Interview

[Interview] Journalist Szabolcs Panyi: ‘Being accused of espionage after exposing Hungarian foreign minister’s Russian links is a sign of weakness’
27 March 2026 by Zoltan Szalay
In an escalation of Hungary’s campaign against independent media, award-winning journalist Szabolcs Panyi has been accused of “espionage” following his investigations into the Budapest-Moscow hotline. In this exclusive interview, Panyi warns that the Orbán government is officially importing the “Putin model” to criminalise investigative reporting, turning national security into a tool of political theatre.
[Interview] One of Epstein’s youngest survivors: ‘I was 14, and I hoped the money I earned from sex would repair my relationship with my mother’
17 March 2026 by Lukáš Houdek, Karolína Kiripolská, Michaela Barcíková and Gabriela Knížková
Marina Lacerda was born in Brazil. She was eight years old when she moved to the United States with her mother. She was fourteen when she first stepped inside the New York residence of serial sex offender and trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Iran expert sees alarming abundance of bad scenarios, including civil war
11 March 2026 by Denisa Ballová
Mojtaba Khamenei’s election as Iran’s new supreme leader signals a hardline turn, stronger Revolutionary Guards, and rising risk of civil conflict. Experts warn his ascension marks the dynastisation of the Islamic Republic, exposing contradictions at the heart of the regime. “There is an alarming abundance of negative scenarios,” says Iranist Lenka Hrabalová.
Europe must prepare for the age of nuclear weapons, expert warns
10 March 2026 by Soňa Weissová
Michal Onderčo, a nuclear weapons expert from the University of Rotterdam who recently published the book Europe’s Nuclear Umbrella, warns that due to the threat from Russia and the US pivot away from Europe, the era in which European leaders did not have to worry about the issue of nuclear deterrence has ended.
Far-right prejudice now ‘normalised’ across Europe, warns EU anti-racism chief
27 February 2026 by Elena Sánchez Nicolás
Michaela Moua, the European Commission’s anti-racism coordinator, is anxious. “Independent of what’s happening in the US, we’re seeing the normalisation of hatred and racism, and that is extremely worrying, as it can lead to violence and even death. We have already seen that,” she told EUobserver in an interview.
Rights chief warns EU’s ‘safe country’ move puts asylum protections at risk
23 February 2026 by Nikolaj Nielsen
“The idea that you can send somebody or people to another country without individual assessment is a violation of basic refugee law,” human rights commissioner Michael O’Flaherty told EUobserver.
Four years of war: Don’t buy Putin’s ‘bullshit’, Ukraine ambassador tells EU
23 February 2026 by Elena Sánchez Nicolás
Ahead of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainian ambassador to the EU Vsevolod Chentsov warned that achieving peace with Russia requires real pressure on Moscow, cautions against normalising the war or engaging in ‘premature’ EU talks with Moscow, and sets the case for full EU membership.
‘Frog toxin’ that killed Navalny was likely lab-made, says expert
18 February 2026 by Andrew Rettman
The ‘frog’ poison that killed Navalny was hard to hide and likely made in a high-end lab, according to a Belgian toxicologist.
More civilians killed in Ukraine last year than any other since Russia’s 2022 invasion
13 February 2026 by Nikolaj Nielsen
“There were more civilians killed and injured in 2025 than in the previous three years,” Bernadette Castel-Hollingsworth, who heads the UN refugee agency’s division in Ukraine, told EUobserver
UN chemical expert: ‘There’s pressure on EU from US to weaken regulatory controls’
24 January 2026 by Elena Sánchez Nicolás
Chemical pollution remains one of the world’s most under-recognised crises. Dr Marcos A. Orellana, UN special rapporteur on toxics and human rights since 2020, talks to EUobserver about the wide gap between the science and the political will, the hidden risks of hazardous chemicals.
- Green Economy
- Interview
European peacekeepers ‘won’t scare’ Putin, Ukraine veteran says
14 January 2026 by Andrew Rettman
European plans for a Ukraine peacekeeping force sound as outdated as using cavalry in WWI, says one of Ukraine’s top soldiers, major Oleh Shyriaiev, in a phone interview from the front line in northern Ukraine.
- Interview
- Ukraine
What’s behind US attacks on EU tech rules? National security and AI weapons
9 January 2026 by Owen Carpenter-Zehe
The Trump administration has gone to war against the EU’s tech regulations, deriding them as censorship and free-speech infringements. But Michael Keary, an International relations and EU policy scholar, explains to EUobserver how the US actually sees this conflict as a national security issue.
Venezuela, Greenland, and the rise of Trump’s ‘neo-royalist’ world order
7 January 2026 by Wester van Gaal
To understand Donald Trump’s foreign policy in Venezuela and Greenland, it must be seen as part of an emerging ‘neo-royalist’ world order driven by the interest of hyper-elites, not national interest, argues political scientist Abraham Newman.
- Interview
‘Less money, more priorities’ objects Catalonia minister on next EU budget
15 December 2025 by Hannah Kriwak
The proposed next EU budget has already caused some fuss in Brussels, especially among the bloc’s regions. “All that the EU Commission is proposing is in reality … less money, more priorities”, Jaune Duch, Catalan EU minister, told EUobserver.
- Interview
UNRWA on Gaza after the ceasefire: ‘A combination of hope and despair’
11 December 2025 by Elena Sánchez Nicolás
In an exclusive interview with EUobserver, Marta Lorenzo, the director of the UNRWA office in Brussels, summarises the situation in Gaza as “a combination of hope and despair”.
- Interview
Be ready to fill US void in Europe after fresh Trump security shift, warns EU defence chief
5 December 2025 by Nikolaj Nielsen
Europe must boost investment in its strategic independence, warns EU defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius in light of Friday’s US national security strategy.
- Interview
- Ukraine
Why electrification, not repealing green laws, will save Europe’s industry
25 November 2025 by Wester van Gaal
According to Oxford professor of energy Jan Rosenow, rapid electrification of Europe’s industry, not rolling back the EU’s Green Deal, will save European industry.
- Green Economy
- Interview
Russia using Chinese spy satellite in Ukraine war, expert says
21 November 2025 by Andrew Rettman
China appears to have sold a high-end military spy satellite to Russia, despite Beijing’s claim of neutrality in the Ukraine war.
- Interview
- Ukraine
EU ‘debt claim’ could unlock Russian billions for Ukraine, Belgian lawyer says
10 November 2025 by Andrew Rettman
‘Debt’ might be a legally sounder way to use Russia’s money for Ukraine than the EU’s ‘loan’ model, amid a stalemate in talks with Belgium.
Green’s lead MEP ahead of COP30: ‘We’re making an absolute joke of ourselves’
4 November 2025 by Hannah Kriwak
The 24-year old Green MEP Lena Schilling will attend the UN Climate Conference in Brazil — even though she thinks it’s “broken”. In an interview with EUobserver, she explains why she’s frustrated with the current state of the climate talks, what she expects from COP30, and who she believes is holding back global progress.
- Green Economy
- Interview