- 33m ago
EU orders Google to open Android to rival AI assistants and share search data
The European Commission adopted two binding DMA decisions requiring Google to grant rival AI assistants access to Android's core functions and to share anonymised search data with competitors, with deadlines in 2027.
- 8h ago
Van Bossuyt halves Brussels asylum reception capacity, cutting 700 more places
After removing 300 places in June, Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt announced 700 more cuts on Thursday, reducing the temporary reception scheme from 2,000 to 1,000 spots as the waiting list shrinks.
- 10h ago
EU inks drone production deal with Ukraine as US grants Patriot licence
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen sealed a joint drone manufacturing partnership with President Zelensky in Kyiv, backed by 1 billion euros, while President Trump offered Ukraine a licence for Patriot missile production.
- 11h ago
Romanian worker among six dead in Brussels construction site fire; second Romanian critically burned
A fire at the OXY tower renovation site in central Brussels killed six workers trapped in a lift on 14 July 2026. One victim held Romanian-Ukrainian dual citizenship, and a 20-year-old Romanian from Bacău county is hospitalised with burns over 50% of his body.
- 16h ago
EU allocates additional €20 million in aid as Venezuela earthquake death toll reaches 4,829
As the official death toll climbs to 4,829, the European Union announces 20 million euros in additional humanitarian funding and the Portuguese community counts 119 dead.
- 2d ago
EU population to peak at 453 million in 2029 before entering sustained decline, leaving one in three over 65 by 2050
The European Union's population will reach 453.3 million by 2029 before a historic peacetime decline begins, with the median age climbing from 44.9 years to 51.5 by 2100 and the old-age dependency ratio set to double.
- 2d ago
Israel and Lebanon hold 'fruitful' Rome talks on pilot-zone withdrawal, Hezbollah stays out
Delegations from Israel, Lebanon and the United States met at the US embassy in Rome on Tuesday, with Israel signalling readiness to pull back from two areas in southern Lebanon. Talks resume Wednesday.
- 2d ago
Spain and Britain dismantle Gibraltar border fence, ending 116 years of land controls and opening Schengen access
The metal barrier known as 'la verja,' in place since 1909, was lifted by crane at midnight on 15 July 2026, hours after Brussels and London signed a treaty aligning the British Overseas Territory with the Schengen zone six years post-Brexit.
- 2d ago
Six bodies recovered from elevator shaft after fire engulfs Brussels renovation site OXY Tower
A morning fire at the OXY Tower renovation site in central Brussels killed at least six workers on Tuesday, with all victims found inside the building's elevator shaft after flames blocked escape routes.
- 2d ago
Six dead in Brussels construction site fire after elevator collapses, authorities confirm
Two hundred and fifty workers were evacuated from the Oxy Tower renovation site after a small fire on the second floor spread into lift shafts. Six were later found dead in a collapsed elevator, the Brussels labour prosecutor confirmed.
- 3d ago
EU top court upholds Spain's amnesty law for Catalan separatists, clearing 47 defendants including Puigdemont
The EU's top court ruled that Spain's amnesty law for Catalan separatists does not breach EU law, removing a legal hurdle for dozens of defendants including Carles Puigdemont.
- 3d ago
Nine European nations and Ukraine form coalition to build integrated ballistic missile shield
Meeting at a summit of Kyiv's allies in Paris, ten nations announced a coalition to pool industrial and operational resources for a shared European defence against ballistic missiles, citing Moscow's intensifying strikes.
- 3d ago
UK designates Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organisation under fast-tracked state-threats powers
Keir Starmer’s government, in its final week in office, used newly fast-tracked legislation to proscribe Iran’s IRGC, the IMCR militant network and Russia’s GRU volunteer corps, punishing support with up to 14 years in prison.
- 3d ago
Poland refuses to lift Ukraine grain embargo despite EU pressure
Deputy minister Adam Nowak told a Brussels meeting that lifting the ban would hit farmers and consumers, as the European Commission warns of possible infringement proceedings.
- 3d ago
EU and UK sanction Russian FSB cyber unit for sabotage across Europe; Poland power grid targeted, Romania affected
The EU and UK on July 13 sanctioned individuals and entities linked to Russia’s FSB Center 16, which controls the Turla hacking group, after cyber attacks that targeted Poland’s power grid, French government systems and other European states including Romania. NATO warned of a response, and Germany summoned Moscow’s ambassador.
- 3d ago
EU Commission presents report calling for social media ban for children under 13, phased access from 2026
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday presented an expert report recommending a progressive ban on social media for those under 13, with supervised use only, and announced legislative proposals after summer.
- 3d ago
EU split over Israeli settlement trade ban as foreign ministers fail to reach majority for action
A proposal to ban trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank won the most support among EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, but fell short of the simple majority needed to compel the European Commission to draft sanctions.
- 3d ago
EU appoints Raffaele Fitto as Special Representative for Cyprus to support UN reunification talks
The European Commission appointed Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto as its special representative for Cyprus on Monday, tasking him with supporting UN-led reunification efforts alongside envoy María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar.
- 3d ago
EU imports record 9.97 million tonnes of Russian LNG from Yamal plant ahead of 2027 ban
European Union countries imported 136 cargoes from Russia's Yamal LNG facility in the first half of 2026, a 16% volume increase over the same period last year, absorbing more than 97% of the plant's output.
- 3d ago
France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK summon Russian envoys over an FSB-orchestrated cyber sabotage campaign spanning a dozen European nations
Paris, Berlin, The Hague and London will all call in Russia's ambassadors after EU and UK intelligence linked Moscow's FSB to hacks on government networks, critical infrastructure and military supply routes, with 13 EU and 24 UK individuals and entities sanctioned.
