Qatargate reforms helped us identify Huawei bribery scandal, Parliament president says
Belgian authorities on Tuesday charged four people on counts of corruption and criminal organization.
๐ป Tech
EU Parliament corruption: Five people charged in Huawei graft probe
Following raids conducted in Belgium and Portugal, an investigation into suspected graft in the European Parliament linked to Chinese tech giant Huawei led to 5 people being charged for corruption-related offences.
Huawei bribery scandal: 4 charged with corruption
New searches also took place at the offices of the European Parliament in Brussels on Monday.
Russia using criminal networks to drive increase in sabotage acts, says Europol
Proxies deploying tactics including migrant smuggling in destabilisation efforts across EU, enforcement agency findsEurope live โ latest updatesRussia and other state actors are driving an increase in politically motivated cyber-attacks and sabotage of…
Macron says France will order more Rafale fighter jets in nuclear deterrence drive
French President Emmanuel Macron also announced a modernisation of one of the country’s main air bases with the latest nuclear missile technology.
Moscow and Beijing rejoice at looming death of Radio Free Europe, VOA
โWe couldnโt shut them down, unfortunately, but America did so itself,” editor-in-chief of Russia’s state broadcaster said.
Polish Presidency pushes for bigger investment in EUโs Health Data Space
“There is still a lot of work to do” to implement the EDHS, Poland’s deputy health minister said, saying “2029 is just around the corner.”
Italian newspaper says it has published worldโs first AI-generated edition
Il Foglio says artificial intelligence used โfor everything โ the writing, the headlines, the quotes โฆ even the ironyโ An Italian newspaper has said it is the first in the world to publish an edition entirely produced by artificial intelligence.The ini…
EUโs front-line states rally against Russian energy return
A return to buying more of Moscow’s fossil fuels would be a mistake, EU countries bordering Russia told POLITICO.
Hungaryโs use of facial recognition violates EU AI Act
Abolishing the right to assembly and enforcing this measure with facial recognition software – what sounds like something out of Russia of China is happening in an EU member state, said MEP Daniel Freund
Orbรกn tries to ban Pride in Hungary as polls show rival surging
Fidesz says it’s trying to prohibit Pride to keep children safe from the LGBTQ+ agenda, but opponents say the prime minister’s party is trying to create a wedge issue.
Schuldenpaket: Vertrauensfrage fรผr Merz
โ Zweite Sondersitzung und finale Abstimmung รผber milliardenschwere Schulden: Wie Merz die Bedenken seiner Fraktion beruhigt und klare Ansagen in Richtung SPD macht. โ Im 200-Sekunden-Interview: Die grรผne Co-Fraktionschefin Britta Haรelmann รผber ihre Erwartungen an die heutige Abstimmung. โ Macron in Berlin: Was der franzรถsische Prรคsident mit Friedrich Merz besprechen wird und welche Hoffnungen in [โฆ]
London expands CCTV network in โtech race against crimeโ
Councils rush to tool up with AI cameras as police grapple with a surge in street crime
Farage and Tories spy an opening as small businesses turn on Labour
The government’s rivals are circling after tax hikes burned the bridges that Rachel Reeves had painstakingly built before the election.
Affaire Huawei : 6 choses ร savoir sur ce scandale de corruption qui secoue le Parlement europรฉen
POLITICO fait le point sur ce que l’on sait ร ce jour de cette vaste enquรชte de corruption en Belgique.
Defense giants want von der Leyen to boost made-in-Europe tech
European industrial and tech firms want the EU’s backing to reduce reliance on the U.S.
Canadaโs Carney starts first trip abroad with implicit digs at Trump
The new prime minister dubbed Canada “the most European of non-European countries” while speaking alongside French President Emmanuel Macron.
Platforms under fire for โperformativeโ DSA risk reports
Platforms fails to assess and address actual harms and negative effects on its functioning, a new civil society-led analysis has argued.
Why EU capitals are still arguing over more military aid to Ukraine
Also in this newsletter: why businesses want greater European tech independence
Europeans are missing out on 5G, data shows
Slow rollout of full-fledged 5G is holding Europe back while China and the U.S. race ahead.
Trump will make โ or break โ Europeโs Russia sanctions
Western allies are worried the U.S. president could go either way on decisions that will ripple across the Atlantic.
White House seriously considering deal from Oracle to run TikTok
Any deal could face security concerns from China hawks in Congress.
Trump has long hated this media outlet. Now heโs ordering it dismantled.
President Donald Trump is gutting U.S.-backed global media, including Voice of America, that broadcasts news to millions worldwide โ and that he has long held a grudge against. The move comes after Trump signedย an executive order to hollow out a string of small government agencies and officesย late Friday. The order calls for the U.S. Agency [โฆ]
As cyberwarfare threat looms, cashless Nordic nations go back to banknotes | Miranda Bryant
Nordic countries were early adopters of digital payments. Now, electronic banking is seen as a potential threat to national securityIn 2018 a former deputy governor of Swedenโs central bank predicted that by 2025 the country would probably be cashless….
US launches new round of strikes targeting Houthis in Yemen
The attacks are the largest foreign military action taken to date by the Trump administration.
Kubilius: Brussels mulling new military intel satellites
โThe European Commission is considering expanding its satellite capacities to improve geospatial intelligence support for security,โ EU defense chief tells the FT.
Trump calls his opponents โscumโ and lawbreakers in bellicose speech at Justice Department
For more than an hour, he delivered an insult-laden speech that shattered the traditional notion of DOJ independence.
Romania far-right leader Simion cleared for presidential race
Far-right candidates have entered the May election fray following the exclusion of ultranationalist Cฤlin Georgescu.
Islamic State leader killed in โprecisionโ Iraq-US strike
Abu Khadija was considered “one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world,” Iraqi prime minister says.
Rubio says South Africaโs ambassador no longer welcome in US after criticizing Trump
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that South Africaโs ambassador to the U.S. is a โrace-baiting politicianโ who is no longer welcome in the country โ the latest sign of tension between the Trump administration and the African nation. Rubio declared that Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool is persona non grata in a social media post [โฆ]
Rival report to Knafoโs on EU tech sovereignty: more content, more cautious
The recommendations in the working document are currently too cautious and will be made more ambitious, aย source close to the matter told Euractiv.
Republican Russophilia: how Trump Putin-ised a party of cold war hawks
The idea of Moscow as a paragon of Christian nationalism has penetrated the party of Reagan โ and the lurch in US policy has huge implications for the global orderNever miss global breaking news. Download our free app to keep up with key stories in rea…
Trading giant Jane Street seeks to double London office footprint
New York-based group in talks for up to 500,000 sq ft of City space
Defence shortages create โtemptation for Putin to test usโ: EU Defence Commissioner Kubilius
The EU has just launched an ambitious-sounding defence plan, โReArmEUโ, and it is also publishing a landmarkย white paperย on defence. The person at the heart of these initiatives is our guest on the programme; Andrius Kubilius is the EU Commissioner in…
Trump says โthousandsโ of Ukrainian soldiers encircled in Kursk; Ukraine says thatโs โuntrueโ
Ukraine insists its troops aren’t surrounded, but they are pulling back from areas they captured last summer.
Huawei banned from European Parliament over bribery probe
Huawei is at the center of a corruption investigation by Belgian prosecutors.
AI use at work: Which are the most sceptical and the most enthusiastic countries in Europe?
Most EU workers believe AI technologies are having a positive impact on their job, but at the same time remain afraid robots might take them away in the future.
Der Streit zum Wochenende mit Michael Brรถcker
In dieser Extra-Ausgabe besprechen Gordon Repinski und Michael Brรถcker, Chefredakteur der Table Briefings, die zurรผckliegende Woche der Verhandlungen zwischen Union und SPD um eine neue Regierung und des Streits um milliardenschwere Sondervermรถgen.ย ย Sie sprechen รผber die Zwickmรผhlen von Friedrich Merz und seine ersten Fehler, das Stรผhlerรผcken in den Parteien, die vorerst endgรผltige Niederlage von Sahra [โฆ]
Huaweiโs tentacles in Brussels
The Chinese tech giant has many fingers in many pies.
Ukraine ceasefire: how might an end to fighting be enforced?
Satellite technology may help with the daunting task of monitoring violations along vast frontlineEnding a war is seldom straightforward. Even agreeing to a ceasefire comes with complications. Though Ukraine signed up to a 30-day ceasefire proposal aft…
EU lays out โmassive investmentโ boost in defense to deter Russia
The European Commission’s defense policy proposal lays out a strategy for the bloc to rearm.
Your highness got us looking so crazy right now
Say what you will about the royal family, but they have an amazing talent for tactfully celebrating their colonizing past every Commonwealth Day.
Huawei bribery scandal reignites anti-corruption fight in EU
Two years after Qatargate, Parliament is still split over reformin its ethics checks.
Can EU leaders handle a world on fire?
100 days in, Europeโs top leaders are facing a reality check.ย Ursula von der Leyen talks about a new sense of urgency โ but is she leading, or just firefighting? Antรณnio Costa wants to unify the bloc โ but can he keep Europe together on defense? Kaja Kallas vowed to sharpen EU foreign policy โ [โฆ]
When politicians fight the law and the law wins
As Mike Amesbury bows out of his career as a Labour MP after being caught on tape assaulting a constituent, this weekโs episode of Westminster Insider goes inside politiciansโ wrangles with the law. Host Sascha OโSullivan finds out if winding up in front of a judge can ever be survivable for a politician โ high-profile [โฆ]
Trump: Annexation of Greenland โwill happenโ
The Arctic island’s election winner panned U.S. president’s comments as “unacceptable.”
Portuguese president calls elections for May 18
It will be Portugal’s third election in as many years.
ESA’s space probe captures detailed images of Mars and its mysterious moon
Space probe Hera passed Mars while on its way to the Didymos asteroid system as part of planetary defence mission.
Spainโs Sรกnchez calls for cyber and climate to count as defence spending
Spanish premier says โour threat is not Russia bringing its troops across the Pyreneesโ
โSeveral peopleโ arrested in EU bribery investigation linked to Huawei
Homes searched in inquiry into alleged corruption at European parliament relating to Chinese technology giantSeveral people have been arrested and homes searched as part of an investigation into alleged bribery and corruption at the European parliament…
Commission organises DSA workshops on systemic risks
Article 34 and 35 require very large platforms to carry out risk assessment and mitigation measures under the DSA.
Belgian police arrest several in corruption probe linked to Huawei, European parliament
Several people were on Thursday arrested in a nationwide sweep in Belgium as part of a corruption probe in which Chinese tech giant Huawei was reported to be suspected of having bribed lawmakers in the European parliament. Arrests have also been made …
Fact-checking online claims that Donald Trump was recruited by the KGB as ‘Krasnov’
A Facebook post by an ex-KGB agent claiming that Donald Trump was recruited by Moscow in 1987 under the code name ‘Krasnov’ has sent social media into a spin. What’s the story behind the claim? Euroverify investigates.
Itโs time for Europeโs deep tech companies to go big
Reasserting technological sovereignty is becoming increasingly urgent
Strict rulebook for German coalition talks โ no selfies, no lateness, no leaks
From stringent media rules to meticulously controlled meals, the new coalition is leaving nothing to chance, a leaked document shows.
Hungary rebuked by EU court over trans refugeeโs gender status
Iranian transgender man had been seeking to correct Hungary’s asylum register which listed him as a woman.
Belgian authorities search Huawei offices in fresh European Parliament corruption probe
According to reports, the Chinese tech giant might have bribed former or current MEPs in Brussels. There have been no searches at the European Parliament so far.
Belgian police conduct raids as new corruption scandal rocks EU Parliament
Several individuals have been arrested.
When is Keir Starmerโs first reshuffle?
Sky Newsโ deputy political editor Sam Coates and Politicoโs Anne McElvoy have their guide to the day ahead in British politics. Itโs crunch time for Keir Starmerโs government. With rumours of a cabinet reshuffle rife โ when might it take place? And whoโs on the chopping block? This at a time when a rebellion over [โฆ]
Merz, Klingbeil und der lange Weg zur Koalition
โ Koalitionsverhandlungen und Sondersitzungen: Die Tage der politischen Gleichzeitigkeit haben begonnen. Was wo wie lรคuft, welche Regeln gelten, ob die Zeitplรคne passen, eine Analyse mit Gordon Repinski und Rasmus Buchsteiner. โ Im 200-Sekunden-Interview: Manuel Hagel, CDU-Landes- und Fraktionschef in Baden-Wรผrttemberg. Er spricht รผber die grรผnen Forderungen und wie man zusammenfinden kann, damit Merzโ Milliarden-Plan klappen [โฆ]
Station F: flying the flag for France tech and AI development
Of the Paris-based incubatorโs 40 best-performing start-ups, 34 have artificial intelligence at the core of their business
How can Trump push Putin toward peace?
The United States-Ukraine plan for a temporary ceasefire has turned up the heat on Russian President Vladimir Putin. What are Donald Trumpโs next moves if Putin either refuses to accept the deal or places unacceptable demands on Ukraine and its allies? Host Anne McElvoy talks to Kurt Volker, who has a particular insight into Trumpโs [โฆ]
Why sh*t gets real for Keir Starmer in June
A flurry of crucial policy reviews on areas that could define the U.K. prime minister’s government are coming due. POLITICO has you covered.
Starmer to target โcottage industry of blockersโ in overhaul of regulatorsย
UK prime minister will also talk up potential of AI to increase productivity across the state
Whoโs in Elonโs ear โ and DMs
Muskโs most trusted advisers remain a tight-knit group of executives who have followed him from his companies but lack political experience.
Trump doesnโt want โto hurt Irelandโ โ but he might
Irelandโs visiting prime minister endures an excruciating 45 minutes in Trumpโs live-TV star chamber as the U.S. leader swings at Brussels, not Dublin.
Israel critic tapped for top intelligence job under Gabbard
Daniel Davisโ has described U.S. support for war in Gaza as a โstainโ on the nation
Russia is conducting โstate-sponsored terrorismโ against Europe, EU chief diplomat warns
Investigation showed pro-Russia groups were offering crypto payments in exchange for hybrid attacks across Europe.
PMQs: Starmer wins as he shrugs off Badenochโs economic digs
Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch laid into the government’s economic plans โ but the prime minister came armed with comebacks.
EV battery startup Northvolt files for bankruptcy in Sweden
Swedish firm unable to โsecure the necessary financial conditions to continue in its current formโNorthvolt, the Swedish electric vehicle battery startup, has filed for bankruptcy in Sweden, marking the end of a company once seen as Europeโs best hope …
On the EUโs tariff hit list: American chicken wings, motorbikes and โฆ womenโs nรฉgligรฉes?
The European Commission is seeking feedback on a 99-page hit list and respondents have until March 26 to reply.
EU readies โsledgehammerโ against Trump tariffs
Brussels is set to strike back against the U.S. presidentโs 25 percent levies on steel and aluminum.
Trump administration briefing: education department to be halved as Trump walks back Canada tariffs
Education secretary Linda McMahon describes layoffs as โsignificant step towards restoring greatnessโ โ key US politics stories from Tuesday at a glanceThe US Department of Education intends to lay off nearly half of its workforce, the department has …
3 elections in 3 years: Portugalโs political crisis explained
After Luรญs Montenegro’s center-right government fell, voters will head back to the polls in May.
Musk blames Ukrainians for cyberattack on X. Experts arenโt convinced.
Evidence of Ukrainian involvement in X disruptions is very thin, cyber experts say.
US, Canada walk back tariff escalation
The White House said it would not double tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum after Ontario agreed to pause new duties on electricity exports to the U.S.
Employment committee to push for AI in the workplace law
The Committee is โworking hard to push the Commission to propose legislation,โ Committee Chair Li Andersson told Euractiv.
Kremlin: Romaniaโs election is โillegitimateโ without barred pro-Russia front-runner
The far-right front-runner was barred on Sunday from the presidential election’s rerun.
Latest GPAI Code of Practice draft kicks off lobbying fight
The Code can’t be killed, but could reinforce AI Act obligations or offer a way around them.
New air traffic technology can make European skies more sustainable and competitive
From heightened security threats to CO2 emissions targets, pressures on aviation are growing. A new roadmap charts a course for modernizing critical air traffic management.
Hereโs Britainโs pitch to Donald Trump on a new tech pact
The U.K. hopes teaming up with the U.S. on advanced tech might help avoid the president’s tariff wrath.
EU and Korea seal digital trade deal
Agreement with Seoul comes as the Donald Trump administration takes aim at the EUโs tech rulebook, which it sees as a trade barrier.
Germanyโs Greens make Merz sweat over massive spending plan
The Greens vow to foil the chancellor-in-waiting’s historic plan to invest big in defense and infrastructure. But it may just be a negotiating gambit.
Musk claims cyber attack on social network X came from โUkraine areaโ
Outage is latest trouble for worldโs richest personโs business interests since he joined the Trump administration
Polish PM Tusk cautions ‘friends’ against arrogance after Starlink spat
An extraordinary social media row erupted over the weekend between top U.S. and Polish officials over Starlink. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Poland’s foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski of “making things up” and suggested on Sunday he wa…
Elon Musk claims X falls to cyberattack
The purported cyberattack comes amid a groundswell of unrest over his crusade to slash the federal government.
EU social media law isnโt censorship, tech chief tells US critic
Henna Virkkunen tells U.S. member of Congress that the EU is ‘deeply committed’ to protecting free speech.
Trump and the future of European security: Le Monde’s Sylvie Kauffmann answers readers’ questions
What does the future of European defense look like, now that the United States is retreating from the continent? Sylvie Kauffmann, foreign affairs columnist at Le Monde and specialist in international relations, answers reader questions on social media.
Germanyโs Greens vow to quash Merzโs spending revolution
The party said they would not support the conservative chancellor-in-waiting’s paradigm-changing plan to invest massively in defense and infrastructure.
11 times Nigel Farage had a public bust-up with his colleagues
Reform UK leader’s falling-out with a fellow MP is the latest in a long list of quarrels with allies.
The Council mulls strategy to fix EUโs cloud computing issues
The telecom working party will discuss its oligopolistic structure, high resource consumption and slow permit granting, according to a document obtained by Euractiv.
Trump and Putin gang up on European centrists in Romaniaโs election crisis
Elon Musk slams Romanian authorities for banning far-right frontrunner Cฤlin Georgescu. Itโs another win for the Kremlin.
What are smartphones stealing from us? When mine was taken away, I found out | Alexander Hurst
As a film extra, I surrendered my device and discovered the extraordinary connections I miss while staring at my screenA few Thursdays ago was a wrap. For my brief acting career, that is. One of the benefits of having a writerโs schedule in a city like…
Total lunar eclipse to mesmerise skywatchers in March
Some observers will see only initial phase but those in North and South America can enjoy full celestial displayThis week, the moon experiences a total lunar eclipse, which although not as spectacular as a total solar eclipse is still a beautiful celes…
Proton CEO: Tech sovereignty requires demand for European services
“Europe needs to realise is that there is no difference between tech sovereignty and actual sovereignty,” said Andy Yen.
Die Selbstรผberschรคtzung der Grรผnen
โ Anstehende Koalitionsverhandlungen: Wie sehr kรถnnen die Grรผnen wirklich mitreden, deren Stimmen es fรผr das Sondervermรถgen braucht? Wรผrden sie das Milliardenpaket tatsรคchlich scheitern lassen? Eine Analyse von Gordon Repinski. โ Migration, Zurรผckweisungen, Asylwende: Rasmus Buchsteiner erklรคrt, wo sowohl CDU als auch SPD in den Sondierungen zurรผckgesteckt haben und wieso die groรe Wende wohl vorerst ausbleibt. [โฆ]
EU-US rift triggers call for made-in-Europe tech
Transatlantic tensions are fueling calls for the EU to wean itself off its U.S. tech addiction. It won’t be cheap.
How Britainโs slickest energy lobbyist wooed Labour
Octopus Energy boss Greg Jackson says he knows how to bring down bills. Others claim his ideas will starve the U.K. of green investment.
European rival to Musk satellites tests stomach for cross-border champions
Italian PM Giorgia Meloni’s possible deal with Starlink could pit national interests against European ones.
Von der Leyenโs first 100 days, graded
The Commission president promised to pull off seven political feats by March 10. Hereโs how she did.