Press release – Ruslan Stefanchuk: โ€œPeace in Ukraine can only be achieved if we stay strongโ€

On Tuesday, the Chair of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, addressed a formal sitting of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.Committee on Foreign Affairs Source : ยฉ European Union, 2025 – EP

Press release – MEPs ask the ECB to assess the impact of global conflicts on price stability

Plenary adopted recommendations to the European Central Bank on Tuesday, following a debate on its priorities and activities with President Christine Lagarde on Monday.Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs Source : ยฉ European Union, 2025 – EP

Press release – Tuna fishing agreement with Cabo Verde approved by Parliament

56 EU vessels will be able to fish tuna and related species during the next five years in Cabo Verdeโ€™s waters, under an updated fisheries deal.Committee on Fisheries Source : ยฉ European Union, 2025 – EP

Russia lashes out at EU plans to seize its โ€˜shadow fleetโ€™ in the Baltic Sea

Moscow said any move to grab its oil exporting vessels would be seen as an attack against the country, after POLITICO revealed the new EU plans.

Time to sign?

SNEAK PEEK โ€” JD Vance lands in Paris as the U.K. tries to get on message.ย  โ€”ย Peter Kyle says an AI bill will avoid upsetting voluntary agreement with AI labs. โ€”ย The U.K.โ€™s own mini-summit kicks off in London. Good morning and happy Tuesday, This is Tom, coming to you from a cold press room in [โ€ฆ]

Virkkunen stands firm on American pushback against EU tech laws

SNEAK PEEK โ€” The EU plans to raise the American pushback against tech law with the U.S., said tech boss Henna Virkkunen. She also promised a more โ€œinnovation-friendlyโ€ AI regulatory framework. โ€” Rolling out AI should mean talking to workers and helping them gain new skills, said EESC president Oliver Rรถpke. Failing to get it [โ€ฆ]

Trump could remake USAID to promote fossil fuels

The presidentโ€™s allies want foreign aid repurposed to encourage more oil and gas development around the world.

Macron picks close ally to lead court that could decide Le Penโ€™s fate

Richard Ferrand’s appointment drew criticism even before being made official.

New ecodesign rules freeze out Europeโ€™s local space heaters

Proposed EU rules could see almost 100% of solid fuel local space heaters disappear from the European market, destroying European jobs, growth and competitiveness, warns CEFACD

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

 

Dr. AyลŸe 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 Tรผr…

Super Bowl: The NFL team Trump loves to hate

The president has left a breadcrumb trail suggesting nothing would make him happier than to see the Eagles get slaughtered in the Super Bowl.

Ukraine war briefing: Kim Jong-un vows ongoing support for Russiaโ€™s โ€˜just causeโ€™

North Korean leader also pledged further development of nuclear forces; UK foreign secretary says no imminent peace talks with Russia. What we know on day 1,082See all our Ukraine war coverageNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has pledged his ongoing supp…

What does Trump really want from Canada?

โ€œThe current game is maximum chaos,โ€ one industry leader says of the current state of Canada-U.S. relations

Britain led the world on AI safety. Now itโ€™s waiting for Trump.

Labour promised tough new rules for the worldโ€™s leading AI developers. But as Trump returns, ministers are thinking again.

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…

How do you get a German to vote? Give them free beer of course!

The pilsner plan is finding parts of the electorate other initiatives can’t reach.

BoE prepares to cut rates as economic risks take precedence

The outlook has darkened since Rachel Reeves’ budget, and a relative degree of indulgence for the U.K. from Donald Trump isn’t enough to make it better.

Putin ally Schrรถder avoids Nord Stream 2 inquiry after burnout diagnosis

The former German chancellor is suffering from severe exhaustion, lack of energy, concentration and memory problems, his doctor says.

Taming toxic temu, and your lead MEPs for Democracy Shield committee

And Greece and Luxembourg join the wave of worry over DeepSeek.
The post Taming toxic temu, and your lead MEPs for Democracy Shield committee appeared first on Euractiv.

How Britain can escape Trumpโ€™s tariffs: Buy American gas

As the threat of a trade war looms, Britain hopes it has a few secret weapons.

War of attrition strains Ukraineโ€™s army

Ukraine wants Donald Trump’s support, but has suffered thousands of casualties and desertions as it holds the line against Russia.

Brussels lowers its expectations for Keir Starmerโ€™s Brexit reset

EU officials and diplomats believe improvements to the cross-channel relationship are possible, and still happening โ€” but slowly.

Brussels vows โ€˜firmโ€™ response to potential Trump tariffs as EU braces for trade war

European Commission says the bloc “regrets” new U.S. tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China.

Nearly 180 detainees released by Israel, Hamas

As part of the cease-fire deal, Israel and Egypt on Saturday opened the Rafah border crossing, which has been closed for months.

Trump is wreaking havoc at USAID. Is the goal to shut it down?

The presidentโ€™s failure to name a USAID administrator and other steps seem to suggest that, at the very least, heโ€™ll fold USAID into the State Department.

French budget passes key hurdle, setting up high-stakes showdown next week

In a sign that bodes well for Bayrou, Socialist party leaders welcomedย the agreement.

UK urged to probe spate of Chinese flights for forced labor

Three new routes connecting Chinaโ€™s Xinjiang province to major U.K. airports have opened up since last summer.

Press release – Polish Presidency debriefs EP committees on priorities

Ministers are holding a series of meetings in parliamentary committees to present the priorities of the Polish Presidency of the Council.Committee on Constitutional AffairsCommittee on Agriculture and Rural DevelopmentCommittee on Culture and Education…

โ€˜Goddamn, do somethingโ€™ โ€” years of warnings came before DCโ€™s air tragedy

Air traffic controller shortages, soaring travel demand, a surge of airport near-collisions and complaints of congressional dysfunction escalated before the U.S. saw its first fatal domestic airline crash since 2009.

Ukraine war briefing: elderly couples among nine killed in Russian drone attack

Thirteen people wounded, including eight-year-old girl, in Sumy apartment block attack. Sweden pledges $1.2bn in Ukraine military aid, its biggest pledge yet. What we know on day 1,073See all our Ukraine war coverageA Russian drone attack on a resident…

Tulsi Gabbard grilled on Snowden, Assad and Putin in tense Senate hearing

Skeptical senators ruthlessly questioned Trumpโ€™s national security director nominee ahead of confirmation voteUS politics live โ€“ latest updatesTulsi Gabbard, Donald Trumpโ€™s nominee for national security director, refused to call the whistleblower Edwar…

Nigel Farageโ€™s next act: Hammer Labour on energy costs

Reform UK has started tying green policies to grimly high energy bills โ€” and some government MPs are getting nervous.

EU, seeking to woo Trump, offers to team up with US on China

The EU, the U.S. and Japan already teamed up in Trumpโ€™s first term to counter the competitive threat posed by China.

Trumpโ€™s beef with the World Health Organization is personal

Heโ€™s said the UN bodyโ€™s head, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, treated China better than him during the pandemic.

French PM jeopardizes budget deal with controversial migration โ€˜floodingโ€™ comment

Franรงois Bayrou sparked a wave of indignation with comment that France is suffering from “flooding” by immigrants.

โ€˜It will kill peopleโ€™: Chaos, confusion after Trump halts US foreign aid

The new directive puts some aid organizations at risk of bankruptcy.

Republican senator jabs Trump on Greenland: Itโ€™s an ally, not an asset

Lisa Murkowski, a frequent thorn in the U.S. president’s side, says the Arctic island is โ€œopen for business, but not for sale.โ€

Trump vs. Xi: Who Will Win the Trade War?

Donald Trump launched a two-year trade war against China during his first term in the White House, and heโ€™s poised to do it again. Even before being sworn in, Trump threatened China with 60 percent tariffs to cut its trade surplus, 10 percent tariffs if it didnโ€™t halt fentanyl shipments and 100 percent tariffs if [โ€ฆ]

How Trump silenced tech giants on his Paris withdrawal

Silicon Valley loudly criticized President Donald Trump when he quit the climate accord in his first term. This time? Crickets.

Putting EU troops in Greenland makes sense, blocโ€™s top military official says

It “would send a strong signal and could contribute to stability in the region,” Robert Brieger, head of the EU’s highest military body, tells Welt am Sonntag.

CIA now says Covid-19 is more likely to have originated from a lab leak

The intelligence agency has said for years it couldnโ€™t say with certainty where the pandemic originated from.

Trump promised some tariffs immediately. Theyโ€™re not here โ€” yet.

The president likely hasnโ€™t made up his mind on which tariffs to enact.

Let the political games begin: French athletes don’t want to return to era of ‘poverty, depression’

Following an exceptional Summer Olympic Games last summer in Paris, the French sportsworld is up in arms over the PM’s planned 33% budget cuts which would prove devastating to their sector. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective, FRANCE 24’s C…

UK climate chief Ed Miliband is fighting a losing battle

The Treasury is gung-ho about airport expansion โ€” despite longstanding climate concerns of the government’s energy secretary.

Europe hasnโ€™t grasped the real economic threat from Trump

It’s not industrial policy that the bloc has to worry about, it’s the rise of national capitalism.

Micheรกl Martin elected Irish prime minister after chaotic opposition showdown

Parliamentary fight shows Martinโ€™s coalition could be vulnerable because of its dependence on independents. Sinn Fรฉin is taking aim.

EU Parliamentโ€™s SANT Committee finally sees the light

The plenary’s update ends months of strained MEP negotiations on the remit of the first-ever fully-fledged health committee
The post EU Parliament’s SANT Committee finally sees the light appeared first on Euractiv.

Press release – MEPs: support for Venezuelaโ€™s opposition is a โ€œmoral dutyโ€

The regime of Nicolas Maduro is illegitimate and his presidency constitutes an unlawful attempt to remain in power by force, MEPs say in a resolution adopted on Thursday.Committee on Foreign Affairs Source : ยฉ European Union, 2025 – EP

Press release – Composition of Parliamentโ€™s new committees released

The names of the members of the two upgraded committees and two new special committees were announced by the European Parliament on Thursday.Committee on Constitutional Affairs Source : ยฉ European Union, 2025 – EP

UK ethics watchdog warns next big government scandal is coming

Outgoing Acoba boss Eric Pickles tells POLITICO that government departments are failing to get a grip on massive revolving door risks.

Press release – Parliament denounces the upcoming sham presidential election in Belarus

In a resolution adopted on Wednesday, MEPs call on the EU to reject the upcoming presidential election in Belarus on 26 January as a sham.Committee on Foreign Affairs Source : ยฉ European Union, 2025 – EP

EUโ€™s Clean Industrial Deal to cover six themes from energy prices to trade

The contours of a mammoth industrial decarbonization strategy are taking shape ahead of its Feb. 26 unveiling.

Trumpโ€™s aid freeze leaves weapons flowing to Ukraine

Other aid flows were secured before Trump became president, but reconstruction aid may be affected by the freeze.

EUโ€™s biggest secessionist movement is losing momentum

And Catalonia’s new President wants to shoot it dead.

Starmer warns of online radicalization in wake of Southport murders

UK prime minister signals threat posed by “loners, misfitsโ€ and โ€œyoung men in their bedroom.”

Trump signs executive order to give TikTok extension

The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the sell-or-ban law.

Press release – Enforcing the Digital Services Act: press conference on Tuesday at 15.30 CET

Following tomorrowโ€™s debate on the enforcement of EU digital rules to protect democracy online, Christel Schaldemose (S&D, DK) will hold a press conference.Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Source : ยฉ European Union, 2025 – EP

TikTok goes dark in the US

โ€œWe are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office,โ€ the company said in a notice on the app.

Former MEP Maria Arena charged in Qatargate scandal

Ex-S&D politician is charged with participating in a criminal organization, more than two years after the corruption scandal broke.

Von der Leyen emerges from illness to join show of support for Germanyโ€™s Merz

European Commission president is in Berlin for her first public appearance since she was admitted to hospital.

Trumpโ€™s got a radioactive time bomb under Greenlandโ€™s ice

The U.S. would inherit an environmental time bomb of its own making if it lays claim to the massive Arctic island.

Parliamentโ€™s new health committee sparks โ€˜ego clashesโ€™ over key files

The environment and research and energy committees will not give up on some health competencies.
The post Parliament’s new health committee sparks ‘ego clashes’ over key files appeared first on Euractiv.

Germanyโ€™s Scholz ignites fierce debate by making Ukraine aid contingent on borrowing

Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s latest demand is likely to stall a โ‚ฌ3 billion aid package to the war-ravaged country as Russian forces continue their advance.

โ€˜Everyoneโ€™s trying to kiss the ringโ€™: Trumpโ€™s inauguration devours corporate cash, smashing records

Donations are flying in from some of the worldโ€™s biggest companies โ€” and though many have contributed before, the checks this year are bigger.

Press release – MEPs choose Bruno Gencarelli as top candidate for EU data protection watchdog

The Civil Liberties Committee selected Bruno Gencarelli as their preferred candidate for the role of European Data Protection Supervisor in a vote on Thursday.Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Source : ยฉ European Union, 2025 – EP

โ€˜Optimism laced with cautionโ€™: The delicate task of Syriaโ€™s political transition

Syria is stepping into a new reality โ€” but its political contours have yet to take shape.

Ukraine war briefing: US House speaker dumps key Ukraine backer Mike Turner

Mike Johnson removes his fellow Republican as chair of powerful intelligence committee; Poland says Europe must take care of itself. What we know on day 1,058Mike Johnson, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, on Wednesday removed his fellow …

EU leaders urge Israel and Hamas to abide by new cease-fire deal

Multiple officials underlined the fragility of the agreement and stressed the importance of how it is implemented. The fighting continues.

Germanyโ€™s Scholz under political pressure over โ‚ฌ3B Ukraine aid package

Beleaguered chancellor says more aid to Ukraine could mean cuts to pensions and local government funding.

Knives are out for Britainโ€™s boxed-in finance minister

If Rachel Reeves succumbs, “the wolves” are likely to turn on embattled PM Starmer.

Democrats seek to sink Pete Hegsethโ€™s Pentagon nomination

The treatment of Trumpโ€™s Pentagon pick will likely determine how other nominees fare.

Trumpโ€™s nominees are suddenly looking safer

Republican senators are closing ranks around his most controversial picks.

Rethink welfare to finance military splurge, NATO boss tells European Parliament

If spending doesn’t rise, then MEPs should “get out your Russian language courses or go to New Zealand.”

Press release – Rutte to MEPs: โ€œWe are safe now, we might not be safe in five yearsโ€

On Monday afternoon, MEPs discussed the security situation in Europe and beyond as well as defence and EU-NATO cooperation with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.Committee on Foreign AffairsCommittee on Security and Defence Source : ยฉ European Union, 2…

โ€˜I Think Things Are Going to Be Bad, Really Badโ€™: The US Military Debates Possible Deployment on US Soil Under Trump

Trump has said he wants to use active duty U.S. troops to quell protests and round up immigrants. Will the military comply?

Musk, Meta fuel far-right attack against EU tech โ€˜censorshipโ€™

Far-right lawmakers feel empowered to step up their attacks against EU social media rules.

Press release – MEPs to discuss European and global security with NATO Secretary General Rutte

On Monday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will make his first official visit to the European Parliament since taking office on 1 October 2024.Committee on Foreign Affairs Source : ยฉ European Union, 2025 – EP

Donald Trump Jr.โ€™s visit was โ€˜staged,โ€™ says Greenland lawmaker

โ€œWe know how they treat the Inuit in Alaska. Make that great before trying to invade us,โ€ Pipaluk Lynge tells POLITICO.

Doctors present first barrier for rare diseaseย patientsย 

Overcoming the doctor’s ego is a first hurdle for many rare disease patients in search of a diagnosis.

US foreign affairs committee lauds Trumpโ€™s expansionist rhetoric

“President Trump has the biggest dreams for America and itโ€™s un-American to be afraid of big dreams,โ€ the committee wrote online.

What California can learn from the place that invented the initiative

Our California ballot-measure reporter heads to Switzerland on the 150th anniversary of its first federal referendum to see what a state mad about direct democracy can take away from the country that devised i

Biden blocks US Steel sale to Japanese competitor

The president has long opposed the sale to Japanโ€™s Nippon Steel.

How the House of Lords could assist in the death of Britainโ€™s assisted dying bill

One critic of the plan in the upper chamber says they may ask MPs โ€œto come back with a better bill that is less dangerous.โ€

Belgian mayors call for Europe-wide ban on sale of fireworks

Animal rights activists, however, say a nationwide ban in Belgium should come first.

French government to copy-paste budget that led to predecessorโ€™s downfall

But finance ministry officials insist it’s just a time-saving move, not an endorsement of Michel Barnier’s plans.

Agnes Keleti, oldest living Olympic gold medallist, dies at 103

Hungarian gymnast survived persecution of Jews in second world war and won five golds across two GamesThe Hungarian five-time Olympic champion gymnast Agnes Keleti, the worldโ€™s oldest living Olympic gold medallist and a survivor of the persecution of J…

Britain wants to reset its Brexit reset

To get talks back on track in the coming year, Keir Starmer and his team are filling their diary with trips to Brussels.

Europeโ€™s slow but โ€˜inevitableโ€™ march to allow assisted dying

The U.K. is the latest country to move toward legalizing the controversial yet evermore popular practice.

Putin apologizes for Azerbaijan Airlines crash without saying Russia at fault

Russian president says the airliner was attempting to land in Grozny amid Ukrainian drone attacks in the area.

Westminsterโ€™s top books of 2024

POLITICO asked politicians and chroniclers of SW1 to tell us the book they most enjoyed reading this year โ€” here are the results, in their own words.