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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Blaise Metreweli, the newly appointed Chief of MI6, has warned that Russia is intensifying both conventional and covert pressure on the UK and its allies, using tactics designed to remain below the threshold of open conflict. In her first public speech as head of the UK’s foreign intelligence service, Metreweli accused President Vladimir Putin of…
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The European Union is pushing to finalise its long-running EU–Mercosur free trade agreement by the end of 2025, despite a last-minute French push to delay its signing. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen plans to travel to Brazil this weekend to sign the accord, pending approval from EU member states. The deal would create…
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Romania is facing a sixth consecutive day of protests on Monday (Dec. 15) as thousands rallied in Bucharest and other cities on Sunday, backing judges and prosecutors warning of systemic problems in the justice system. Around 700 Romanian judges and prosecutors have signed an open letter citing “profound and systemic dysfunction” within the judiciary. The…
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Tens of thousands of Hungarians demonstrated in Budapest on Saturday, (Dec. 13), calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán over the government’s handling of repeated child-abuse scandals. Protests were led by Péter Magyar, leader of the opposition TISZA party, following fresh allegations at the Szőlő Street juvenile detention centre, where CCTV footage showed…
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signalled readiness to drop Ukraine’s bid for NATO membership in exchange for binding security guarantees from the United States and European partners, as talks intensify in Berlin. “We are talking about bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the United States — namely, Article 5–like guarantees . . . as well as security guarantees…
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Migrants were brought into Dover on Saturday (Dec. 13), marking the end of the longest pause in small boat crossings for seven years. Home Office data shows no Channel crossings were recorded for four weeks prior, with the last arrivals on 14 November — the longest uninterrupted period since 2018. December is typically quieter due…
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Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has released 123 prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and opposition figure Maria Kalesnikava, following the US decision to lift sanctions on Belarusian potash exports. The move follows two days of talks with John Coale, envoy of US President Donald Trump, and marks the largest prisoner release since diplomatic…
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The European Union has agreed to indefinitely immobilise €210bn in Russian sovereign assets held in Europe, removing the need for six-monthly renewals of the freeze imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. European Council President Antonio Costa said the decision upholds the EU’s commitment to keep the assets frozen until Russia ends its war of aggression…
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Trade unions across Italy staged a large-scale general strike on Friday (Dec. 12), protesting the draft budget proposed by the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Tens of thousands of demonstrators took part nationwide, with rallies highlighting opposition to what unions describe as an unjust fiscal plan. The strike disrupted public services across multiple sectors.…
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Russia’s central bank has filed a lawsuit in Moscow against Brussels-based clearing house Euroclear, seeking damages over the freezing of its sovereign assets and signalling a wider legal challenge to EU plans to immobilise the funds. The Bank of Russia said Euroclear had blocked access to its funds and securities through “illegal actions”. Euroclear holds…
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