A €2 trillion reality check: Europe can’t do more with less – Parliament flexes its muscles, Derek Vaughan CBE, former MEP, for EU Political Report

The European Parliament’s vote on Tuesday to demand a seven‑year EU budget 10 percent higher than the European Commission’s proposal is more than a routine skirmish in the annual Brussels budget ritual. It is a statement of political intent, a test of institutional confidence, and a reminder that the Parliament—often underestimated in budgetary debates—still knows…

Trump, Tehran and the Strait: Europe Caught in the Crossfire of Rising Oil Prices

© Photo by Planet Volumes on Unsplash The crisis in the Strait of Hormuz has entered a far more dangerous and economically disruptive phase than when tensions first flared, leaving Europe exposed to a shock that is now reshaping global energy markets. The near‑closure of the strait following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, and…

The War That Won’t Wait: EU Scrambles to Match Ukraine’s Urgency

© Photo by Anastasiia Krutota on Unsplash Russia’s war against Ukraine has entered a phase defined by battlefield exhaustion and political acceleration in Europe, as Kyiv’s survival increasingly depends on decisions taken in Brussels. The military situation remains largely static: Russia continues to push along parts of the eastern front, relying on manpower advantages and…

Europe’s Moral Crossroads: Gaza Tests the EU’s Human Rights Resolve

Credit photo İsra Nilgün Özkan on Pexels

© Photo by Isra Nilgün Özkan on Pexels The war in Palestine has become a defining test of Europe’s credibility on human rights, as reports of large‑scale civilian suffering collide with an EU response widely criticised as slow, cautious and internally divided. The conflict in Gaza has produced some of the most severe human rights…

Highstakes week in Strasbourg as Parliament confronts Europe’s future

The upcoming plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, taking place from 27 to 30 April 2026, arrives at a pivotal moment for the Union’s political direction. The agenda published for the sitting outlines a week dominated by debates on the EU’s longterm budget, fundamental rights, trade policy and animal welfare, each carrying implications…

ARMENIA: Pashinian vs. The Catholicos: What’s behind the PM’s campaign against the Church?

This article is republished with permission from HRWF (Human Rights Without Frontiers). By Ulviyya Asadzade, RFE/RL journalist RFE/ RL (21.12.2026) – Armenia is facing its gravest church-state clash since gaining independence, as tensions continue to grow between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Catholicos Garegin II, the supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The dispute has…