Whatever happens on 12 April, the EU will emerge after the Hungarian elections without a suitable plan for the country and its future relations with the Union. Its entire Hungary strategy amounts to a single wager: that Orbán loses, writes Alberto Alemanno.
The real problem for the Baltics is not an unlikely Russian military attack in the future, but the divide-and-rule information operation going on right now, warns former editor at The Economist Edward Lucas.
Is the EU’s democratic foundation crumbling? A new report from 40 organisations warns of a concerted dismantling of the rule of law across Europe. From Hungary to surprising “sliders” like Germany, Denmark or France, EU commission recommendations are being ignored. But what does this mean?
Corruption, judicial bias and threats to media freedom – plenty of it exists across the EU, despite the institutions in Brussels making their absence a prerequisite for joining the bloc. In truth, the EU has been very reluctant to impose sanctions for rule of law breaches.
The terrorism bill is worded to apply to ethnic Palestinians convicted in future of murdering Jewish Israelis for political reasons.
The new funds are from the European defence industry programme, part of the bloc’s plans to scale up its defence industry.
So far, member states are acting individually with a mixture tax-cuts, price controls, targeted subsidies and market rules. The result is a medley of policies, some of which accelerate decarbonisation and renewables, while others risk driving emissions higher, even as supply shortages loom.
The Hormuz crisis is real and structural. The Druzhba pipeline dispute is a price grievance repackaged as a security emergency, and it is fracturing EU solidarity on Russia at the worst possible moment.
Ukrainian heavy artillery fire and tactical drones open path for long-range drones to reach and strike Russian rear, Rogozin said.
Some argue that Hungary should simply leave the EU. Yet the treaties contain no mechanism to expel a member state. And even if it were possible, a forced “Huxit” would not weaken Viktor Orbán — it would weaken the Hungarian people, warns German Green MEP Daniel Freund.
EUobserver reporter Nikolaj Nielsen is on the ground in Ukraine this week, as Russia escalates drone attacks and and the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas visits to mark the Bucha massacre anniversary, amid rising tension over blocked EU aid and Russian oil transit.
Vitaliy Sych, editor of Ukrainian online media NV, talks to EUobserver (in an interview interrupted by 75 Shahed drones bombing Kyiv) about Russian losses and propaganda, the flock of Gulf leaders now wanting to buy Ukrainian military tech, Vladimir Putin’s mindset, the Druzhba pipeline and Viktor Orban.
More than 1.25 million EU citizens are urging the EU to ban conversion practices targeting LGBTQ people, which often cause severe psychological harm. While some countries already prohibit them, EU-wide action faces legal and political hurdles, including limited EU competence, member state opposition, and disagreements over definitions and religious freedom concerns.
Trump rage-quit Nato, again, did mock impressions of Macron, insulted Saudi Arabia, and hand-mimed US missile strikes on Tehran.
France is hosting G7 talks this Monday to address Middle East-driven energy volatility and the Strait of Hormuz blockade. Meanwhile, EU ministers are tackling rising farming costs, and a landmark EU-Armenia summit begins this weekend. MEPs are visiting China and India to discuss trade and digital regulations.
With CO2 concentrations now at the highest level in the last two million years, Earth acts like an overheating smartphone unable to vent heat. 91 percent of this excess energy is surging into oceans, fueling “nuclear-grade” storms and $60bn wildfires. This isn’t just warming — it’s an accelerating climate emergency threatening global security and economic stability.
On Odesa’s sunlit Langeron beach, life resumes under gunfire as residents defy drones and propaganda alike. From fallen imperial statues to frontline defences, this port city fights not just Russia’s attacks, but the lingering shadows of empire today in the streets.
France would only lead a Hormuz mission “once calm returns, once the military objectives of the US are attained”, it said after EU powers met the US secretary of state. Marco Rubio said: “Ukraine is not America’s war, and yet we’ve contributed more to that fight than any other country in the world.”
Ukraine’s attack on oil terminals near St Petersburg prompted conspiracy theories of Nato collusion, but serious Russian bloggers did not take the bait.
The European Parliament has voted not to prolong an interim derogation from e-Privacy rules that allows online service providers to voluntarily detect, remove, and report child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and grooming. Meaning this essential safeguard set to expire on 3 April 2026. This decision is deeply concerning for child protection.