It is part of the job description of a NATO Secretary General to diplomatically talk away even major disagreements between the allies: “We all want peace in Ukraine, the sooner the better,” said Mark Rutte when asked whether the US President had taken the allies by surprise with his phone call with Vladimir Putin. He […]
It was a day when events came thick and fast: On Wednesday lunchtime, the new US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth surprised everyone on the way to his first meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group with clear announcements about how the new administration envisions the terms of a deal in Ukraine. A few hours later, […]
From the Europeans’ point of view, it would be a success if the week with the American visitors went off without any major upsets. After US Vice-President JD Vance was in Paris yesterday, the new US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is eagerly awaited in Brussels today. The American is traveling to Brussels for a […]
Can the EU step in if Donald Trump goes ahead with the cutbacks at the US development agency USAID as announced and projects around the world are left without funding? This question is also likely to be on the minds of the development ministers at tonight’s informal dinner and tomorrow’s informal meeting in Warsaw. On […]
Albin Kurti is likely to be the man to beat in the future. If the forecasts are correct, the leading candidate of the left-wing nationalist movement “Vetëvendosje!” (“Self-determination!”) will receive by far the most votes in Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Kosovo.Kurti can hope for a second term as head of government. It would be wrong […]
The European Court of Auditors has scrutinized the EU’s action plan on military mobility. It came to sobering conclusions. The armed forces of the EU member states are still not able to move quickly within the territory of the Union, the auditors criticize in a new report. The goal of deploying troops, equipment, and supplies […]
There will be a triple premiere in Brussels today: For the first time, the EU is holding a summit exclusively on defense. For the first time since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the heads of state and government are coming together. And for the first time since Brexit, a British prime minister will […]
The EU wants to impose sanctions on further ships in the Russian shadow fleet. This is to be part of the 16th sanctions package, which the EU Commission presented to EU ambassadors for the first time on Wednesday. A further 74 tankers are to be listed. The EU has so far lagged far behind the […]
The EU Parliament’s Budget Committee has given the green light for the construction of the new Frontex headquarters in Warsaw by a clear majority. 23 MEPs from the EPP, Renew, ECR and Patriots voted in favor of the construction project, which is estimated to cost EUR 250 million. Five MEPs on the committee voted against […]
It is worth taking a look at the EU accession candidate Serbia. President Aleksandar Vučić sacrificed his head of government yesterday, Tuesday, under pressure from the streets. The starting point for the ongoing protests is the collapse of the station canopy in Serbia’s second-largest city, Novi Sad, in November. Fifteen passers-by were killed and dozens […]