Author: staff
SAFE is designed to help countries jointly buy arms and ammunition from European industry, financed by low-interest loans. Countries had to file national procurement plans this fall, and demand has exceeded available funds, the Commission president said. The Commission chief used the appearance to argue that the past year has reshaped the EU’s defense role at unprecedented speed. “If you look at the last year, when it comes to defense, more has happened than during the last decades in the European Union,” she said, pointing to the creation of the EU’s first full-time defense commissioner and the publication of its…
Beijing has wielded its dominance of the sector through export restrictions intended to hit back against the Trump administration’s aggressive tariff policy on Chinese imports. The declaration also reflects U.S. concern about China’s massive investment in artificial intelligence and quantum computing that could give it a competitive edge in the 21st century economy. “It’s an industrial policy for an economic security coalition and it’s a game changer because there is no grouping today where we can get together to talk about the AI economy and how we compete with China in AI,” Helberg said. “By aligning our economic security approaches, we can…
But there is hope — both for the pharmaceutical industry and beyond. Per Franzén, CEO and managing partner at EQT, a global investment organization, said he is seeing “an unprecedented interest to invest into Europe.” “It’s a real window of opportunity, a unique moment in time for Europe,” he said. “In order to make the most out of that opportunity, what we need to do is really to drive a more business-friendly, more innovation-friendly agenda,” he said. But with the pace of change, driven by artificial intelligence, “time is of the essence,” he added. Over-regulation isn’t holding Europe back in…
Navalnaya, who lives in exile, has become a prominent voice for anti-Kremlin Russians since the sudden and mysterious death of her husband in a prison camp north of the Arctic Circle in February 2024. Even after Navalny’s death, Russian authorities have continued to crack down on associates of the late politician. In November, a Russian court designated Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation a “terrorist organization,” exposing anyone associated with the group to a potential life sentence. Navalnaya said Russians who opposed the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine or the country’s President Vladimir Putin were “living in fear.” Invoking her husband’s legacy, however,…
Critics of the tax warned about the risk of scaring investors out of the EU and that tech entrepreneurs could leave the bloc as they would be forced to pay a tax based on the market value of shares they own in their companies without necessarily having the liquidity to do so. But Zucman rejected “the notion that someone […] would be discouraged to create a start-up, to innovate in AI because of the possibility that once that person is a billionaire, he or she will have to pay a tiny amount of tax” “Who can believe in that?” he scoffed.…
The strategy claims Europe is facing “civilizational erasure” within the next 20 years, a narrative that has resonated well with Europe’s far-right leaders, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, as well as in Russia. The document also bashes European efforts to rein in far-right parties, calling such moves political censorship, and speaks of “cultivating resistance to Europe’s current trajectory within European nations.” Von der Leyen said this is one of the reasons why the EU proposed the Democracy Shield, meant to step up the fight against foreign interference online, including in elections. The Commission chief said she has always had…
Members of the “Coalition of the Willing” for Ukraine called for continued transatlantic unity as Europeans seek to exert greater influence in the peace talks with Moscow as Washington ups pressure for a quick deal. “We are working to ensure that the security guarantees include serious components of European deterrence and are reliable, and it is important that the United States is with us and supports these efforts,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after the virtual meeting attended by 34 mostly European countries. Zelenskyy also said he had had “a constructive and in-depth discussion with the American team” that comprised…
Published on 11/12/2025 – 20:10 GMT+1 Swiss singer Nemo, who won the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, said on Thursday that they will return the winner’s trophy because Israel is being allowed to compete in the politically troubled music competition. In an Instagram video, Nemo held the microphone-shaped glass ornament and said “Today I no longer feel like this trophy belongs on my shelf.” “Eurovision says it stands for unity, for inclusion and dignity for all people,” Nemo said, adding that Israel’s participation, given its conduct of the war against Hamas in Gaza, shows those ideals are at odds with organisers’…
In March, however, Hungary adopted a law restricting the freedom of assembly in cases involving the public portrayal to children of “divergence from self-identity corresponding to sex at birth, sex change or homosexuality.” The Budapest Pride parade was subsequently banned based on the legislation. But political opponents say the government banned Pride in an attempt to create a wedge issue to stay in power. Hungary faces parliamentary elections in April 2026, and in the most recent poll, conducted from Nov. 21-28 by 21 Research Centre, a Budapest-based think tank, the country’s ruling Fidesz party was on track for 40 percent…
Trying to describe Europe’s relationship with Donald Trump has become a full-time diplomatic exercise. Is he a partner? Occasionally. A threat? At times. A force reshaping the relationship on his own terms? Always. What’s clear is that Europe is dealing with an unpredictable, dominating partner whose impulses can upend the continent overnight. As we assembled POLITICO’s annual ranking of the 28 most powerful people in European politics and policy, one reality became inescapable: No one has exerted more influence in or on Europe this year than the U.S. president.