The EU Commission and the rotating EU presidency invited the IMF to press ministers to rein in untargeted measures shielding households and businesses from the energy shock from the Iran war.
The humanitarian catastrophe is a consequence of a prolonged European abdication: the refusal to hold a belligerent Israeli government and an erratic American administration to account when doing so mattered. That failure is not just a shameful moral lapse. It is strategic self-harm that has left the European continent exposed, divided and diminished.
In response to the Strait of Hormuz oil crisis, Germany, Lithuania and the Netherlands are showing the way to provide cheap rail fares to their citizens – which EU country is next?
The EU Commission may also allow subsidies for gas-fired power generation, which critics say runs counter to EU goals to reduce fossil-fuel use.
The EU Commission also unveiled plans to subsidise up to 70 percent of the extra cost of fuel caused by the Iran war for farmers, fishers and road hauliers.
In the wake of the execution of Swedish citizen Koroush Kivani last month, Sweden announced visa restrictions on Iranian embassy staff and pushed for new EU sanctions, but these actions offer no meaningful impact. These performative responses are no substitute for strategic deterrence work and demonstrate Sweden’s inadequate protocols and resources to deal with hostage situations.
The current European debate – led by the UK, France, and Germany – suggests a timeframe of several months for maintaining a naval presence once a stable agreement is in place. This appears unrealistic for three reasons. While any projection remains speculative, the coalition’s naval presence is likely to remain in place for at least two to five years.
MEPs vote on their position on the 2028–2034 EU budget. The ECB and Federal Reserve are likely to hold rates steady amid rising inflation. Key debates in the EU Parliament include a common legal definition of rape and the impacts of the war in the Middle East, alongside a fossil-fuel transition summit in Colombia.
One nuclear expert told me he didn’t want to write an op-ed on the possible dangers of a meltdown of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine. He then added he’d stocked up on iodine tablets.
An EU summit in Cyprus, possible trade sanctions with Israel, shaky ceasefires in Lebanon and Iran, and the aftermath of the election in Bulgaria are among the lead stories driving this week.
For journalists, access to the internet is central to reporting the news. When governments shut it down, reporters find ways around the blackout, but the work comes at a cost. Here are the experiences of journalists working in Iran, India, Ethiopia, Turkey, and Ukraine.
The European Commission is championing renewable and nuclear energy as safeguards against future shocks from global conflicts such as Iran — even as critics warn it has spent the past year hollowing out ambitions of the Green Deal.
The political aftershocks from Sunday’s election in Budapest comes at a volatile time amid a collapsing ceasefire between the United States and Iran as Tehran re-imposes a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, back in Brussels, the 2028-2034 budget is on the table.
“Never interrupt your enemy whilst he is making a mistake,” Napoleon said. It is just one of the many historical lessons of warfare that US president Donald Trump and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu have ignored over the past 40 days. The result is that they have lost the war against Iran and failed to achieve any of their objectives.
“Bodies on the ground. Blood everywhere … countless wounded adults and children” in Beirut after Israeli strikes, but its EU allies say Israel “blame game” would not help.
A ceasefire deal between the US and Iran has plunged Lebanon into deadly confusion. As Israel continues strikes despite the announcement, Europe’s diplomatic calls for restraint face a grim reality: an escalating conflict beyond Lebanon’s control and Netanyahu’s government largely ignoring international pressure.
While Europe is less dependent on oil and gas coming from the gulf than Asia, 40 percent of refined products, such as jet fuel and diesel, pass through the Straight of Hormuz.
In less than three months’ time, Nato delegations will be packing for the alliance’s summit in Ankara. The agenda is empty, and the attendance of the most important guest, US president Donald Trump, is unclear. European allies will have time aplenty to ponder their alarmingly short list of security options, writes Edward Lucas.
“Open the Fuckin’ Strait”, said Trump, while hailing an “Easter miracle” in Iran, enraging parts of MAGA, and inviting worship from others.
This week, Hungarians vote in an era-defining election as Viktor Orbán faces his biggest challenge in 16 years. Meanwhile, Nato chief Mark Rutte visits Washington to ease the rift with Donald Trump over the high-stakes blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.
