Europe

El presidente estadounidense dijo que llevaría a cabo una revisión de la presencia militar de EE.UU. en Europa tras las críticas públicas a la guerra entre Estados Unidos e Israel contra Irán. Italia y España se han sumado a una creciente lista de países a los que el presidente Donald Trump amenaza con retirarles las tropas estadounidenses, como parte de una revisión más amplia de la presencia militar de EE.UU. en Europa. Al responder a una pregunta de un periodista, Trump dijo que “probablemente” consideraría tal medida, vinculándola a las críticas de ambos países a la campaña estadounidense en Irán. “Miren, ¿por qué no lo haría? Italia no nos ha sido de ninguna ayuda y España ha sido horrible, absolutamente horrible”. Seguir leyendo...

Las declaraciones del presidente de EE. UU. se producen tras los comentarios del canciller alemán de que EE. UU. estaba siendo «humillado» en el conflicto. El presidente estadounidense Donald Trump amenazó anoche con reducir el número de tropas desplegadas en Alemania, después de que el canciller Friedrich Merz dijera esta semana que EE. UU. estaba siendo «humillado» por Irán. Trump afirmó que EE. UU. estaba «estudiando y revisando la posible reducción de tropas en Alemania, con una determinación que se tomará en el próximo breve periodo de tiempo». «El canciller de Alemania, Friedrich Merz, piensa que está bien que Irán tenga un Arma Nuclear. ¡No sabe de lo que está hablando! Si Irán tuviera un Arma Nuclear, el mundo entero sería tomado como rehén. Estoy haciendo algo con Irán, ahora mismo, que otras naciones, o presidentes, deberían haber hecho hace mucho tiempo. ¡No es de extrañar que a Alemania le vaya tan mal, tanto económicamente como en otros aspectos! Presidente DONALD J. TRUMP» Continuar leyendo...

El jefe de la Royal Navy afirma que la fuerza naval unificada disuadirá futuras amenazas rusas desde la ‘frontera de mar abierto’ hacia el norte Reino Unido ha acordado crear una fuerza naval unificada con nueve países europeos para disuadir futuras amenazas rusas desde la ‘frontera de mar abierto’ hacia el norte, según ha anunciado el jefe de la Royal Navy. El Gen Sir Gwyn Jenkins insistió en que, a pesar de la crisis actual en Oriente Medio, donde el strait of Hormuz permanece cerrado tras la guerra entre US-Israel en Irán, “Rusia sigue siendo la amenaza más grave para nuestra seguridad”. Continuar leyendo...

Article 42.7 había languidecido en la oscuridad durante décadas – hasta que Donald Trump comenzó a sembrar dudas sobre el compromiso de US con Nato • ¿No recibe This Is Europe en su bandeja de entrada? Regístrese aquí La mayoría de la gente ha oído hablar del article 5 de Nato. La cláusula de “uno para todos, todos para uno” establece que un ataque armado contra un país miembro debe considerarse un ataque contra todos, lo que requiere que los estados miembros acudan en ayuda de la víctima – incluyendo “el uso de la fuerza armada”. No tantos, hasta esta semana, habían oído hablar de la propia cláusula de defensa mutua de la EU, article 42.7 (pdf), que dice que si un estado miembro es objeto de un ataque armado, los demás “tendrán hacia él una obligación de ayuda y asistencia por todos los medios a su alcance”. Eso se debe quizás a que no había habido, hasta hace poco, mucha necesidad de que los europeos consultaran el article 42.7. Más de 40 bases militares de US y 85,000 soldados en toda la EU (y UK) fueron testimonio del compromiso de defensa de Washington con el viejo continente. Siga leyendo...

• Ursula von der Leyen se reunirá más tarde con el nuevo líder húngaro, quien busca desbloquear fondos de la UE a cambio de reformas • Von der Leyen afirma que “cada estado miembro tiene un energy mix diferente”, por lo que no funcionaría una solución de la UE generalizada. • Pero pide una mayor coordinación no solo en la contratación común, sino también en las reservas de combustible, “especialmente jet fuel y diesel, donde los mercados se están tensionando”.

• Ocho miembros de la UE continúan incluyendo el uso de la fuerza o la violencia en las definiciones de sus códigos penales nacionales • El Parlamento Europeo ha pedido a la UE que elabore una definición estandarizada de violación basada en el consentimiento, en lo que los legisladores describieron como un paso crucial para abordar el mosaico de leyes, algunas de ellas insuficientes, que actualmente existen en todo el bloque. • Este martes, 447 de los 720 eurodiputados del Parlamento votaron a favor de aprobar un informe que pide una definición común de violación, centrada en el principio de «solo sí es sí», lo que provocó una sonora ovación en la cámara de Estrasburgo. Continuar leyendo...

• El organismo sectorial afirma que los altos precios del combustible y los retrasos de los pasajeros causados por el sistema de entradas y salidas (EES) de la UE están generando problemas. • Los aeropuertos más pequeños de Europa podrían no sobrevivir si la escasez de combustible para aviones, provocada por la crisis en Oriente Medio, conlleva cancelaciones generalizadas de rutas, ha advertido el organismo comercial de la industria. • Aunque las aerolíneas insisten en que actualmente no hay problemas de suministro dentro del horizonte normal de cuatro a seis semanas, la guerra entre Estados Unidos e Israel contra Irán y el cierre efectivo del estrecho de Ormuz han duplicado el precio del combustible para aviones, impulsando a algunas operadoras a cancelar vuelos.

El presidente de Francia, quien también es copríncipe del microestado, tiene previsto hablar francamente sobre este tema en un país con algunas de las leyes sobre el aborto más estrictas de Europa Meanwhile, Macron está visitando la escuela primaria andorrana en Santa Coloma y está disfrutando plenamente de pasar tiempo con los niños, posando alegremente para las fotos con las banderas de Andorra. La semana pasada, sugirió que dejaría la política al final de su mandato en mayo del próximo año, por lo que deberíamos esperar ver más viajes e intervenciones de este tipo para construir su legado al entrar en su último año de cargo. Siga leyendo...

Resolution Foundation report says ‘crisis’ stems from rising ill-health and a failing system of benefits and job supportBritain has the third-highest rate of young people not in work or education among Europe’s richest countries because of rising ill-health and a failing system of benefits and job support, a report has warned.The Resolution Foundation thinktank said the UK was facing a “crisis” in youth jobs amid a dramatic rise in the number of 16- to 24-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training (Neets) to almost 1 million – the highest level in more than a decade. Continue reading...

Across country, more than 10 people have been injured as Ukrainian prime minister Julia Svyrydenko prepares to visit PolandAnother night of Russian drone attacks on Ukraine overnight left more than 10 people injured, particularly damaging residential buildings in the Odesa region.The strikes caused the biggest damage in the central Prymorskyi district, where residential buildings, a hotel and facilities in the center of the city were damaged, Serhiy Lysak, the head of the local military administration, said on Telegram in comments reported by Reuters. Continue reading...

• The European Union announced a €2.1 billion emergency aid package for Ukraine on Friday, aimed at supporting reconstruction efforts and civilian needs amid Russia's intensified spring offensive across multiple fronts in eastern Ukraine. • EU officials stated the funds would prioritize healthcare infrastructure, food security, and electricity grid repairs, with disbursement beginning within two weeks pending parliamentary approval scheduled for April 30. • Ukraine's finance minister praised the commitment but warned that current assistance levels remain insufficient to offset projected $14 billion in war-related economic losses this year alone.

• NATO announced Friday the deployment of 5,000 additional personnel to Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, citing concerns over Russian military buildups near the Ukraine border and increased reconnaissance flights in NATO airspace. • The alliance activated contingency protocols allowing individual member states to request reinforcements without full consensus; Poland alone will receive 2,500 troops, primarily from the United States and Germany. • Russia's Foreign Ministry condemned the deployment as "provocative" and pledged countermeasures, while NATO Secretary-General stated the move was "defensive and proportional" to regional security threats.

Iranian intelligence services apparently recruiting via intermediaries to mount attacks aimed at sowing chaosIranian intelligence services and Revolutionary Guards operatives are recruiting teenagers through criminal intermediaries to launch a wave of low-level “hybrid warfare” attacks in Europe and the UK, according to investigators, security officials, analysts and police documents.A first wave of attacks was launched in early March, 10 days after the US and Israel began strikes on Iran, and targeted Jewish community sites in Belgium, the Netherlands and US banks. A second wave has focused on the UK, with a series of arson and attempted arson attacks on synagogues, a Jewish charity and the offices of an Iranian opposition TV network in London. Continue reading...

Move comes after Hungary and Slovakia dropped opposition following reopening of the Druzhba oil pipelineEU leaders are set to meet in Cyprus this evening to discuss the latest on the Middle East and the next EU budget, starting in 2028.But it looks like they will have a bit of a detour – and a reason to celebrate, too – as the long-awaited €90bn loan for Ukraine and the 20th package of sanctions against Russia are on course to be unblocked after four months of delays caused by Hungary’s Viktor Orbán. Continue reading...

Lawyers for oligarch claim freezing of £5.3bn of assets ‘unfair and abusive’ amid row over use of funds for Ukraine Roman Abramovich has gone to the European court of human rights (ECHR), claiming that a criminal investigation into his financial affairs by the Jersey authorities has breached his human rights, according to reports.The former owner of Chelsea FC, who is sanctioned in the UK over his links to Vladimir Putin, is under investigation in Jersey over allegations of corruption and money laundering. Continue reading...

Donald Trump’s conflict with Iran could speed the EU’s green revolution – if panicking governments can hold their nerve on clean energy• Don’t get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereA surge in demand for electric vehicles across Europe may be evidence of what George Monbiot greeted as the silver lining of the Iran war. Sales of electric cars in continental Europe rose by 51% in March.The International Energy Agency has called the disruption in the strait of Hormuz the “biggest energy crisis in history”, but it appears, on one level, to be accelerating Europe’s green revolution. Yet, even if car-owners are rushing to the EV showrooms, some European governments, facing a groundswell of anger over soaring petrol and gas prices, are at risk of sending the clean energy transition into reverse. Continue reading...

Budget airline says change will take effect from November and will give passengers more time to clear securityRyanair will close airport check-in desks 20 minutes earlier to avoid passengers missing flights, it has announced, amid concern over border queues in Europe.The budget airline, which carries 200 million passengers annually, will require all passengers dropping bags or checking in at the airport to do so one hour before take-off rather than the current 40-minute deadline. Continue reading...

Member states meet this morning to discuss loan after longstanding disagreement between Kyiv and outgoing Hungarian PM Viktor OrbánAfter four months of very public disagreements between Ukraine and Hungary, today could be the day when the EU finally signs off (for the second time) on the critical €90bn loan for Kyiv.Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed yesterday that the Druzhba pipeline, carrying Russian oil imports to Hungary and Slovakia, has been repaired and is ready to be used again. EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said yesterday she expected “a positive decision” within the next 24 hours. Continue reading...

Research finds global heating has already lengthened the pollen season in addition to worsening heatwaves and droughtsClimate breakdown has extended the pollen season in the UK and mainland Europe by between one and two weeks since the 1990s, a study has found, adding itchy eyes and runny noses to the harm wrought by fossil fuel pollution.The finding may be less dramatic than the floods and wildfires typically associated with a warming planet but represents a “huge” increase in the combined suffering of tens of millions of people, the researchers say. Continue reading...

Representatives from EU countries are meeting in Luxembourg todayJust as expected.Spain’s foreign minister José Manuel Albares has just confirmed that Spain, Slovenia and Ireland have requested a discussion on suspending the EU’s association treaty with Israel at today’s meeting of the bloc’s foreign ministers.“European Union has to say today very clearly to Israel that that change is needed. That’s not the right path, and that while Israel continues in that path of a permanent perpetual war, we will not be able to [run our relations] in the same way.” Continue reading...

Norway leads the way in terms of switching as data shows 224,000 new EVs were registered in MarchBusiness live – latest updatesSales of electric cars soared 51% in continental Europe last month, amid a rise in petrol and diesel costs driven by the Iran war.Data shows that 224,000 new electric vehicles (EVs) were registered in March, and 500,000 across the first three months of the year – a 33.5% increase on a year earlier, according to analysis of national sales data in 15 countries by New Automotive and E-Mobility Europe, a trade body. Continue reading...

Former president looks likely to take power following eighth election in five yearsBulgarian ex-president Rumen Radev – an EU critic who has called for renewing ties with Russia – on Sunday hailed a “victory of hope” after his formation topped the eighth parliamentary elections in five years.Projections from polling agencies put his Progressive Bulgaria (PB) grouping at 44%, which would give him an absolute majority of at least 129 seats in the 240-seat parliament. Continue reading...

FC Basel and Polish stadium stop US rapper’s upcoming shows, after similar cancellations in France and UK over antisemitic commentsKanye West’s upcoming concerts in Poland and Switzerland have been cancelled, as a growing number of European countries have stopped or postponed the US rapper’s performances amid a furore over his past antisemitic comments.Swiss football club FC Basel, which is responsible for concerts and events that take place at its St Jakob-Park ground, told Reuters on Saturday that after reviewing a request for West to perform there in June, it decided against it. Continue reading...

• Sequoia Capital announced a $7 billion expansion fund under new leadership specifically targeting late-stage AI startups across the U.S. and Europe. • The fund aims to accelerate growth for mature AI companies navigating scaling challenges in competitive markets. • This massive capital injection underscores surging investor confidence in AI's long-term potential amid rapid technological advancements.

• The European Commission introduced draft legislation on April 18 to impose stricter sanctions on Russian oil, gas, and refining infrastructure, aiming to reduce EU energy dependence by 35% within two years. • The proposal includes price caps on Russian liquefied natural gas imports and expanded restrictions on third-party shipping companies, targeting the "shadow fleet" used to circumvent existing penalties. • EU energy ministers debated the plan in Brussels, with Hungary and Slovakia expressing concerns about potential economic costs to their economies, though Germany and Poland voiced strong support.

There will be flight cancellations ‘soon’ if oil supplies are not restored in coming weeks, says head of IEABusiness live – latest updatesMiddle East crisis – live updatesEurope has only six weeks’ supply of jet fuel left before shortages will hit because of the Iran war, according to the head of a global energy watchdog.Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), said there would be flight cancellations “soon” if oil supplies from the Middle East were not restored within the coming weeks. Continue reading...

Ukrainian president says nearly 700 Russian drones and 19 ballistic missiles mostly targeted Kyiv, Odesa and DniproUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia “does not deserve any easing … or lifting on sanctions” after an overnight attack killed 16 and wounded 100 people in Ukraine.He said:“Russia is betting on war, and the response must be exactly that: we must defend lives with all available means, and we must also apply pressure for the sake of peace with the same full force.”There can be no normalisation of Russia as it is today. Pressure on Russia must work. Continue reading...

Leaders of Poland and Germany hail Péter Magyar’s majority as a turning of the tide – but analysts say there were other reasons for defeat of prime ministerFor Poland’s Donald Tusk, the crushing defeat of Hungary’s illiberal prime minister, Viktor Orbán, after 16 years in office was evidence that the world was “not condemned to authoritarian and corrupt governments”.Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, also believes the two-thirds majority secured by Orbán’s centre-right challenger, Péter Magyar, in Sunday’s elections was “a clear signal against rightwing populism” that showed “the pendulum is swinging back”. Continue reading...

Prime minister elect says he expects new government to be in place by mid-MayElection winner Péter Magyar has confirmed work is under way to form the new Hungarian government by mid-May after holding talks with the country’s president, Tamás Sulyok, a loyalist of the outgoing prime minister, Viktor Orbán.The two leaders discussed the timetable for new parliament, which can be formed not before 4 May when the results of the Sunday’s vote need to be certified by, with Magyar saying he expected the new government to be in place by mid-May.“[Sulyok] is unworthy of representing the unity of the Hungarian nation. He is unfit to serve as the guardian of legality. He is not fit to serve as a moral authority or a role model.” Continue reading...