-born Holocaust survivor and a young network engineer from France were among roughly 15 people killed when two gunmen opened fire on families celebrating Hanukkah at Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach on Sunday. Australian authorities, who classified the shooting as a terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community, have not yet released an official list of victims. However, a day after one of the deadliest mass shootings in Australia, the identities of several victims emerged through social media posts, news reports, and the official website of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, whose Bondi Beach chapter…
By Euronews Published on 15/12/2025 – 13:16 GMT+1 Russian authorities have branded the anti-Kremlin feminist punk band Pussy Riot as an extremist organisation. The ruling by a court in Moscow on Monday officially bans the group’s activities inside Russia. The latest move follows a judgment in September in which all five members of Pussy Riot were sentenced in absentia by the Basmanny district court. That saw prison terms handed down ranging from eight to 13 years, after judges found the band guilty of spreading false information about the Russian army. Pussy Riot rejected those charges, describing them as politically motivated. In…
Candidates must be European nationals, show “important academic qualities” and have management experience, as well as speaking English and French. “In executing their responsibilities, the Rector will live up to the high ethical standards and values of the College of Europe,” the notice said. The elite training ground for future EU civil servants may be hoping for a quieter selection process than last time around, when Mogherini, the EU’s former top diplomat, won the job even though she applied after the deadline and despite accusations of cronyism and not being qualified for the role. Mogherini resigned in early December after…
Published on 12/12/2025 – 14:19 GMT+1 •Updated 15/12/2025 – 10:20 GMT+1 Hello Friday! While you start your weekend, Brussels is sweating over a deadline that has been 25 years in the making. Next Tuesday, the European Parliament votes on “safeguards” — basically, to ensure no disruption of our market and to keep the unfair competition in check. If that passes, it clears the path. Then, on Saturday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio fly to Brazil to sign the deal. Even if signed, the European Parliament must ratify it. With the hard right and…
Published on 15/12/2025 – 13:31 GMT+1 Hours after 15 people were killed around a Jewish Hanukkah festival at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, more and more information about the two gunmen has emerged. According to police, the shooters were 50-year old fruit shop owner Sajid Akram, who died in a shootout with law enforcement, and his 24-year old son Naveed, an umemployed bricklayer, who was severely injured and taken to a hospital where he remained in critical but stable condition under police guard. The older Akram had arrived in Australia in 1998 on a student visa, then became a permanent resident in…
Meanwhile, staffers from Belgium, Italy, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and France are considered “appropriately represented.” The document does not spell out which nationalities are overrepresented. A separate internal document, dating from early November, sets out a plan to address and correct these imbalances, which a Commission official — granted anonymity to speak freely — attributed to the fact that the institution’s salary and benefits package may be highly attractive in some countries and less so in others. These benefits include ironclad job security, flexible working arrangements, free access to European schools, and tax-free income. In the short term, starting in 2026, people recruiting staff…
Donald Trump has unleashed a fresh barrage of criticism against various European countries, particularly regarding the way they are handling immigration. The US president took aim at the cities of Paris and London, as well as Germany and Sweden, in a 9 December interview with Politico. He accused Europe of being “weak” and in “decay” because countries are too focused on being “politically correct”. “If you look at Sweden, Sweden was known as the safest country in Europe, one of the safest countries in the world,” Trump said. “Now it’s known as a very unsafe, well, quite unsafe country. It’s…
Updated: 15/12/2025 – 12:00 GMT+1 Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this December 15th, 2025 – latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel. … More