The EU’s Green and Digital Transitions

Photo by Jason Goodman on Unsplash

Photo by Jason Goodman on Unsplash Skills, education and lifelong learning will be vital in navigating the EU’s green and digital transitions. That was the message to emerge from a meeting of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), The meeting coincides with the new Danish Council Presidency. The Bureau of the EESC held an exchange of views…

The Rust Beneath the Armour

Photo by Albert Hyseni on Unsplash

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…

The Kremlin’s Silent Front

Photo by Janosch Diggelmann on Unsplash

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,…

Icebreakers Hide Deadly Nuclear Threat

Photo by Hao Zhang on Unsplash

Photo by Hao Zhang on Unsplash By all appearances, Russia is positioning itself as a global leader in nuclear technology, promoting innovations like the RITM-200 small modular reactor (SMR) as a key element of energy independence for remote regions and developing nations alike. Sleek promotional campaigns by Rosatom promise high-tech, compact, and safe nuclear solutions…

Strong MEP Support for Budapest Pride Event

Photo by Brian Kyed on Unsplash

Photo by Brian Kyed on Unsplash MEPs were among therecord crowds at the Pride march in Budapest this weekend. The organisers of the event, which this year marks its 30th anniversary, have accused the Hungarian government of attempting to restrict peaceful protests by targeting them. As a show of support scores of MEPs were in…

Russia and Iran Coordinate Chaos

Photo by Vladimir Fedotov on Unsplash

Photo by Vladimir Fedotov on Unsplash The events of the past 48 hours and the Iranian missile strikes on U.S. bases in Qatar, Iraq, and Syria should be seen not just as a regional flare-up, but as part of a broader and more worrying geopolitical pattern: the increasing military-strategic cooperation between Russia and Iran. This…

European Parliament Crackdown on Child Abuse

Anders Vistisen MEP

 Anders Vistisen MEP says he supports child protection but defends national legal sovereignty and harsher penalties against child abusers, including medical castration. He was speaking on Wednesday in a key plenary debate on the proposal to combat child abuse across the EU. Vistisen emphasized both his strong support for protecting vulnerable children and his firm…

Can US Sanctions, and an End to Double Standards over Sudan Prevent more Extreme Violence? 

Photo by Mohamed Tohami on Unsplash

Photo by Mohamed Tohami on Unsplash The US State Department’s imposition of sanctions against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) over their use of chemical weapons suggests the beginnings of a shift in the international community’s engagement with the crisis in Sudan.  Along with concerns over Iran and other nations supplying the arms that enabled the…