Author: staff
The Commission is grappling with two goals that may be counterproductive: cutting migration and slashing development aid. The EU executive’s argument is that a slash in development funding will likely result in people showing up at European borders in search of a better life. And that’s a problem for the bloc, since it’s looking to decrease migration numbers. On the show, hosts Zoya Sheftalovich and Ian Wishart explain how the dilemma will be unpacked at the upcoming European Council this week. Next, a shooting near the European Parliament in Brussels has EU officials — and everyone else, for that matter…
Swedish activist Greta Thunberg joined high school pupils campaigning for better learning conditions in France on Tuesday ahead of fresh nationwide demonstrations, with authorities and participants wary of further violence. The 23-year-old, who became famous as a teen for school strikes to demand action on climate change, stood among pupils demonstrating outside a school at the heart of the movement in the capital’s largest suburb of Saint-Denis. Thunberg arrived at the Paul Éluard high school, as lawyers in their robes formed a human chain to protect teens after numerous allegations of police brutality. “Young people are not being included in…
Europe needs to find a new way of working. In an increasingly fragmented and unpredictable world, the policy choices it makes in the years ahead will determine how well Europe competes, prospers, and protects its citizens’ interests. Leaders face difficult questions. How can Europe finance its ambitions? Can it build globally competitive industries while preserving its social and economic model? How can it secure the technologies, energy, and defense capabilities needed to remain resilient in a more uncertain world? And what tradeoffs will Europeans be willing to accept in pursuit of greater strategic autonomy? Stay with us to follow the action from POLITICO’s European Resilience Summit…
Published on 14/10/2026 – 4:47 GMT+2 A Russian ballistic missile hit a power plant in Kyiv on Tuesday evening, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, without Ukraine receiving advance warning from its Western allies and despite US President Donald Trump’s claim for an “energy ceasefire” in effect. Ukraine depends heavily on Western intelligence, especially from the US, to detect incoming Russian attacks and identify its own targets. Kyiv, home to about three million people, has faced intensifying attacks from Russian drones and missiles, with energy infrastructure a key target. “A Russian ballistic missile attack on Kyiv. Once again, no early warning from…
In the next EU budget, it might not be possible to even estimate such a number, Murphy warned, as each country’s auditors have different roles and ways of doing things. His head of cabinet, Wolfgang Stolz, added during the interview: “Year after year we have found that the work of these auditing authorities is not fully reliable.” In a statement, the Commission defended its proposal, underlining that “key principles” of the current control system will remain in place. National authorities are “well-functioning,” the statement contended, but added that the Commission would maintain the right to ask capitals to “amend the…
Published on 13/10/2026 – 12:49 GMT+2•Updated 12:56 Sweden’s Social Democratic party leader Magdalena Andersson said Tuesday she had failed to form a government with the three other parties in the left-wing bloc following last month’s election. “My overall assessment is that progress has been made, but at the same time, the conditions are currently not in place to form a government that can be tolerated by the parliament,” Andersson told a press conference. She spoke after reporting back to parliament speaker Andreas Norlen, who had tasked her with gauging conditions to form a government after the September 13 elections. Shortly…
The European Commission disputed Russia’s claim on Tuesday that the EU spent $320.7 billion (€286 billion) on energy from Moscow since 2022, citing a significantly lower figure, according to a Commission spokesperson. Contrary to Moscow’s claims, Russia supplied the EU with €197 billion ($209 billion) worth of energy between March 2022 and July 2026, the Commission spokesperson said, citing COMEXT data, the official reference database managed by Eurostat. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said late Monday that the EU had purchased €302 billion ($320.7 billion) worth of Russian energy resources since 2022, highlighting the bloc’s continued reliance on Moscow…
Published on 13/10/2026 – 7:00 GMT+2•Updated 10:17 Rental prices in Georgia and Armenia rose 20–30% year-on-year over the summer as Russians fearing a new wave of mobilisation for Russia’s war in Ukraine sought accommodation in neighbouring countries. Georgia remains the most accessible destination: Russian citizens can stay for up to 360 days without a visa and reset the clock with a brief visit to a neighbouring country. Tens of thousands now live there. In Tbilisi, monthly rents for standard housing start at €450, rising to €2,700 or more for larger flats or upmarket apartments. The average nominal monthly wage in…
Privacy regulators are putting forward a united front on smart glasses, as privacy concerns about the wearable technology have multiplied since videos made with them have begun spreading online without the knowledge or consent of those being filmed. The statement is not legally binding but will guide how privacy regulators in Europe assess whether smart glasses users and manufacturers are complying with EU privacy rules like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The regulators said smart glasses manufacturers should implement a combination of transparency measures to make other people aware that they are being recorded. The measures may include lights…
Felipe VI has taken 12 years on the throne to make it to Ceuta, and he is doing so in the same month, intriguingly, as his great-grandfather. The King and Queen Letizia will enter Ceuta’s City Hall, in Plaza de África, launching a two-day trip that continues tomorrow in Melilla. It is the first time they have officially set foot in both cities as monarchs. The last royal visit was by Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía, in November 2007, after an 80-year gap. This time the backdrop is very different: around 72,000 people crossed over illegally from Morocco to…