Europe is on the brink of another financial crisis, German frontrunner Merz warns

It’s “definitely coming,” he tells POLITICO ahead of the Feb. 23 election.

Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy rejects ‘quick win’ ceasefire sought by US

‘We will not sign just anything in order to be applauded,’ Ukrainian president insists; European leaders pressed on sending troops to enforce peace. What we know on day 1,091 The US is trying to “please” Vladimir Putin as it aims for a “quick win” by …

Europe’s leaders find no quick response to Trump’s bombshell on Ukraine

Top European leaders could not find common ground on issues including sending peacekeepers in Ukraine.

British MPs already want a vote on sending troops to Ukraine

Labour MPs — and opposition lawmakers too — are asking for a parliamentary say on any British escalation.

Angry farmers push Poland away from Ukraine

After nearly three years of war in Ukraine, protests by Polish farmers are opening up social and political fractures in a once-unshakeable alliance.

How von der Leyen blindsided Brussels with her deregulation drive

The Commission president is pushing a sweeping, rapid and centralized agenda to “simplify” EU rules — and not everyone in Brussels is thrilled.

Macron’s U-turn against EU green rules triggers internal revolt

The French president’s anti-regulation push has thrown his environmental legacy into doubt and angered many in his own party.

Victims of international crimes need justice — and the ICC

We call on the EU’s member countries and institutions to be the voice of human dignity globally, and to mobilize, defend and support the court.

The downfall of the World Trade Organization

What we see before us now is a dysfunctional and paralyzed colossus. And it’s time to reevaluate this institution, which is no longer fit for purpose.

American citizen arrested in Russia for weed gummies, state media says

He is the latest in a long string of U.S. citizens detained by Moscow on drug charges.

‘Thought crime’ and cancelled elections: how do JD Vance’s claims about Europe stand up?

US vice-president told litany of tales of Europe’s rights infringements in speech to leaders at defence gatheringJD Vance stuns Munich conference with blistering attack on Europe’s leadersIn JD Vance’s confrontational and pugnacious speech at the Munic…

New Geo-Political Challenges and the Past and Future of EU-Greenland Relations

  

Ulla Neergaard, Professor of EU Law, University of Copenhagen

Photo credit: Gordon Leggett, via Wikimedia Commons 

 

*This contribution draws upon Ulla
Neergaard’s forthcoming work, “‘Eurarctic’: Colonialism and EU-Greenland…

Latvia moves to ban tourist trips to Russia, Belarus

Riga wants to reduce the risks of human rights violations of Latvian citizens in those countries, and prevent their recruitment as spies.

JD Vance attacks Europe over migration, free speech

JD Vance stunned the audience with his broadside on the way Europe is run.

Munich car attack believed to have had Islamist motive, says prosecutor

Gabriele Tilmann says suspect’s online communications point to extremism but investigators have found no links to jihadist groupsGerman police and prosecutors have said the Afghan suspect in a car ramming in central Munich that injured at least 36 peop…

German prosecutors confirm Islamic extremism in Munich attack, stoking election debate

A suspected Islamist attack in Munich has ignited fierce political debate on security and migration just over a week before Germany’s federal election.

French citizens fail language tests for foreigners seeking residency

Stricter requirements could lead to 60,000 people being refused permission to remain, report findsEurope live – latest updatesThe French government has been accused of making its new language tests for foreigners seeking residency or nationality so har…

Revealed: fugitive Dutch drug lord has been in Sierra Leone for at least two years

Sources place Johannes Leijdekkers in west African country since at least December 2022One of Europe’s most-wanted drug lords has been living in Sierra Leone for at least two years, spending time at nightclubs and house parties, sources have told the G…

Senior Republican senator ‘puzzled and disturbed’ by Hegseth’s Ukraine remarks

Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker is breaking with the line from the Trump White House.

Trump has sold Ukraine down the river – and shown the UK what ‘America first’ means in practice | Gaby Hinsliff

A superpower that once built alliances across the west is dramatically reorienting itself – and so too must its former alliesWrapped in a flag and clutching a beer, Marc Fogel looked understandably overwhelmed. The 63-year-old teacher from Pennsylvania…

Trump sets out process for imposing global reciprocal tariffs

The president tasked top Cabinet officials to study the matter further before deciding on specifics.

Qatar plans to rein in future French investments amid ‘witch hunt’ into PSG boss

Nasser al-Khelaïfi is under formal investigation again, but Paris denies that has affected Doha’s plans in France.

Court says European Parliament must release confidential harassment reports

New judgement sets a precedent for greater transparency in future cases

Press release – Human rights breaches in Türkiye, Nicaragua and Nigeria

On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted human rights resolutions on Türkiye, Nicaragua and Nigeria.Subcommittee on Human Rights Source : © European Union, 2025 – EP

Vance enters the world stage. Can he speak for Trump?

The vice president faces a perennially difficult task as he attempts to take the MAGA mantle.

China tops list of countries trying to silence exiled dissidents over past decade, study shows

Russia, Turkey and Egypt also among worst perpetrators of transnational repression around the globeA quarter of the world’s countries have engaged in transnational repression – targeting political exiles abroad to silence dissent – in the past decade, …

How to watch the German election like a pro

Germany’s election will be a gauge of how far the world’s third biggest economy has swung to the right.

US schoolteacher held in Russia since 2021 released, White House says

Marc Fogel, 63, had been convicted of smuggling marijuana in to Russia and was sentenced to 14 years in prisonMarc Fogel, a Pennsylvania schoolteacher who has been held in Russia since 2021, has been released after a visit to Moscow by US special envoy…

French investigators say ‘all hypotheses remain open’ in deaths of British couple

Prosecutor confirms body of Dawn Searle was found semi-clothed outside with head injuries caused by several blowsFrench police say they are still investigating the deaths of a British couple whose bodies were found in their rural home in Aveyron in the…

Police in Sicily arrest almost 150 people in mafia crackdown

More than 1,200 officers involved in dawn raids in and around Palermo, reportedly biggest operation against Cosa Nostra since 1984Italian police have arrested almost 150 people in a significant operation against the Sicilian mafia in Palermo, areas of …

German frontrunner Merz will take EU ‘to its grave,’ says Scholz

Country’s role in Europe gets a surprise central focus in election campaign.

Riding out the Trump tiger until he’s exhausted

How should one handle the 47th U.S. president? Kiss the ring, resist, offer deals and wait for exhaustion to set in.

As Trump torches overseas aid, will Britain step up?

Britain used to lead the world on international development. But in the era of right-wing populists, its Labour government is now treading carefully.

Trump could remake USAID to promote fossil fuels

The president’s allies want foreign aid repurposed to encourage more oil and gas development around the world.

Most victims in Swedish mass shooting had immigrant background, say police

Prime minister addresses nation to pay tribute to those ‘who wanted to contribute to a better society’Most of the people killed by a gunman in the Swedish city of Örebro last week had an immigrant background, police have said, after the prime minister …

French billionaire: Musk is ‘the world’s greatest entrepreneur and … sometimes a dick’

Xavier Niel shared his brutally honest assessment of the tech icon during an interview Monday.

The menace of deindustrialization in the EU — and what we can do about it

Policymaking is not accountancy: in the medium and long term, the EU will be better off keeping factories within its borders.

EU rules for advanced AI are step in wrong direction, Google says

Google and Meta are leading the charge against a “code of practice” governing tools like Gemini, ChatGPT and Llama.

Inside the new plan to seize Russia’s shadow fleet

European countries are pushing for new powers to squeeze Moscow’s shadow fleet after a spate of incidents in the Baltic Sea.

Suggestions for U.S. success in the Middle East

An aide-mémoire to Secretary of State Marco Rubio from a former adviser to Tony Blair.

Kosovo PM Albin Kurti wins election amid tensions with Brussels and Washington

His ruling party fell short of a majority and will need to find a coalition partner if it hopes to continue in power.

Merz and Scholz clash on migration, economy and Trump: ‘How dumb can somebody be?’

Center-right and center-left chancellor candidates clashed in a fiery debate, exposing deep divisions just weeks ahead of a national election.

The ‘Gaza-ification’ of the West Bank

With a cease-fire holding in Gaza, Israel shifts its war to the West Bank.

The real significance of Trump’s tariffs

It represents another major effort to expand presidential authority.

As Trump steamrolls Washington, courts flex their power to slow him down

Numerous federal district judges around the country have blocked major portions of Trump’s early agenda — but Supreme Court showdowns loom.

The Future of Temporary Protection in Türkiye: Return of Syrians after the Fall of Assad

 

Dr. Ayşe Dicle
Ergin, Assistant
Professor, Bilkent University Faculty of Law

 

Photo credit: Henry
Ridgwell, Voice of America news, via Wikimedia
Commons

 

As of today, the vast majority of
approximately 2.8
million Syrians in Tür…

Trump’s plan for ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Gaza is illegal, says UN investigator

Navi Pillay, head of UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, also said she would support a charge of apartheid against Israel at the ICC.

Hands On, Eyes Closed? CJEU Grand Chamber hearing on Frontex’s role in unlawful pushbacks (WS and Others v Frontex, C-679/23 P)

 Jan-Hendrik Seelow, Dutch
Council for Refugees*

*The Dutch Council for Refugees has
closely worked with the applicant’s counsel to support the case from the
beginning Photo credit: Francesco Placco, via Wikimedia Commons

Introduction

It is a f…

Bereaved parents launch court challenge over UK benefit ‘discrimination’

Widowed parent’s allowance claims for those not married or in civil partnership can only be backdated from 30 August 2018Two bereaved parents have filed a case at the European court of human rights, claiming that the UK government’s treatment of them i…

Georgia ramps up restrictions on media, NGOs with drastic new laws

The fresh restrictions come amid a political crisis over disputed elections and the government’s reversal on its EU membership bid.

French police investigating deaths of retired British couple in Aveyron home

Andrew Searle, retired fraud investigator, and wife, Dawn, found dead in their rural home in south-west FranceFrench police are investigating the deaths of a retired British couple who were found in their renovated rural home in Aveyron, south-west Fra…

Sweden to tighten gun laws in wake of Örebro mass shooting

‘We have to ensure that only the right people have guns in Sweden,’ says prime minister, Ulf KristerssonSweden’s government has announced plans to strengthen its gun laws, including by restricting access to semi-automatic weapons, after the country’s w…

Cocaine cash propels Brussels gang wars to dangerous heights, drugs czar says

The globalization of the illicit narcotics trade is hampering investigators — but Brussels needs to score some quick societal wins, says Belgium’s drug commissioner after wave of shootings.

EU chiefs chastise Trump for sanctioning the ICC 

In a first jab at the White House, Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa said the U.S. president’s move to target the International Criminal Court undermines global justice.

What does Trump really want from Canada?

“The current game is maximum chaos,” one industry leader says of the current state of Canada-U.S. relations

Germany’s old-school conservatism is well and truly over

Even if Merz stumbles across the finish line and secures a coalition government, the death knell for Christian democracy may well have been sounded.

How Germany found itself holding an Italian election

POLITICO has processed 35 years’ worth of election data to find out why this month’s vote is messier than ever ― and what will happen next.

Like an episode of The Wire: Brussels gang wars spiral out of control

“Mafia” shootings with Kalashnikovs trigger alarm in the city as politicians convene an emergency meeting.

How did this porn app get on my iPhone?

The EU’s digital competition law means users can now download a pornography video app in Europe.

Trump doubles down on kicking Palestinians out of Gaza

U.S. president claims no American soldiers will be needed for “one of the greatest and most spectacular developments of its kind on Earth.”

Several nationalities among Sweden school shooting victims, police say

Syrian embassy says its citizens were among 11 killed in attack by lone gunman in Örebro• Europe live – latest updatesPeople of several nationalities were among the 11 killed at a school in Sweden’s worst mass shooting, police have said.Anna Bergkvist,…

Swedish police say ‘multiple nationalities’ among victims of school mass shooting

Swedish law enforcement officials said there were numerous nationalities among the victims of Tuesday’s shooting at an adult education centre in Orebro that left 11 people dead, including the suspected gunman, and dozens wounded. Police said the suspe…

Colombia’s president: Legalize cocaine, it’s no worse than whiskey

Global drug trafficking could be “easily dismantled” if coke was “sold like wine,” according to the Latin American leader.

Refugee shot in eye during deadly 2014 crossing into Spain files complaint to UN

Survivor of Ceuta incident that ended with 14 deaths asks why use of anti-riot equipment was never investigatedA refugee who was almost blinded in one eye during a police operation that ended with the deaths of at least 14 people off the coast of Spain…

Rubio vows to skip Jo’burg G20 amid Trump and Musk’s feud with South Africa

“South Africa is doing very bad things,” rants U.S. foreign policy chief.

Merkel ‘could not remain silent’ as she jabs Merz again over far-right AfD vote

Former German leader reiterates swipe at chancellor candidate from her own Christian Democratic Union ahead of Feb. 23 election.

Serbia’s students are showing the world how to restore democratic hope | Adriana Zaharijević

An authoritarian regime has been rocked by an anti-corruption movement generating society-wide anger and indignationAdriana Zaharijević is a philosopher at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of BelgradeWhen a building structure …

‘Extremely shocked’: Swedish king pays tribute to victims of Örebro shooting – video

The Swedish king, Carl XVI Gustaf, and Queen Silvia have visited a memorial near the scene of a mass shooting at an educational facility in Örebro.The king told reporters that he and the queen were ‘extremely upset’ by what happened. He said: ‘We want …

Trump’s Gaza fantasy is a recipe for a forever war

U.S. president is pressing countries to take in Palestinians by threatening to cut aid, but it’s too dangerous for Arab leaders to accept that blackmail.

EU court upholds €320M fine against Poland for violating rule of law

Fine related to controversial Polish judicial reforms by previously ruling PiS party.

World reactions to Trump’s proposal for US to ‘take over’ Gaza Strip

Palestinians, their allies and other nations reacted strongly to the American president. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said it would warrant ‘a serious violation of international law.’ France, Germany and the UK advocated for Palestinian sovereig…

Trump in ‘no rush’ to talk to Chinese leader

“We’ll speak to him at the appropriate time. I’m in no rush,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

Meta chief lobbyist slams EU tech laws and fines

Joel Kaplan told a Brussels Meta event that the approach Brussels is taking to tech resembles “a tax or a tariff.”

Multiple people dead in ‘worst mass shooting’ in Swedish history – video report

Police have said ’10 or so’ people have been killed and at least five others wounded in a campus shooting in the southern Swedish city of Örebro, in what Sweden’s prime minister has described as a ‘very painful day’ for the country. Roberto Eid Forest,…