European Union

Politico Europe reports: The European Union upped the pressure Thursday in its trade dispute with U.S. President Donald Trump by proposing potential tariffs on nearly €100 billion of imports — including big-ticket items like aircraft. The lists include includes passenger cars, medical devices, chemicals and plastics, and a slew of agricultural products. Also back on the list are bourbon and …

Politico Europe reports: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday slammed U.S. President Donald Trump’s campaign against American higher education as she unveiled a half-billion-euro plan to attract foreign researchers. “The role of science in today’s world is questioned. The investment in fundamental, free and open research is questioned. What a gigantic miscalculation,” von der Leyen said. “Science …

Politico Europe reports: Britain and the European Union are set to sign a formal declaration committing to “free and open trade” in defiance of Donald Trump’s tariff agenda. A leaked draft seen by POLITICO promises a “new strategic partnership” between London and Brussels based on “maintaining global economic stability and our mutual commitment to free and open trade.” It comes as …

EuroNews reports: Spain and Portugal experienced a widespread power outage on Monday, leaving millions without electricity in a snap blackout. In Portugal, official sources told domestic media that the outage, which hit around late morning local time, was nationwide, while similar reports emerged from Spain. Madrid’s Barajas International Airport and Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado were closed after being left without power, …

Politico Europe reports: The European Commission issued the first fines under its Digital Markets Act on Wednesday, slapping tech giants Apple and Meta with penalties for breaching the EU’s new digital rulebook. Apple faces a €500 million fine for breaching the regulation’s rules for app stores, while Meta drew a penalty of €200 million for its “pay or consent” advertising …

The Baltic Times reports: The institution of partnership, as now defined in Lithuania’s Civil Code, is unconstitutional because it only provides for a union between a man and a woman, excluding same-sex relationships, the Constitutional Court ruled on Thursday. “Article 3.229 of the Civil Code, insofar as it allows only a partnership between a man and a woman, runs counter …

Politico Europe reports: There’s at least one mainstream European politician JD Vance is a fan of: iconic French postwar leader Charles de Gaulle. In an interview with British news and opinion website UnHerd, the U.S. vice president said that de Gaulle — who led the French World War II resistance against the Nazis and was president from 1959 to 1969 …

The Daily Beast reports: U.S.-bound European Union executives will be given burner phones and laptops to mitigate the risk of espionage, a strategy usually reserved for officials headed to China and Eastern Europe. Ahead of important annual meetings next week in Washington, D.C., there is real fear that the U.S. government could infiltrate European Commission devices, according to sources who …

The Washington Post reports: The European Union hit back at President Donald Trump’s steel tariffs Wednesday, approving levies up to 25 percent on a broad list of U.S. products, as European leaders attempt a carrot-and-stick approach to bring Washington to the negotiating table. While the list of products was not made public, a copy of the E.U. plan, seen by …

Reuters reports: The European Commission proposed counter-tariffs of 25% on a range of U.S. goods on Monday in response to President Donald Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminium, a document seen by Reuters showed. The tariffs on some goods will take effect May 16 and others later in the year, on December 1, the document said. The goods are wide-ranging …

Courthouse News reports: Poland should honor the rights of same-sex couples who got married in other EU countries, a legal adviser to the bloc’s top court said Thursday. EU advocate general Jean Richard de la Tour wrote in an advisory opinion for the European Court of Justice that the country should register the marriage certificate of two Polish citizens who …

The New York Times reports: European Union regulators are preparing major penalties against Elon Musk’s social media platform X for breaking a landmark law to combat illicit content and disinformation, said four people with knowledge of the plans, a move that is likely to ratchet up tensions with the United States by targeting one of President Trump’s closest advisers. The …

Bloomberg News reports: French President Emmanuel Macron urged companies to pause investments in the US after President Donald Trump announced tariffs on the European Union and other regions. It makes little sense for firms to invest there while the US hits out against Europe, Macron added, speaking ahead of a meeting with representatives of industry groups affected by tariffs. “What …

Reuters reports: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described U.S. Donald Trump’s universal tariffs as a major blow to the world economy and said the European Union was prepared to respond with countermeasures if talks with Washington failed. “We are already finalising the first package of countermeasures in response to tariffs on steel,” she said in a statement read …

Bloomberg News reports: French hotel group Accor SA has warned that forward bookings from Europe to the U.S. are down 25% this summer as travelers that feel put off by U.S. President Donald Trump’s ’s crackdown on immigration divert to other locations. The company is seeing a “pretty strong deceleration” across the Atlantic, CEO Sébastien Bazin said on Tuesday in a …

The Washington Post reports: Scrambling to respond to the Trump administration’s cascading list of tariffs, the European Union is weighing whether to hit one of the most lucrative U.S. exports: billions of dollars’ worth of digital services that American Big Tech companies sell to European consumers. The debate over digital services risks expanding the trade war from manufactured goods such …

Newsweek reports: Denmark and Finland have revised their travel guidance for transgender individuals planning to visit the United States. A new section has been added under Denmark’s visa rules for entry into the United States. It states that when applying for a U.S. visa, there are only two gender options available, male or female. Meanwhile in Finland, the advisory notes …

Agence France-Presse reports: The EU’s commissioner for equality took aim Tuesday at a Hungarian bill aimed at banning Budapest’s annual pride march, asserting the “fundamental right” to peaceful assembly in the 27-nation bloc. The European Commission, 16 member states and the European Parliament have taken Budapest to court over a 2021 law banning the “promotion” of homosexuality to minors — …

Politic Europe reports: French President Emmanuel Macron wants to lead a charm offensive to convince EU countries to stop buying U.S. defense equipment and buy French and European instead. Macron, who has been calling for years to direct defense spending toward EU products, said he wants to convince other European countries that are currently “buying American” to shift to local options. …

Politico Europe reports: Portugal ruled out replacing its U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets with more modern F-35s because of Donald Trump — in one of the first examples of the U.S. president killing a potential lucrative arms deal. The country’s air force has recommended buying Lockheed Martin F-35s, but when outgoing Defense Minister Nuno Melo was asked by Portugese media Público …