Author: staff

In a vote held on Thursday, MEPs endorsed measures that aim to reduce the EU’s reliance on fertilisers and farm produce from Russia and its ally Belarus, while simultaneously cutting off financial support for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.Set to take effect on 1 July, the new tariffs will target certain nitrogen-based fertilisers, increasing duties from 6.5% to levels approaching 100% over a three-year period, effectively halting most imports.Russia currently supplies 25% of the EU’s nitrogen-based fertilisers, amounting to an estimated €1.3 billion annually. Additional duties will also be imposed on agri-food imports such as meat, dairy products, fruits, and vegetables from…

Erneut ist von einem 5-Prozent-Ziel der NATO die Rede. Diesmal gibt es ein klares Bekenntnis von Kanzler Merz dazu, der heute zusammen mit Verteidigungsminister Boris Pistorius bei der neuen Litauen-Brigade der Bundeswehr war. Rixa Fürsen spricht mit Hans von der Burchard über die klaren Worte von Merz.  Mit Rasmus Buchsteiner geht es dann um die erste Bundesratssitzung in der neuen Legislatur. Er berichtet, wie Merz im Vorfeld Gespräche in der Union führt, aber auch mit der Bundesratspräsidentin Anke Rehlinger von der SPD.  Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es morgens um 5 Uhr. Gordon Repinski und das POLITICO-Team bringen euch…

Greece will deploy a record number of firefighters and nearly double its drone fleet this summer to address growing wildfire risks driven by climate change, officials have said.Civil Protection Minister Ioannis Kefalogiannis said 18,000 permanent and seasonal personnel, supported by thousands of volunteers, would be mobilised as damage caused by wildfires has increased steadily over the past two decades.”It is clear that the conditions this year will be particularly difficult,” Kefalogiannis told reporters after attending a firefighting exercise near Athens.Rising average temperatures and low rainfall have significantly worsened conditions in recent years.Greek Fire Chief Lieutenant General Theodoros Vagias told The Associated…

Published on 22/05/2025 – 17:09 GMT+2The EU is a “beacon of stability” when it comes to climate policy on the world stage, said MEP Lídia Pereira on Thursday.Speaking at the Brussels’ Economic Forum, the member of the European People’s Party (EPP) said that the bloc must not resort to “dangerous” solutions when tackling the climate crisis.“If we want to find solutions, we have to find solutions with the moderates,” she said.Pereira was responding to an argument for degrowth, proposed at the forum by Timothée Parrique, an economist and researcher at HEC Lausanne.“This [degrowth] is not a political statement… this is…

The report puts forward several pieces of purported evidence, though links to the Islamist group are not always clear. However, the document seen by POLITICO and reported on by several outlets appeared not to include particularly sensitive information. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said in an interview with the daily Le Parisien that several items in the report would remain classified for security reasons. Franck Frégosi, a political scientist specializing in Islam in France whose work was cited in the report itself, spoke to several media outlets to decry what he described as the document’s “alarmist” tone. In an interview with…

The combined economic output of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), was 0.1% in the first three months of 2025 compared to the previous quarter, according to provisional estimates of the organisation. This compares to a 0.5% rise in the last three months of 2024. “This figure represents a departure from the higher and relatively stable growth rates recorded in the OECD area over the past two years,” the OECD said in its report. The overall GDP growth rate also slowed for the G7, the seven strongest economies in the world, from 0.4% to 0.1% for the same period.Japan and…

A group of consumer organisations has asked national consumer watchdogs and the European Commission to conduct an inquiry into what they allege are unfair hand luggage charges imposed by budget airlines.It comes just months after Spain fined five low-cost carriers for the same reason. The latest complaint claims the baggage fees are in violation of EU consumer protection laws. Agustín Reyna, Director General of the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), said the airlines are “exploiting consumers and ignoring the EU top court”. Hand luggage fees ‘violate EU consumer protection laws’The coalition of 15 consumer rights organisations from around Europe has filed…

Metsola’s office confirmed that the immunity waiver request for Princi, a center-right Italian member of European Parliament, will be withdrawn, while the four others will be processed. “We are still waiting for the official documentation to arrive via the established official channels (Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs),” Metsola’s office said in a statement to POLITICO. “Once received, it will be processed swiftly,” the statement said, referring to the withdrawal request. Princi has previously disputed the reasons why Belgian police were seeking to investigate her, adding that she was in Italy at the time of the meeting she was accused of…

French authorities are exploring a radical option to tackle severe overcrowding in the country’s prisons: renting cells in other European countries.But while the idea, floated by French President Emmanuel Macron in a recent televised interview with national broadcaster TF1, has sparked some interest, it’s also attracted criticism from some in the prisons system who see logistical, legal and ethical challenges.”Holland rented out its prison beds to Belgium with its own staff but under Belgian law. The Dutch personnel had to be trained to understand how things worked in Belgian prisons,” explained Dominique Simmonot, France’s Controller-General for Places of Deprivation of…

Arnault stressed that his companies had been operating in the United States since the 1980s and that there was no reason to stop its overseas expansion as it is proving to be “an advantage” in the face of Trump’s tariffs. Though Arnault and Macron have enjoyed a close relationship during the French president’s tenure, the luxury tycoon is also an unabashed fan of the U.S. leader. After attending his inauguration in January, Arnault has repeatedly praised Trump’s economic policies and threatened to move production across the Atlantic. Other French luxury giants like Hermes and the Kering group, which owns brands…