Author: staff

Trump has long complained that many NATO allies are free-riding on the U.S. and not spending enough on defense. There is growing talk that the alliance should boost its goal for members to spend at least 2 percent of their GDP on defense to 3 percent. Portugal spends only 1.55 percent of its GDP on the military, but has agreed to hit the 2 percent target in 2029 instead of its earlier promise of 2030. “We are doing a big effort to achieve the 2 percent in the year 2029 to give a sign that we are committed to this…

The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu continues to draw mixed and often ambiguous reactions from European officials. France has become the latest EU country to cast doubt over the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu, claiming the Israeli prime minister could be immune to the court’s orders.It’s yet another sign that the landmark decision to call for Netanyahu’s arrest has driven a wedge between EU countries.The Hague-based court issued arrest warrants for key members of Israel and Hamas’ leadership on 21 November, following a request made by ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan in May.…

Carlos Tavares has resigned as Stellantis CEO after nearly four years, amid plunging electric vehicle sales and rising competition from Chinese car makers. His departure highlights the mounting challenges for legacy carmakers in the EV transition. Carlos Tavares, the CEO of Stellantis and a key architect of the PSA-FCA merger, stepped down on 1 December 2024, ending a nearly four-year tenure during a turbulent time for the automaker.His exit, two months after a profit warning wiped nearly 50% off Stellantis’ market value, reflects the struggles faced by legacy carmakers in the transition to electric vehicles (EVs).In the wake of Tavares’…

The European equivalent of the Oscars take place this weekend, and ‘Emilia Pérez’ by Jacques Audiard and this year’s Golden Lion winner ‘The Room Next Door’ by Pedro Almodóvar lead the nominations. Time for some predictions… The European Film Awards, which honour the greatest achievements in European cinema, are fast approaching. The ceremony takes place this coming weekend (Saturday 7 December) in the Swiss city of Lucerne and Euronews Culture will be on site to keep you abreast of all the results. Like last year, we’re keen on getting our crystal balls out (yes, we have several – where were you when they were…

In an interview with POLITICO at a friend’s house in a village outside Bucharest, the populist admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump doubled down on his frustration with multinationals in Romania.   “If today, like the Romanian people, I pay for water, do you know where I pay? I pay to a French firm which didn’t invest, didn’t contribute a nail, but collects the money. I also pay a foreign company for natural gas. I also pay for electricity from a foreign company. I buy my gasoline, my own gasoline, and where do I pay? Also…

ASML sees a limited impact of the US fresh restrictions on AI chip exports to China and maintains its guidance for 2024 and 2025. Dutch computer chip equipment maker ASML has been exempted from the new chip export restrictions on China. The company, Europe’s second-largest tech firm maintained its guidance, saying in a statement on Monday regarding the fresh US rules: “We do not expect any direct material impact on our business.” Its share price rose 0.9% to €664 at the market close. ASML sees limited impact on its businessThe US Department of Commerce unveiled fresh curbs on the exports of critical…

The DAX hit a new high for the second straight trading day on Monday. Strong performances in the technology, financial, and industrial sectors have fuelled the rally, despite broader economic weakness. Germany’s benchmark, the DAX, reached an all-time high for the second straight trading session, rising 1.57% and nearing the 20,000 mark. Despite the recent negative economic readings and political instability, the German stock market maintained its bullish momentum, up 19% year to date, making it the best performer in the European markets. This remarkable performance comes despite negative economic indicators and ongoing political uncertainty. The DAX has risen 19%…

Der Kanzler in Kiew und die Außenministerin in Peking. Tausende Kilometer trennen beide und doch sind sie in der gleichen Mission unterwegs: Deutschlands und Europas Sicherheitsinteressen zu vertreten. Worin sich ihre Ansätze und Argumentationen unterscheiden, analysiert Gordon Repinski unter anderem zusammen mit dem EU- und Diplomatie-Experten Hans von der Burchard.  Selten schien die Union so geschlossen wie jetzt. Zwischen CSU-Chef Markus Söder und CDU-Chef Friedrich Merz scheint kaum ein Blatt Papier zu passen. Wie gut hält der Frieden und wie lange? Das schätzt Chefkorrespondent Rasmus Buchsteiner ein.  Und: der gerade noch ärgste innerparteiliche Wahlkampf-Gegner von Boris Pistorius muss aufgeben. Wie…

Instead, the country’s farmers have been demonstrating, sometimes violently, against a treaty that has crystallized their long-standing anger with European rules on food, environmental safety and animal welfare. They object, in particular, to the abolition or reduction of tariffs on 160,000 metric tons of Mercosur beef, which they say is produced by methods banned in the EU, such as the use of artificial growth hormones. Brussels, for its part, notes that the treaty specifically excludes hormone-enhanced beef, and that the annual beef quota for Mercosur is a small fraction of the EU market and less than Europe currently imports. However,…

If no party from the left agrees to work with the “civil war parties,” it would be due in part to the terrible outcomes that have befallen any small party to have done so in the past. Annihilation on the left Since Fianna Fáil’s half-century of political dominance ended in the 1980s and multi-party coalitions became the Irish norm, smaller parties that entered government have without exception been crushed by voters in the following election. This brutal pattern was just repeated. In 2020, when Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael needed a substantial third party to forge a majority, it persuaded…