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Opinion
Europe's €800bn militarisation - 'peace through strength' or path to war?
Even before the publication of the defence white paper, EU member states’ military spending for 2024 was €343bn, 2.7 times that of Russia, its stated main adversary, which spent €126.9bn. Meanwhile Britain, spent €69.6bn in 2024 and combined Nato spending was at €1,281bn — more than ten times that of Russia.
What else you need to know
The Top 10 stories of 2025 from EUobserverFeature
Selected by our small team of reporters and editors, these are the 10 articles (investigations, analysis, exclusives, opinion and columns) we thought best showed the breadth, depth, and originality of EUobserver over 2025, and its quest for unique, investigative, off-diary stories about European politics.Read on »
Frontex accused of blundering own 'safeguards' after Syrian refugee wins EU court battle
Lawyers representing a Syrian refugee say the EU's border agency Frontex fails to grasp what its own "strengthened safeguards" might look like in practice.Read on »
How Europe’s far right used unlabelled AI to win votes — and now writes the rulesFeature
In the run-up to the 2024 European Parliament elections, several far-right political parties in France, Italy and Belgium used unlabelled generative AI content to influence voters — despite having pledged to respect ethical campaigning standards. Read on »
The strange saga of the EU board gameOpinion
The story of the European democracy game "Eurocracy". The board game was invented by a democracy campaigner at the time of the foundation of the EU in 1992. Read on »
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China hits out at 'unreasonable' EU probes of its firms
China has urged the EU to end ‘unreasonable’ investigations of its businesses operating in Europe, days after cutting import duties on the EU’s pork exports. Read on »
Ten EU priorities for 2026 include defence, competitiveness, simplification and budget
The EU institutions agreed on 10 legislative proposals to be top of their agenda in 2026. Their focus is on competitiveness and defence, plus the next EU budget.Read on »
Europe's €800bn militarisation - 'peace through strength' or path to war?Opinion
Even before the publication of the defence white paper, EU member states’ military spending for 2024 was €343bn, 2.7 times that of Russia, its stated main adversary, which spent €126.9bn. Meanwhile Britain, spent €69.6bn in 2024 and combined Nato spending was at €1,281bn — more than ten times that of Russia. Read on »
Defending democracy starts by protecting Europe’s mayors and councillorsStakeholder
Across Europe, mayors and local councillors are facing a disturbing rise in harassment, threats, disinformation, and even physical violence. These aren’t isolated incidents — they are a growing pattern. And they’re not 'just politics'. They are deliberate attempts to silence, intimidate, and push people out of public life, warns the Council of European Municipalities and Regions.Read on »
In case you missed it
EU opts for joint borrowing after marathon talks on Russian frozen assets fail
EU leaders decided to use joint borrowing instead of Russian frozen assets to support Ukraine, in a big win for Belgian prime minister Bart De Wever, who had long opposed the idea of a reparations loan amid fears of retaliation from Russia. Read on »
Spain, Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg urge more EU action on Gaza ceasefire
Foreign ministers from Spain, Ireland, Belgium, and Luxembourg have jointly urged the EU to use its “considerable leverage” with Israel to address what they describe as still a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, despite ceasefire efforts.Read on »
EU Commission scraps 2035 combustion engine ban in major win for car lobby
The European Commission has overturned a planned ban on European car manufacturers producing petrol-driven vehicles after 2035, in a major win for the EU’s industry lobby on Tuesday. "Clinging to combustion engines won't make European automakers great again,” warned one environmental group.Read on »
Why the EU should pay attention to Putin’s Kyrgyzstan visitOpinion
The size and composition of Vladimir Putin's delegation, including Roman Abramovich and the head of the Central Bank, and their red-carpet reception in Bishkek shows accelerating rapprochement between Bishkek and Moscow — and casts ominous doubt over future respect for human rights in what was once Central Asia’s most promising democracy.Read on »
Euro dreams or mafia schemes? Inside Bulgaria’s deeper crisisFeature
The collapse of the Bulgarian government last week following massive anti-graft protests puts in sharp relief a state captured by deep corruption that has for years served the interests of a ruling elite. Read on »
Bolshoi-loving banker threatened Euroclear CEO, amid EU talks on Russian assetsInvestigation
A French banker inside Euroclear, who flew to Russia 155 times for "private" reasons, allegedly tried to connect the company's CEO, Valérie Urbain, with Russian spies and threatened her when she declined, according to an investigation by EUobserver, Humo, De Morgen, and Dossier Center.Read on »
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