Author: Euronews

A bundle of European far-right parties are attempting to bring down key EU progressive policy platforms, such as the Green Deal. The grassroots groups and glossy parties are attempting to use the fury of farmers to win at the ballot box, but who will reign supreme? ADVERTISEMENTIn Valencia, the European far right aims to win over the farming industry’s support in the upcoming European elections in June.Following a previous meeting held at the Brussels branch of Mathias Corvinus Collegium, or MCC – Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s think tank – the Spanish platform 6-F joined a dozen European agricultural associations that have…

Read More

Chinese President Xi Jinping begins his official state visit to France as tensions over electric vehicles and state subsidies simmer. ADVERTISEMENTPresident Xi Jinping is meeting his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in a rare visit to Paris, as part of a European trip which will include heading to Serbia and Hungary for further talks.Macron and Xi are being joined by head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, who is discussing broader concerns for the EU.Both Western leaders are poised to issue stern warnings regarding trade.The state visit comes against a backdrop of simmering tensions over state subsidies for Chinese…

Read More

This edition of State of the Union focuses on the enlargement “Big Bang” in 2004, speculation about new political alliances after the elections and sizeable cracks in the block of far-right parties. ADVERTISEMENTTwenty years ago this week, the European Union saw the biggest enlargement round ever.On May 1st, 2004, ten states simultaneously joined the bloc, seven of them from beyond the former Iron Curtain. Some called it the “Big Bang”.In a rather mute celebration, the European institutions in Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg were lit up for the occasion this week.EU Council President Charles Michel advocated new members: “Enlargement is vital for the…

Read More

Right-wing populist movements have gained significant traction across Europe in recent years, reshaping political landscapes and challenging established norms. These regimes wield considerable influence over economic policies and strategies, but do they share an economic outlook? ADVERTISEMENTIn order to understand how right-wing populism – often characterised by nationalist rhetoric, anti-immigration policies, and protectionist tendencies – might view the economic system as a whole, it’s important to understand its political roots. In the current political discourse, the term populist immediately signals an anti-establishment inclination and if by establishment we presume the liberal parliamentary democracies of Europe, then the populist narrative must by definition criticise…

Read More

Ukraine has been rationing ammunition and bullets; meanwhile the Russian army has been using ‘human wave’ tactics by sending poorly trained recruits to the frontline in a bid to force Ukraine use up all of its ammunition. ADVERTISEMENTIn Ukraine, the army has been on the backfoot over the last few months; and despite the US package of $61 billion (€56.6 billion) of military support, experts say it will be sufficient merely to hold the frontline and possibly regain some lost territory.The situation has deteriorated in large part due to a serious shortage of ammunition and weapons from Western allies; where…

Read More