Author: staff
“He never objected in any case to the Fidesz leadership or the Fidesz government. And now he objects, for the first time, to defend his seat,” Bálint Magyar, a former Hungarian cabinet minister, told POLITICO. Blind eye The president’s unpopularity may help explain why Magyar feels free to attack him in caustic terms. “How, after so much cowardice, turning a blind eye, and lying, could you possibly embody the unity of this beautiful nation?” Magyar said in his first parliamentary speech after winning the election. “In my opinion, you cannot. Mr. President, it is time to leave with your head…
On 23 June 2016, UK voters cast their ballots in a referendum that will live forever in European history books. 51.9% of voters decided to leave the EU, while 48.1% favoured remaining. The outcome was followed by the resignation of the then UK Prime Minister, David Cameron and a long-lasting period of negotiations that culminated on 31 January 2020 when the UK officially left the EU. That election day a decade ago held different meanings for different people. For some, like Katy Lee and Dominic Kraemer from the popular podcast, The Europeans, it was an inspiration to start talking more…
With the heatwave settling over much of France for several days, some wine estates are bringing forward the working hours of their seasonal staff to avoid the hottest part of the day, especially in physcically intensive and laborious jobs. This is the case in La Sauve, a commune in the southwest of France, in the Gironde department. Here vines are grown for Chateau Latorse, and the estate’s director has decided to have his seasonal workers start before dawn. “Instead of working from 8 am to midday and then 2 pm to 6 pm, we now start at 6:30 in the…
French far-right leader Jordan Bardella began a two-day visit to Poland on Thursday. The purpose of his trip is to meet right-wing and nationalist political leaders ahead of next year’s presidential election in France. His journey started in Warsaw and will include a visit to the Polish-Belarusian border. It is Bardella’s latest attempt to strengthen alliances with like-minded politicians across Europe, following trips to Portugal, Italy and Belgium. Bardella and Nawrocki In Warsaw, Bardella held a closed-door meeting with President Karol Nawrocki – backed by the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party – and Krzysztof Bosak, one of the leaders…
Published on 19/06/2026 – 14:40 GMT+2 Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has fired back at US President Donald Trump’s claim that she “begged” for a photo with him at the recent G7 meeting in France. In a video posted to social media, Meloni said she was “shocked” at what she called Trump’s “completely made-up claims”. “I don’t know why the President of the United States behaves this way with his own allies,” she said. Speaking to Italian journalist Daniele Compatangelo about their meeting in France, Trump was quoted as saying: “She’s probably happy I talked to her. I didn’t have…
Three of the four people suggested Reynolds had urged the PM to accept the widespread demands to set out a timetable for his departure. However, the fourth person said this characterization of the meeting was incorrect. Both No. 10 and Reynolds’ team declined to comment. A fifth person, an MP, said they had been told ahead of the Downing Street meeting that Reynolds was preparing to have a “candid conversation” with Starmer. Also on Friday, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told the PM during his ring-round of the Cabinet that he needs to set out a timetable, as first reported by…
Published on 19/06/2026 – 20:01 GMT+2 Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has underlined from Brussels the importance of moving towards “a Europe open to the world” capable of responding to global challenges with deeper integration, strategic autonomy and greater financial capacity. “Europe will not be a geoeconomic power if we do not have the financial firepower to be one,” said the Spanish leader, who on Thursday took part in a European Council meeting focused on the EU’s future budget and the current international situation. With this warning, Sánchez, whose future at the helm of the Spanish government is in doubt…
As demand for air travel expands, French aircraft manufacturer Airbus is testing new technologies that could change how aircraft move through increasingly crowded skies and airports. The company says the number of aircraft flying could double over the next two decades, while airport infrastructure will not grow at the same pace. That means aircraft will have to operate in denser and more complex environments, from busy taxiways to more unpredictable weather conditions due to climate change. “We need to find different ways to think [and] use the technology we have to overcome those complexities,” Jonathan Rigaud, head of Airbus’ Optimate…
European Council President António Costa was among the more than 100 politicians and public figures included in a list of “undesirables” targeted by a Portuguese neo-Nazi group, the country’s Public Prosecutor’s Office revealed Friday. Following its creation in 2018, the Lusitanian Armillary Movement (MAL) ― which authorities describe as a “far-right, nationalist, neo-Nazi, white supremacist, anti-establishment” movement ― began to compile a list of potential targets the group held responsible for the “decline of the nation.” In addition to Costa, who served as Portugal’s prime minister between 2015 and 2024, the list included the country’s current head of government, Luís…
Published on 19/06/2026 – 18:13 GMT+2 The European Commission will develop new tools to counter macroeconomic imbalances, most notably the growing and “unsustainable” trade deficit with China, including a diversification instrument, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters on Friday. “Europe has already built an extensive toolbox in recent years. Now we must use it more proactively and more strategically to defend our European interests,” she said at a press conference closing this week’s European Council summit. According to von der Leyen, EU leaders showed unity and clear support for a European response to the current situation, while…