Category: Europe
Coverage of geopolitics, international relations, and current affairs from across Europe, including EU policies, NATO strategies, elections, and Europe’s influence on global politics.
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Greek farmers staged demonstrations across central and northern regions on Sunday (Nov. 30), protesting delays in EU agricultural subsidy payments linked to a widening corruption investigation. Hundreds blocked major roads with tractors, criticising the conservative government over a reported €600 million shortfall in EU aid and associated payments. Near Nikaia, police used teargas after protesters…
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UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves has defended her recent tax decisions, insisting they were “for reasons not in my control” after criticism she misled the public about the UK’s fiscal position. In a Sky News interview, she denied claims she exaggerated the scale of the fiscal challenge in her 4 November speech. Ms Reeves said a…
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Swiss voters have decisively rejected a proposal to introduce a 50% federal inheritance tax on large estates, marking one of the most contentious referendums in recent political memory. More than 80% voted against the initiative, with turnout at around 42%. The proposal, introduced by the Young Socialists, sought a levy on estates and gifts above…
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Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Giessen, western Germany, as the Alternative for Germany (AfD) prepared to launch its new youth organisation on Saturday (Nov. 29). Police reported early-morning attempts to block roads and used pepper spray after stones were thrown at officers in one area. The new group, expected to be named Generation Germany, will…
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed the resignation of his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, after anti-corruption agencies searched Yermak’s Kyiv apartment. Yermak, a central figure throughout Russia’s full-scale war, has not yet been accused of wrongdoing but has faced mounting political pressure. Zelensky warned Ukraine “risks losing everything” if internal divisions deepen, stressing that…
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President Vladimir Putin met Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at the Kremlin for Russian–Hungarian talks, joined by senior officials including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, and Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov. Hungary was represented by Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, Construction and Transport Minister Janos Lazar, and Chief National Security Advisor Marcell Biro. Putin…
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Britain has confirmed that talks to join the EU’s SAFE defence fund have collapsed, marking a setback for the post-Brexit reset championed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer. London had been negotiating entry into the €150bn programme, designed to strengthen European defence procurement and rearmament. But Nick Thomas-Symonds, Minister for European Union Relations, said an agreement…
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The UK government is defending Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ recently released Budget, arguing it lays the “proper foundations” for economic stability despite rising pressures on working households. The Budget takes what ministers call “fair and necessary choices”, including measures to cut inflation, reduce borrowing and maintain investment, but it also raises the overall tax burden to…
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Long-term net migration into the United Kingdom fell to 204,000 in the 12 months to June 2025, according to new ONS data — the lowest level for the period in four years. The figure represents a 69% decline from 649,000 a year earlier, influenced by exceptionally high arrivals in late 2023. • 898,000 people arrived…
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Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has warned that the European Union’s plan to use frozen Russian state assets for Ukraine could undermine prospects for a future peace agreement. In a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, seen by Reuters, De Wever said the proposed reparations-linked loan scheme risked “effectively preventing” a…
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