Germany’s China Challenge: Between Rhetoric and Reality

After years of appeasement, Berlin’s attitude to China is hardening. But concrete actions remain elusive. Former Chancellor Angela Merkel came to power in 2005 as a vocal critic of China’s human rights record but gradually adopted a softer stance. While the European Union began labeling China a systemic rival, Merkel...

Kremlin Financial Retaliation? Empty Threats

The Putin regime realizes its war of aggression will be seriously affected if financial assets are handed to Ukraine. But it’s impotent. It’s no surprise the Kremlin has reacted angrily to news that at least $164 bn (and probably much more) in frozen Russian taxpayer funds will likely be used...

European railways show a dangerous failure

While Europe faces the most dangerous security situation in decades, the European Union institutions remain mired in their own rules, procedures, and member state hesitations. Grand speeches about solidarity and deterrence ring hollow when heavy military convoys can take weeks to cross borders within the supposedly border-free Schengen zone. A...

10,000 Slovenians suffer heavy losses over Austrian Ponzi scheme collapse

The Austrian company operating the Lyconet network and the Cashback World program has left thousands of investors worldwide reeling. In Slovenia, where over 10,000 individuals reportedly invested in Lyconet – labeled a Ponzi scheme in several European countries, many fear losing substantial sums, with some having invested over €100,000 or...

EU seeks €133 billion for Ukraine in 2026–27 to avert collapse

Ukraine’s European allies explore reparation loans from frozen Russian assets, avoiding confiscation.To address its budget and military needs in 2026 and 2027, Ukraine requires approximately €133 billion to prevent a “collapse” in its war efforts against Russia, an EU official told EUalive’s partner European Pravda on condition of anonymity. The...

Europe exposed: malicious email messages top cyber threat list

The uneven geographical distribution of risks highlights the need for measures tailored to national contexts. In the second quarter of 2025, email was the only growing source of threats in Eastern Europe, with 4.10% of ICS computers attacked via this vector which is 1.3 times higher than the global average...

Risks of Babiš’ return to power in Czechia

Should Prague join the “sceptic camp” led by Budapest and Bratislava, it could tilt the balance against enlargement momentum. Traditionally, Czechia has been among the bloc’s most active champions of bringing in new members from both the Western Balkans and the Eastern Neighbourhood, often pushing above its weight in EU...

Romania launches volunteer military training programme

Against a backdrop of growing regional insecurity, Romania is pushing to rejuvenate and expand its depleted reserve forces. The Romanian government approved legislation introducing an expanded volunteer military training programme as part of a broader push to modernize the NATO member state’s defence capabilities and rebuild its reserve forces. The...

Kremlin propaganda and the reaction to the possible supply of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine

Russia’s deepest fears are all-too-visible in its media output. High-performance cruise missiles are high on its anxieties list. The propagandists and experts serving the Putin regime fulfill several functions. Their main, state-directed role is to repeat and refine official talking points handed down during regular Kremlin meetings. For outside observers,...