Photo by Albert Hyseni on Unsplash While Russia continues to throw unprecedented resources into its war machine, the country’s industrial foundations are showing clear signs of strain. Key strategic sectors including automotive, metallurgy, and agricultural machinery are quietly reducing operations. Enterprises such as AvtoVAZ and KamAZ have transitioned to four-day working weeks, citing falling demand and…
Photo by Janosch Diggelmann on Unsplash As Russia’s war in Ukraine drags into its fourth year without any military conclusion, the Kremlin is intensifying efforts on another front – not military, but political, psychological, and humanitarian. One of the most concerning tools in this unbalanced arsenal is the weaponisation of irregular migration. Instead of tanks,…
Photo by Elgin Akyurt on Unsplash The French NGO CAP Liberté de Conscience (CAP) and Brussels-based Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF) have filed a joint written statement to the United Nations expressing their deep concern about the use of chemical weapons by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in the violent civil war that has raged…
Photo by syahmi syahir on Unsplash The EPP Group in the EU parliament says it “firmly rejects any approach that undermines global trade rules or threatens Europe’s key industries.” This comes in llight of the recent announcements by US President Trump on tariffs. The Group is now urging the European Commission to stand firm and…
Photo by Adrien Wodey on Unsplash In announcing the latest EU package of sanctions against Russia, Kaja Kallas High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and chair of the Foreign Affairs Council said: “The EU just approved one of its strongest sanctions packages against Russia to date. Each sanction weakens Russia’s ability to wage…
Photo by Mathieu Stern on Unsplash The European Committee of the Regions, is critical of the EU’s new long term budget plans. Speaking after they were unveiled this week, its president Kata Tutto said: “After months of unjustified secrecy, the European Commission has delivered a complicated and divisive proposal that puts at risk the role…
The EU must take responsibility for its own security and strengthen its competitiveness. That was the key message to emerge from the July plenary session of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). The Brussels-based EESC, which represents civil society at EU level, hosted a debate on the political priorities of the current Presidency of…
Photo by Tayla Kohler on Unsplash The North Atlantic Council says it strongly condemns Russia’s malicious cyber activities. It says these constitute a threat to Allied security. The council issued a statement which says, “We stand in solidarity and recognise that Estonia, France, the United Kingdom and the United States have recently attributed malicious cyber…
Photo by Marcus Loke on Unsplash The BD Comic Strip Festival returns from 26 to 28 September in Brussels at Tour & Taxis’ Gare Maritime. The poster for this new edition has been designed by Alix Garin, the award-winning Belgian writer and illustrator of the graphic novel Impénétrable. The novel is on the shortlist of two…
Photo by Masood Aslami on Unsplash The European Conservatives and Reformists Group says it has reservations about several key elements of the European Commission’s proposal for the post-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). While acknowledging the need for a more responsive and strategic EU budget, the group is cautioning against a shift that could increase uncertainty…
