The Socialists presented the budget plan of a potential left-wing government during a summer conference in the city of Blois. However, the initiative failed to win over their partners and was harshly criticized by Jean-Luc Mélenchon of radical left La France Insoumise. As the rain fell in the central French...
What’s happening with Macron’s government, confidence vote or collapse?
France is staring down at yet another political crisis. Prime Minister François Bayrou has announced a confidence vote for the 8th of September, a move that could very well bring down his government. Bayrou is pushing through an austerity plan worth 44 billion euros to cut France’s soaring deficit, currently...
Out of the castle: Europe needs to rethink China
Europe’s ancient castles stand as majestic monuments to a divided past. Their towering walls, built to keep 'us' safe from 'them', reveal more than medieval engineering prowess — they embody a defensive worldview that once dominated global politics. Today, as Europe navigates its relationship with China, it faces a critical...
US explored energy deals with Russia during Ukraine peace talks
US and Russian officials quietly discussed potential energy deals earlier this month, while holding talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine Possible arrangements were presented as incentives for Moscow to consider peace terms and for Washington to ease sanctions, according to anonymous sources cited by Reuters on Tuesday evening...
The Brussels Bubble is a conveyor belt of potential, crushed into uniformity
Brussels is a city of ambition Every year, thousands of young people arrive with big dreams and the hope of helping shape Europe. Job ads promise engagement, impact, and innovation. But what the majority of us fresh arrivals find instead is a grind of back-to-back meetings, endless forms, and reports...
US president Donald Trump has threatened to slap tariffs on any country that imposes digital taxes or regulatory limits on US tech companies
In a post on his Truth Social platform late on Monday (25 August), Trump railed against “Digital Taxes, Legislation, Rules, or Regulations,” and warned he could impose more tariffs and tighten controls on US technology exports. “As the President of the United States, I will stand up to countries that...
Europe’s social welfare crisis is driven by an unlikely culprit: our pension funds
When Friedrich Merz recently declared that Germany can no longer afford its welfare state, he was diagnosing a crisis that extends far beyond German borders. Across Europe and in many advanced economies, ageing populations and rising welfare costs have governments scrambling for solutions. But this crisis is a product of...
UK anti-slavery commissioner launches investigation into ‘pimping websites’
Eleanor Lyons will interview women who say they have been trafficked into sex work and advertised online. The independent anti-slavery commissioner has launched an investigation into so-called pimping websites amid concern at the level of exploitation of trafficked and vulnerable women on those platforms. Eleanor Lyons will interview women who...
Ukraine lawmaker shot dead in western city of Lviv
Andriy Parubiy, a Ukrainian politician who previously served as the parliament speaker, was shot dead in western city of Lviv on Saturday. Prosecutors have opened a murder investigation and said police were still searching for the shooter but have not mentioned possible motives at this stage. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy...
Schengen hollowed out: how Germany normalises the exception
Permanent border controls are illegal under Schengen rules, which govern much of Europe. The system allows for temporary “exceptions” if countries justify them as a last resort. In practice, the European Commission has normalised granting these exemptions, and since they are time-limited, officials can insist Schengen is intact even as...