El Niño Is Coming, Meteorologists Say ‘Super’ Version Is Possible
Meteorological agencies ECMWF and NOAA forecast a strong to potentially super‑strong El Niño developing later in 2026, with a 20‑25 % chance of a super event and an 80 % likelihood of at least a strong phase. The anomaly is expected to form between June and August and persist through the end of the year, despite the inherent uncertainty of the spring predictability barrier. Historically, such episodes drive record global temperatures, extreme heat, droughts and floods. The climate shift also threatens commodity markets and macro‑economic stability.
Beef and Car Duties on the Line, as Von Der Leyen Hopes for Australia Trade Pact
The EU is set to finalize a trade pact with Australia early next week, coinciding with President Ursula von der Leyen’s Canberra visit. Negotiators have narrowed the agenda to a few remaining issues, notably beef and lamb quotas and the...
Did EU ‘Right to Repair’ Law Force Apple to Finally Make a Repairable Macbook?
Apple’s new MacBook Neo, priced at €699, is the most repairable Mac in 15 years, featuring a glue‑free design and standard screws for easy battery removal. The model is a direct response to the EU Right‑to‑Repair Directive, which becomes fully...
Spain’s Sánchez Attacks Other EU Leaders for Exploiting Energy Prices to Gut Climate Policies
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez defended his country’s renewable‑led energy strategy at the EU leaders summit, claiming Spain is on “the right side of history” as it shields consumers from soaring electricity costs. He accused other governments of using the...
Cyprus Looks to EU Joint-Defence, Amid Nato Split on Iran
Iran fired drones and missiles at Cyprus after the island hosted a British base, prompting an immediate EU defence response. President Nikos Christodoulides said Greece, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands deployed forces, effectively testing the EU’s Article 42(7) mutual‑assistance clause....
Tusk Comes up with a Plan B, After Polish President Vetoes Historic Defence Spending Law
Poland secured the EU's largest SAFE allocation – €44 billion for 139 defence projects – but President Karol Nawrocki vetoed the financing law on 12 March. Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s cabinet responded with a “Plan B”, suggesting the use of returns from the nation’s gold...
No EU Appetite for Trump Demand on Hormuz Help, as Israel Pounds Lebanon
EU foreign ministers signaled they will not deploy naval escorts in the Strait of Hormuz until the United States clarifies its Iran strategy. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Germany needs explicit goals from the US and Israel before committing...
Mozambique Urges EU Rethink on Ending Rwanda Peace-Mission Cash
Mozambique’s President Daniel Chapo will ask the European Commission to reverse its decision to stop €20 million a month of funding for the Rwandan‑led peacekeeping mission in Cabo Delgado. The EU announced the cut will take effect after May 2026, following a U.S. Treasury...
Iran War to Hit Europe Directly and Indirectly, Von Der Leyen Warns
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that the US‑Israeli war in Iran will have direct and indirect repercussions for the EU, citing massive internal displacement in Iran and Lebanon. The Commission announced €458 million in humanitarian aid for Egypt,...
Why the EU Commission’s Plan for an AI Data-Centres Boom Is Short-Sighted
European Commission's AI Continent Action Plan proposes tripling data‑centre capacity in five to seven years via the draft CAIDA regulation. The draft fast‑tracks permits for land, water and energy, sidelining local communities and environmental safeguards. Critics cite ongoing conflicts in...
Listen: What to Expect From the Provisional Application of the EU–Mercosur Agreement
After 25 years of negotiations, the EU‑Mercosur free‑trade agreement is set to be provisionally applied within weeks, following a rare EU signing without France’s formal approval. The deal reduces tariffs on a range of agricultural products while retaining quotas for...
Blaming the Green Deal for Rising Energy Prices Is Simple — but Wrong
Politicians on the right blame the EU Green Deal for soaring energy costs and weakened competitiveness. The article argues that price spikes stem from post‑COVID demand, Russia’s war‑induced supply shock, and chronic underinvestment in renewables rather than climate policy. Renewable...
Listen: Could a Registry of Doctors Who Refuse Abortions Improve Access in Spain?
Spain's High Court of Justice ordered Madrid to immediately create a registry of doctors who conscientiously object to performing abortions. The national law, introduced in 2023, obliges all autonomous communities to maintain such lists to ensure women can access legal...
EU-Made Facial Recognition Ended up Scanning Schoolchildren in Brazil
The EU’s AI Act tightly regulates biometric surveillance inside Europe but omits any export‑control provisions. Slovak firm Innovatrics’ facial‑recognition system is now deployed in more than 1,700 public schools in Brazil’s Paraná state, scanning up to one million children daily....
How the EU Lets Plastic Be Labelled ‘Recycled’ at Just 2.5% Re-Used Content
The European Commission adopted a definition that lets new plastic be marketed as “recycled” with as little as 2.5% waste‑derived material. Chemical‑recycling plants, heavily promoted by oil and plastics firms, have struggled: of the 78 announced facilities, only 18 are...
MEPs Vote to Change Controversial ‘Chat Scanning’ Measures
The European Parliament voted 458‑103 to extend the EU’s temporary child sexual abuse material (CSAM) rules until 2028, while demanding substantive revisions to the contentious chat‑scanning provisions. The amended text strips proactive‑scanning language, limiting scans to previously identified material or...
Russia-Linked Priests Preaching Azerbaijan War, Armenia Warns EU
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan warned the EU that Russian‑linked priests are using church platforms to preach war and spread disinformation, aiming to destabilise the US‑brokered 2025 peace accord with Azerbaijan. He accused these clerics of acting as agents of Russia...
Inside the Mining Lobby Attack on Key EU Water Law
The EU’s Water Framework Directive (WFD) faces a coordinated push from the mining lobby to dilute its protections ahead of a scheduled review. DeSmog’s analysis shows mining‑related meetings with Commission officials surged from 30 in 2024 to 108 in 2025,...
MEPs Call for New Copyright Rules when AI Trains on Protected Works
The European Parliament overwhelmingly approved a non‑binding report urging new copyright rules for AI, calling for payment to creators, mandatory itemised lists of works used in training, an opt‑out mechanism, and licensing enforcement. The 460‑71 vote signals pressure on the...
Listen: Who Really Speaks for the EU on the International Stage?
The EU’s foreign policy still splinters across three institutional presidents, leaving no single voice on the global stage. Recent strikes on Iranian targets highlighted divergent statements from leaders like Macron, Merz and Sánchez, underscoring the coordination gap. The Treaty of...
EU to Sign Defence Pacts with Australia, Iceland and Ghana in ‘Coming Days’
The EU will sign defence cooperation pacts with Australia, Iceland and Ghana in the coming days, announced by foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas. The agreements are part of a broader push to diversify security partners and boost defence spending through...
France to Lead EU Naval Mission to Protect Strait of Hormuz Tankers After ‘Hot Phase’ of Iran War
France announced it will head an EU‑led naval mission to safeguard the Strait of Hormuz once the most intense phase of the Iran‑Israel conflict subsides. The operation, described as purely defensive, will escort container ships and tankers and aims to...
Listen: How Does the EU Define a Country of Origin as ‘Safe’ in Its Asylum Policy?
The European Union adopted two regulations in February that create a list of "safe" countries of origin and introduce the notion of safe third countries. The list currently includes Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, Kosovo, India, Morocco and Tunisia, and permits automatic...
What Ukraine Can Learn From Poland’s Rocky EU Accession in 2004
Ukraine has set 2027 as its target for full EU membership, framing accession as an existential and strategic priority amid an ongoing war. Since accession talks began in June 2024, Kyiv has completed screening of 33 negotiation chapters in under...
Orbán–Zelensky Clash Deepens After Cash Seizure, Pipeline Dispute, and Kremlin Interference Fears
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly threatened Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán after Budapest blocked the EU's €90 bn loan package for Kyiv. The dispute escalated over the shutdown of the Soviet‑era Druzhba oil pipeline, which Hungary claims Kyiv is withholding for...
Experts Find Holes in Planned Changes to EU Landmark Online Privacy Law
A new noyb survey of 500 data‑protection officers shows a stark mismatch between the EU Commission’s proposed "digital omnibus" tweaks to the GDPR and the practical needs of compliance professionals. The study highlights dissent over easing the Right‑to‑Access request process,...
The Rise in Murders, Attacks, and Harassment of Journalists in Europe
European journalists face a sharp rise in violence and intimidation, highlighted by a car bomb targeting Italian reporter Sigfrido Ranucci and four media workers killed in Russia’s war. The Council of Europe’s safety platform recorded over 2,300 alerts across 40...
Some EU Governments Are Trying to Escape Gmail, Zoom, AirBnB, Microsoft, Visa and Amazon – It’s Not Easy
After the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Trump administration barred eleven ICC judges and prosecutors from using U.S.-based payment cards, email services and e‑commerce platforms. The sanctions effectively cut off access...
MEPs Ask Where EU Billions for Africa Came From
MEPs have pressed the European Commission to clarify how the Global Gateway initiative raised its claimed €306 billion in financing. They highlight a stark gap between the €150 billion projected for Africa and the under €10 billion actually earmarked as EU guarantees. The...
MEPs Rally Behind Ex-Commissioner Breton After US Sanctions
EU members of the European Parliament rallied behind former commissioner Thierry Breton after the United States imposed visa restrictions on him for his role in shaping the Digital Services Act. Breton, who oversaw the DSA and other digital regulations, used...
NGOs Want Ex-Meta MEP Removed From EU Digital Rules Relaxation
European Parliament MEP Aura Salla, a former Meta EU public‑policy director, was appointed lead legislator on the Digital Omnibus proposal. NGOs and transparency watchdogs are demanding her removal, citing a conflict of interest given her 2020‑2023 tenure at Meta. Salla,...
How the EU Is Deregulating Arms-Control to Be Like Any Other Industry
EU lawmakers are advancing the Defence Readiness Omnibus, a legislative package that would replace traditional export licences with General Transfer Licences, allowing unlimited, multi‑year transfers of military goods. The proposal also expands exemptions for intra‑EU and cross‑border partnerships, potentially covering...
EU Top Court New Search Tool Dubbed a ‘Disaster’ by Lawyers
The European Court of Justice launched a redesigned InfoCuria portal in January, but lawyers and scholars quickly labeled it a “disaster.” The new search engine omits fundamental filters such as case number, language, and judge rapporteur, forcing users to rely...