****The European Central Bank became the first G7 central bank today to raise interest rates to counter the economic fallout from inflation induced by the war in Iran. In its first rate hike since 2023, the central bank raised interest rates by a quarter point to 2.25%. Higher prices are pushing up inflation worldwide, and…
The European Union is having a moment right now, as a number of countries that once rejected membership are suddenly flirting with the idea. After decades of keeping the bloc at arm’s length, for example, Norway and Iceland are both considering joining. Canada, an ocean away, has _forged closer ties_ to the EU recently. And even the government of the UK, which shocked the bloc — and the…
President Lee Jae-myung is set to mark his one-year anniversary in office with an excellent showing in Wednesday’s local elections that were viewed as a referendum on his presidency. Exit polls suggest that his left-leaning Democratic Party is set to win 11 of 16 municipal leadership races, while the conservative People Power Party (PPP) will win…
Romania is due to become the second Lynx operator on NATO’s eastern flank after Hungary’s 2020 order of 218 vehicles.
In December, Canada became the only non-European country to gain entry into the €150 billion SAFE defense borrowing and procurement scheme.
Carl Bildt answers two major political questions shaping Europe ’s future: Could Canada ever join the European Union? And is UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer politically finished after Labour ’s disastrous local election results?
Bildt explains why geography, and EU rules, make Canadian membership impossible, even as ties between Europe and Canada deepen amid…
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney attended a meeting of the European Political Community in Armenia this weekend, a first by the leader of a non-European country. He was invited to discuss common interests in trade, energy, and security. In a speech that echoed his address to the World Economic Forum in Davos two months earlier, Carney called on middle powers, including Canada and…
Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan ’s government fell after losing a no-confidence vote, putting Romania’s access to EU recovery funds – worth approximately $13 billion – at risk. The country, which has the largest budget deficit in the EU, has to complete the bloc’s mandated economic reforms by August to unlock the funds. But with its country’s pro-EU government pushed out, those reforms are…
Trump said in a social media post that the European Union 'is not complying with our fully agreed to Trade Deal,' though he did not flesh out his objections in the post.
At first glance, Hungary’s Prime Minister-elect Péter Magyar may appear to be the antithesis of the man he defeated in the April 12 election, Viktor Orbán. After all, the two were embroiled in a bitter campaign that featured accusations of sabotage, Russian interference, and blackmail over a sex tape.
Yet the pair might be closer than you think – both on policy and politics.
The Prime Minister's Office said in a news release that Wilkinson has 'proven experience, judgment and leadership to advance Canada's partnership with the EU.'
US President Donald Trump reportedly told his aides to prepare for a longer blockade of Iranian-linked ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, in the hopes that the Islamic Republic kowtows to his demand to dismantle its nuclear program. He appears to prefer this option to restarting a bombing campaign or exiting the…
The United Arab Emirates announced Tuesday that it will leave the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the 12-country cartel that coordinates oil production and exports, on May 1. The Gulf state has long been frustrated with the crude quotas that the group imposes. It will also exit OPEC+, a group that includes other large oil…
The US Navy isn’t just intercepting Iranian-linked ships outside the Strait of Hormuz. In recent days, it redirected a trio of ships that were passing in Asian waters, per Reuters. One of the ships was reportedly carrying 2 million barrels of Iranian oil, and had been scheduled to discharge the crude in India. The US’s aim is to further strangle…
The measures were prepared early this year and set to be announced in February to mark the fourth anniversary of the conflict, but Hungary and Slovakia had opposed the move.
While most European countries have tightened their border policies in recent years, Spain is embarking on one of the continent’s most daring immigration initiatives in recent memory: a sweeping program that could grant legal status to half a million undocumented migrants already living within its borders.
The program, introduced by left-wing Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez , gives a…
The 10-day ceasefire negotiated between Israel and Lebanon took effect last night – one that the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah acknowledged but hasn’t said whether they’d abide by – has added some momentum to the US-Iran ceasefire talks. US President Donald Trump said Thursday that the war “should be ending pretty soon.” He added that Tehran…
The ACI Europe, a regional airport trade group, is warning EU leaders that airports could soon face “systemic” jet fuel shortages while Iran maintains its grip over the Strait of Hormuz. Airlines also say they have enough fuel to get them through several weeks, but aren’t able to guarantee deliveries in May. This comes as Asian countries like Vietnam have already begun rationing jet fuel.
For sixteen years, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has won every fight: four consecutive parliamentary supermajorities for his party, Fidesz; a constitution rewritten to his specifications; courts, media, and oligarchs brought to heel. He turned Hungary into what scholars politely call an "electoral autocracy" and what his critics less politely call a one-party state with elections. Along the way…
A survey of 4,000 people conducted by Spark Advocacy's polling arm found that one in four respondents thought it would be a good idea for Canada to formally join the EU.
The EU is asking its member states to implement the International Energy Agency’s 10-point plan to reduce global demand for oil, Dan Jørgensen, the EU’s energy commissioner said.
The European Defence Industry Programme covers funding for 2026 through 2027 with a first round of calls for proposals opening on the EU’s tender portal starting on Tuesday.
Nearly a month ago, the US and Israel started a war with Iran. Over 2,000 miles away, one continent that wants little to do with the war is nevertheless uniquely impacted: Europe.
European Union leaders met in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss skyrocketing energy prices resulting from the conflict. It comes after US President Donald Trump issued a stark ultimatum to European and NATO…
According to Poland’s government, the money, which will be spent between 2026 and 2030, will go to a wide variety of systems, including artillery, cybersecurity, ground combat and more.
The first out transgender member of the U.S. Congress took the world stage in Germany last week, warning that attacks on people like her and on LGBTQ+ rights more broadly are being weaponized in the current political climate, as she joined former first lady and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on a high-profile panel at the Munich Security Conference.
_**Keep up with the latest…
The investigation surrounds limiting sales of illegal products in the EU, including items that amount to child sexual abuse material such as 'child-like sex dolls.'
This is a response to a recent report suggesting Canada is making an effort to create this new trade pact, which Carney did not deny on Tuesday morning.
French President Emmanuel Macron also told the Munich Security Conference that Europe had to become a geopolitical power given the Russian threat would not disappear.