EU united over Iran but standpoints on US differ
As global tensions rise, European countries are showing unity but their responses differ significantly in tone, priorities and willingness to align with Washington…
Politics
Latest reporting and analysis on politics.
German Chancellor Merz joins Trump in criticising Spain over defence spending
Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz has publicly criticised the Spanish Government during an official visit to meet US President Donald Trump.
US tradition of respecting European leaders in danger of being squandered
Some readers will recall that last week I posed the question of what sort of an alliance the British government might think it had with United States after denying…
Two new suspects arrested over the Lyon killing of Deranque
Two men aged 22 and 26 have been arrested in the Lyon region in connection with the killing of Quentin Deranque.
Strict passenger rights rules annually saved 8,400 years of delays, consumer organisations say
Brussels' plans to reform air-passenger compensation rights are being met with much scepticism from passenger rights organisations that adhere to the notion of "if…
Ireland to deploy military attaches in embassies for first time
Ireland said today that it will send senior military officers to key foreign embassies for the first time, the latest step by the EU member to beef up its modest…
Warrant or not, the cops are coming: Polish government breaches ban on double jeopardy
In recent months Poland has seen an unprecedented situation.
Trump suggests Starmer is ‘pandering to Muslims’ after refusal to back US strikes on Iran
US President Donald Trump has suggested that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is "pandering" to Muslim voters by declining to support US military strikes against Iran,…
Islamist terrorist and foreign extremist threats most prevalent in Germany last year
Germany’s Federal Attorney General (GBA) – an agency charged with investigating the most serious attacks against the country’s domestic security – overwhelmingly…
Poles ponder: which nuclear umbrella?
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has entered talks with France over Poland being covered by the unfolding French nuclear umbrella.
Greens overtake Labour to hit second place in UK poll
The Green Party has surged into second place in the latest UK voting intention poll, leapfrogging the governing Labour Party for the first time in YouGov’s tracking.
Prosecutors suspect €5 billion defrauded from EU pandemic recovery fund
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) is investigating more than 500 cases of suspected fraud linked to the European Union’s €577 billion Recovery…
Austrian minister calls for ‘return to diplomacy’, offers Austria as Iran peace talks venue
Austria’s foreign minister has suggested her country could host peace talks between the US and Iran.
Need more manure for energy but deplore its production? EU left with bullshit
Germany’s ruling coalition may be an awkward marriage of ideological rivals, but it does benefit from the absence of the Greens, who pushed many of the economically…
Polish President ‘knew about US attack’, while PM Tusk wants de-escalation
Poland’s opposition Conservatives (PiS)-allied President Karol Nawrocki has said he was informed in advance of the US and Israeli attack against Iran.
French RN party chief Bardella demands cordon sanitaire against LFI
Jordan Bardella, president of the French National Rally (RN) party, has issued a direct appeal to France’s centre-left to impose a “cordon sanitaire” on the…
Belgium seizes Russian ‘shadow fleet’ tanker
Belgium's special forces boarded and seized an oil tanker from the "shadow fleet" Russia uses to circumvent Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine, the government…
Criminal complaint over financing for Romanian President blocked by immunity
Romania’s Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP) has confirmed that a criminal complaint against President Nicușor Dan was filed with the General Prosecutor's Office…
Von der Leyen ignores objections by EP and pushes Mercosur deal through
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has confirmed her decision to proceed with provisional application of the Mercosur trade pact.
The neo-Ottoman shift: Why Turkey no longer looks like a Western pillar
The myth of Turkey as an indispensable bridge between East and West is beginning to give in under the weight of its own contradictions.
Greenpeace ordered to pay €292m to US energy firm for damaging pipeline
A North Dakota judge has signalled he will order Greenpeace entities to pay an expected $345 million (€292 million) in damages to the US firm Energy Transfer over…
EC says European Social Fund can be used to fund abortions
The European Commission has confirmed that European Union member states may use the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) to support access to legal abortion services,…
EU rules Hungary violated freedom of expression with radio shutdown
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has ruled that Hungary violated European Union laws on freedom of expression by shutting down the country's Klubrádió…
French prosecutors probe Al-Fayeds over sex trafficking
He traded on the glamour of owning Harrods, the Paris Ritz and luxury yachts, but Mohamed Al-Fayed was at the centre of a dark web of alleged abuse, say French lawyers…
AfD avoids immediate ban after German court suspends its ‘extremist’ status
A German administrative court in Cologne ruled yesterday that the country’s domestic intelligence agency may not classify the right-wing Alternative for Germany…
UK’s Labour suffers crushing by-election loss to Green Party
In a Manchester constituency under uninterrupted Labour Party control since 1935, the UK Green Party has secured its first-ever Westminster by-election victory.
Poland can’t be a ‘sucker’ in its relations with the US, says Sikorski
Poland’s foreign minister Radosław Sikorski has lamented that, in his opinion, relations between the US and Europe have deteriorated.
Killing of Quentin Deranque: Network of violence reaches into French parliament
The violent death of Quentin Deranque at the hands of far-left militants has brought into sharp focus the links between the antifa organisation La Jeune Garde (Young…
Bangladesh court seeks Interpol Red Notice for British Labour MP
A court in Dhaka, Bangladesh, has directed authorities to pursue an Interpol Red Notice for British Labour MP Tulip Siddiq.
‘Russian drone intercepted near French aircraft carrier in Sweden’
NATO forces intercepted a suspected Russian drone heading toward France’s 800-foot-long aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle.