Behind the outrage over one minister’s words lies a deeper, unspoken reality laid bare by diplomats and experts: Belgrade never really buried the Milošević-era narrative about Kosovo, it just learned to speak it more quietly in Brussels.
As warnings of possible provocations from Moscow pile up, a system of ditches, trenches and bunkers is beginning to take shape along the 950-km border that the Baltic states share with Russia.
With almost the entire government on the chopping block, Ukrainians could soon feel the impact in everything from frontline energy security to schooling in minority regions and already‑strained relations with Poland and Hungary.
Even the relevant EU commissioner, Dubravka Šuica, acknowledged the central obstacle: “To be open, the key problem is access to Gaza,” she said.
With the European Parliament’s resistance weakening and the powerful European People’s Party group shifting in favour of tougher controls, this surprise win for message-scanning could clear the way for an even more far‑reaching “Chat Control 2.0” that targets encrypted apps next.
Ahead of the key meeting of EU foreign ministers on Monday (13 July), the European Commission has circulated an options paper exploring ways to restrict trade between the EU and Israeli illegal settlements in the West Bank. Here, EUobserver explains them.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s pivot back toward Nato has brought drones, missiles and Black Sea leverage to the West. For this price, Europe is quietly tolerating rigged party leaderships and pre‑summit mass arrests at home.
The far-right are increasingly taking the lead in EU migration policies as the mainstream centrist parties continue to be lured by their ideas.
As hospitals overheat, schools close and thousands of elderly people die, France’s Greens and far right are tearing into each other over whether mass air‑conditioning is a lifeline or a dangerous illusion.
Officials say that, to appease the US, ‘burden-shifting’ rather than simply ‘burden-sharing’ will be one of the main themes in Ankara as the EU and others face pressure to ramp up their own production of defence and security equipment.
As Zelensky publicly rebuked the role of European companies like a Russian-owned alumina refinery on Irish soil, Dublin assumes the EU Council presidency under pressure to stop exports to Russia of a key component for its defence sector.
Conflict over Ukrainian Insurgent Army actions during World War Two recently escalated into biggest tension between Ukraine and Poland in decades. Now leaders of both nations keep returning each other’s honours and medals.
Nearly half of EU member states, oil and gas companies and the US administration claim the EU’s methane regulation is unfinished, causes legal risks, and could disrupt Europe’s gas supplies. But does it?
Shaped by a childhood marked by standing up to bullies and a political career defined by pragmatic shifts, Mette Frederiksen is now using Denmark’s influence to advocate for a more assertive and self-reliant Europe.
The EU’s successful push back on a US pricing plan for critical minerals and more commitments on sanctions and defence support for Ukraine were the main breakthroughs at the French-hosted G7 summit – which is followed immediately by an EU summit.
The European trade deficit with China amounted to €360bn in 2025, or roughly €1bn a day. The commission and a growing group of member states want to take stronger measures to save European industries.
French president Emmanuel Macron has invited leaders of the world’s so-called ‘middle powers’ to a G7 summit that starts on Monday.
As Andrej Babiš rages against a supposed “deep state” while surrounding himself with pro-Russian and ultra‑conservative allies inside his own office, even long‑time insiders from his party ANO fear he is slipping further into paranoia and culture‑war politics.
The EU wants to reduce its trade deficit with China – but Beijing insists there is no problem. Bridging that gap is the challenge facing EU trade chief Maroš Šefčovič.
Europe’s alleged competitiveness gap with the United States and China has become a defining theme in Brussels policymaking. But experts argue that the use of selective data to support simplification is “close to political manipulation” and “definitely cherry-picking”.