WORLD WORLDWIDE EUROPE EU - euobserver - The Friday Five - Europe's dirty secrets are coming to light: From leaked far-right emails to deadly Mediterranean pushbacks and Trump's EU victory.

 

The Friday Five Editor-in-chief picks her favourite stories of the week. Andrew Tate’s toxic legacy in Romania is warping its democracy While prosecutors chase the Tates across borders, their macho fantasy of domination is already shaping how a frustrated generation of Romanian men sees women and democracy itself. [Investigation] How the EU’s methane rules came undone, and ended up giving Trump exactly what he wanted The Trump administration wanted the EU’s methane rules gone. Internal documents show how the commission tried, and failed, to hold the line. ‘Let me die’: tortured migrants and rescue ships face off against EU-sponsored Libyan forces Gaia Neiman reports from onboard the Humanity 1 rescue ship in the Mediterranean. The EU continues to fund the Libyan regime that is imprisoning men, women, and children, as a form of migration prevention. Survivors onboard an NGO rescue ship recount what they lived through, while Brussels sets its eye on a new migration facility in authoritarian-led eastern Libya. Frontex drones helped Libya and Tunisia forcibly return at least 33,000 people in the central Mediterranean The EU’s border agency Frontex is instrumental in helping Libya and Tunisia intercept migrants in distress. A new study reveals the extent of those Frontex-assisted interceptions, totalling some 33,000 between 2018 and 2024. Neo-Nazi messages, links to Moscow, and Alice Weidel’s hypocrisy. 13 years of AfD emails have leaked More than 400,000 emails exchanged by members of Germany’s far-right AfD party between March 2013 and September 2026, effectively covering the party’s entire history, have appeared online. What’s in them?   Copyright © 2026 EUobserver.com. All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: EUobserver.com, Rue de la loi 155, Brussels 1040, Belgium