Europe politics

Europe politics

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has told parliament that the country faces a critical moment and that major decisions are to be made about three major threats. Merz cited direct dangers posed to freedom, such as from Russia. In addition, he said, there was pressure on Germany's free-trade economy and the risk of political forces dividing society. Merz told the Bundestag that Germany needed to prepare for sweeping reforms.

The door to greater UK participation was pushed open in May when Keir Starmer and von der Leyen signed an EU-UK security and defence partnership. Without this pact, the UK could never supply more than 35% of the value of components of any Safe-funded project. Yet the UK still needs to negotiate a technical agreement to secure a bigger role for its defence firms, and the EU could impose limits on British participation.

The EU executive has called for a suspension of free trade with Israel and sanctions on two far-right Israeli ministers in response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Ursula von der Leyen had already floated the proposal to suspend the trade parts of the EU-Israel association agreement last week as the European Commission faced intense pressure for greater action amid criticism that it was not using its economic leverage to influence the Israeli government.

Follow the latest developments in the presidential race on our Irish Independent live blog Three candidates have been nominated by parties via the Oireachtas route - Catherine Connolly, Heather Humphreys and Jim Gavin Roscommon, Longford, Cork City, Galway City and Dublin City councils yesterday opted not to nominate anyone Presidential hopefuls pull on the wellies for campaigning at the Ploughing Championships

If you were a US-dwelling American in the year 2025, there's a very good chance that you would also want to emigrate. But why Portugal specifically? Expatsi, a company that helps Americans move abroad, published the results of a test that matches users to various countries. And Portugal came out on top. Should I take the test? Not really.

Delivering her state of the union address in Brussels last week, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, painted a grim but accurate picture of the challenges faced by Europe as the first quarter of the 21st century draws to a close. A world of imperial ambitions and imperial wars, she noted, is a world in which dependencies are ruthlessly weaponised.

With a pre-prepared statement about a catastrophic international result as the starter of a press briefing that concluded with a response to a public lashing from Roy Keane, perhaps this is the day that David Courell truly arrived as FAI chief executive.

The trade deal von der Leyen signed with Donald Trump in July was an unequal bargain, decried by right and left as a humiliation for Europe. Russia escalated its attacks on Ukraine, while EU leaders were left wincing at the spectacle of Trump's red carpet welcome for Russian president Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Israel's war on Gaza continued relentlessly, killing more than 64,000 people and bringing famine to the strip,

A statement from Eurojust, the European Union's criminal justice coordination body, said it had worked with Romanian, Czech and Hungarian authorities to capture an individual investigated for the crime of treason by way of transmitting state secrets. The Czech Republic expelled a Belarusian diplomat over the affair, as did Moldova. Eurojust did not identify the main suspect but the Hungarian news outlet Telex named him as Alexandru Balan, a former deputy head of the Moldovan intelligence service and for a time its liaison in Kyiv.

A majority of people across the EU's five biggest member states believe the European Commission sold citizens out when negotiating a humiliating tariff deal with Donald Trump that benefits the US far more than Europe, a survey has shown. The poll by Cluster17, which is published on Tuesday, found 77% of respondents ranging from 89% in France to 50% in Poland thought the deal would benefit above all the US economy, with only 2% believing it would benefit Europe's.

It had been expected that each candidate would be given 15 minutes to present - but this may be reduced given that 17 candidates are now seeking Kerry County Council backing

Given how strongly the Kremlin is opposed to any suggestion of NATO membership for Ukraine, it felt like a surprise when Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country wouldn't be opposed should Ukraine join the EU. "As for Ukraine's membership of the EU, we have never objected to this," Putin said while visiting China. "As for NATO, this is another issue." Observers were quick though to note that Putin was likely trying to appear as a peacemaker to US President Donald Trump.

Anyone entering the first room of the exhibition "Our Boys" in the Main Town Hall branch of the Museum of Gdansk is greeted by dozens of photos showing young men in the uniform of the Wehrmacht, the armed forces of Nazi Germany. Some of the men in the photos are smiling; some look extremely serious; some look sad.

Italy is considering keeping state flights secret after the satellite signal of the aircraft carrying the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, was allegedly jammed by Russia, Italian defence ministry sources said. Von der Leyen, a fierce critic of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and Moscow's war in Ukraine, was flying to Bulgaria on Sunday when her charter plane lost satellite navigation aids, delaying its arrival in Plovdiv, and reportedly forcing it to circle an airport for an hour.

"Since then, I have engaged in thoughtful conversations with people both in the Party and in the wider community. These discussions have reaffirmed my belief in the unique and vital role the Presidency plays in our national life. Fianna Fáil has a proud tradition of nominating people from different backgrounds, each bringing their own perspectives and experiences to the Office."

"It's more like a flying combat system," Christian Molling, a German security expert, told DW.

Navalnaya’s account on Instagram, where she shared the video, stayed up. On X, however, her account was suspended, sparking concern and outrage among the site's users.

Nick Thomas-Symonds, the Cabinet Office minister in charge of negotiating Britain's relationship with the EU, said on Wednesday he was looking forward to signing a deal to let young people travel and work more freely across Europe. His tone contrasted with that struck just a few months ago, when the government would not even say whether it was willing to enter negotiations over such a scheme.

Ovechkin is no stranger to the music industry. He's famously an enthusiast of the EDM and rap genres, even earning a name drop by Drake in Future's 2022 track, "I'm On One." He rapped himself in Sasha Belyi's Champion back in 2012. Ovechkin even looked like a natural as a rock star, headlining a fake band the Capitals came up with to kick off the "Rock the Red" era in 2008.

People Before Profit TD says he wouldn't underestimate Heather Humphreys, but association with Fine Gael could cause problems for her

The Independent provides vital on-the-ground coverage of significant issues like reproductive rights and Big Tech, focusing on delivering factual journalism without paywalls.

China and India are re-evaluating their historical relationship, possibly seeing each other as allies rather than adversaries due to changes in US trade policies.

"We went unarmed against bayonets. I feel, personally, as do other citizens who regularly attend protests, very upset, insecure, and unsafe, and that is a consequence of living under fascism, with all its manifestations."

Both Russia and Iran deny that Iranian-built drones have been used, but the triangle-shaped Shahed-136s have rained down on civilians in Kyiv and elsewhere.

Censors in Russia have altered or removed significant amounts of content from Western films and series, altering portrayals and key messages to align with the Kremlin's agenda.