Author: staff

The European Union can make a difference in the crackdown on drug trafficking by using its regulatory power to force encrypted communication companies to cooperate with law enforcement, Belgium’s National Drug Commissioner, Ine Van Wymersch, has told Euronews’ interview programme 12 Minutes With. “Where we need more pressure from the European institutions is to put these big companies that are bringing their encrypted communication tools to our market under pressure: to force them to collaborate with law enforcement,” Van Wymersch said. “They are facilitating not only legal communication, but also illegal communication,” she explained. “We see that criminal organisations are…

Friday’s decision “sends an important signal that the Commission is determined to enforce the DSA,” said Karsten Wildberger, Germany’s digital minister, during a meeting of EU ministers in Brussels. Polish Digital Minister Dariusz Standerski applauded it as a sign of “strong leadership.” After French President Emmanuel Macron last week expressed outspoken criticism of the EU for slow-walking the conclusions, his digital minister, Anne Le Hénanff, said Friday: “France fully supports this decision … which sends a clear message to all platforms.” She later described it as a “magnificent announcement.” Washington meanwhile was quick out of the gate to slam the move from Brussels, with Vance chiming in half a day before the fine was announced…

Published on 05/12/2025 – 16:54 GMT+1 For the fifth episode of our podcast, “Brussels, my love?”, we are joined by Irish author and professor Donnacha Ó Beacháin, Swedish correspondent with Svenska Dagbladet Teresa Küchler and Euronews’ own Mared Gwynn Jones. We dive straight into the corruption scandal that shocked the EU capital this week that saw the former foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini arrested as a suspect in probe into procurement fraud. Donnacha Ó Beacháin said that depending on how it ends, this could be a good news story for the EU as it could serve as a trigger for…

Published on 05/12/2025 – 16:20 GMT+1 Eurostar’s ambitious plans to launch a series of direct rail connections between Germany and the UK are one step closer to becoming a reality. Earlier this year, the high-speed rail operator announced it would expand its network to introduce new routes connecting London to key European destinations such as Frankfurt and Geneva. Following increased demand for international rail travel, Eurostar said it will also invest around €2 billion in up to 50 new trains to accommodate the expansion. In June, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer signed a ‘first…

“This is not the end of our pension policy,” Merz said in a statement after the vote. “It’s only the beginning.” Earlier this week, Germany’s far-left Die Linke (The Left) party announced its lawmakers would abstain from the vote, effectively ensuring its passage by reducing the overall number of votes needed to pass the pension legislation. Still, Merz continued to try to secure the support of young conservatives in order to avoid the politically damaging impression that his coalition was dependent on indirect far-left support to get the package over the line. Ultimately, only seven members of Merz’s conservative bloc…

He called her “beautiful”, and she didn’t appear to mind. Perhaps neither did the Italians. It’s not a secret that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and US President Donald Trump enjoy a fairly close relationship, as far as European leaders go. That might also explain why Italy emerged as one of the countries with the most favourable view of the US head of state, according to the latest such YouGov poll. “Favourable”, though, is relative here, as the percentage of Italians holding a positive view is only 28%. Italy’s result even outperforms Trump’s popularity among the US’s historical allies in the…

France’s First Lady Brigitte Macron visited a panda breeding research center in Chengdu on Friday, the final day of the fourth state visit of President Emmanuel Macron to China. Earlier, the couple toured the Dujiangyan dam alongside China’s President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan. The president later met with students while Brigitte Macron continued her program. The visit followed the signing of multiple bilateral agreements and discussions on trade and Ukraine peace in Beijing, with Macron accompanied by leading French business figures.

Published on 05/12/2025 – 15:30 GMT+1 France could soon implement a new cruise ship tax for foreign visitors, which would require cruise ship travellers to shell out €15 per person for each French port call. It’s estimated that the levy could bring in around €75 million a year, which could be used to conserve the country’s vulnerable coastal areas. Cruise travel to France has continued to increase exponentially in the last few years. Mainland France saw an estimated more than 3.8 million cruise passengers pass through in 2023, according to the French government tourism agency, Atout France. When could France’s…

The art of cinema allows us to confront the most horrific tragedies of our world, both past and present. Over the last decades, many films have chronicled the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But when it comes to Israel’s current war on the Palestinian people of Gaza, fiction has yet to catch up with reality. One reason for that is possibly the restricted timeframe. It has been a little over two years since Israel launched its campaign of relentless assaults against the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks. Making a film can however take much longer than that. Another…

In response to a question from POLITICO, Farage said Ukraine had been offered a bad deal under which it would be forced to accept limits to the size of its military that would usually apply only to a country that had signed an “unconditional surrender.”  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s position is in doubt amid a corruption scandal, Farage said. But Kyiv could not “give up territory they’ve lost tens of thousands of lives defending,” he said. “So the deal as it is at the moment doesn’t work and can’t stand.”  Farage emphasized that his comment was not a criticism of…