Photo by Bedirhan Akyüz on Unsplash MEPs will next week vote on the report for the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP). The aim is that the EDIP lays the foundation for deeper integration of the European defence industry and serves as a cornerstone of a common European defence. With an ongoing war in Ukraine and uncertainty about the scale of future U.S…
Regions
Europe Needs a Strong Climate Policy
Photo by Shawn on Unsplash Climate and meteorological institutions have declared Europe the fastest warming continent, with 2024 the warmest year on record. The new European State of the Climate 2024 report, released by the Copernicus Climate Change Service and the World Meteorological Organization, paints a stark picture. It says 2024 saw a record 335…
MEPs Call for More Support for 3 Seas Region
Photo by Matheus Frade on Unsplash MEPs have demanded dedicated EU funding to strengthen infrastructure, connectivity and resilience across the Three Seas region, a forum of thirteen states, in the European Union, running along a north–south axis from the Baltic Sea to the Adriatic and Black Seas in Central and Eastern Europe. This comes just…
Ukraine Builds, Europe Gains
Photo by CrowN on Unsplash As Europe navigates an increasingly unstable security environment, Ukraine is undergoing a profound transformation. No longer just a frontline state, Ukraine is becoming one of the fastest-growing defence manufacturing powers in Europe. Over three years of full-scale war, Ukraine has rapidly expanded its defence production capacity, developing into a strategic…
Damning Report by ECA on NGO Funding
Photo by Eduard Delputte on Unsplash EU funding granted to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) suffers from a lack of transparency, according to a new report by the European Court of Auditors (ECA). Despite improvements, information on EU funding awarded to NGOs that are active in the bloc’s internal policies remains inaccurate and incomplete. The European Commission…
Pause, Freeze or Continue Aggression?
Photo by Olga Zakharchenko on Unsplash Russia is aiming to resolve their “Ukrainian issue” by 2026 to reallocate resources for expanding its aggression against the European Union (EU) and NATO member states. Numerous political and military analysts, as well as various European intelligence agencies, share this assessment. Should the war against Ukraine continue for another…
Peripheral Regions Vital for EU’s Success
Photo by Eleonora Altomare on Unsplash Regional leaders from across Europe gathered in Bari, Italy, for a key conference on maritime-related issues. It was organised by the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) which represents more than 150 regional authorities from 24 countries across Europe and beyond. It was the first CPMR Political Bureau of 2025,…
Hijacking EU Structural Funds a “New Low”
An MEP has said the proposed hijacking of structural funds such as regional development funds for possible military use would be a new low in the militarisation of the EU. The comments were made on Thursday by Ireland South MEP Kathleen Funchion. She was reacting to documents reportedly circulated by the Polish EU Presidency suggesting…
Women in Ireland
Photo by Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona on Unsplash The situation for women in Ireland is increasingly grim. Every day, we hear of violence against women: assault, rape, and even murder. Women are unsafe in their own homes, harassed in nightclubs, and assaulted on our streets. If a woman cannot be safe at home, she can be…