Tag - eu

 
 

EU

Ships and boats in the Strait of Hormuz, Musandam, Oman, on April 22
WORLD / Politics
May 20, 2026
NATO not drawing up plans for Hormuz mission, top commander says
Any decision to launch ​a mission would require the approval of all NATO’s 32 members and several have already signaled opposition.
U.S. Army soldiers walk in formation during the Sword 26 exercise, in Bemowo Piskie, Poland, on May 11.
WORLD / Politics
May 20, 2026
U.S. plans to shrink forces available to NATO during crises, sources say
U.S. President Donald Trump has made it clear he ⁠expects European countries to take over from the United States primary responsibility for the continent’s security.
Shipping containers at Port Miami. Under the trade deal — which was signed in July — the EU agreed to erase levies on U.S. industrial goods in exchange for a 15% tariff ceiling on most EU products.
BUSINESS
May 19, 2026
EU races to finalize U.S. trade deal to avoid more Trump tariffs
Trump previously threatened to hike tariffs on European auto imports to 25% from 15% because the EU hadn’t moved quickly enough to implement the deal.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s planned withdrawal of 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany could undermine NATO cohesion and diminish U.S. influence in Europe and Asia.
COMMENTARY / World
May 18, 2026
Trump’s troop drawdown in Germany is a warning shot
The withdrawal of U.S. forces from Germany sparks strategic questions for Europe and Asia.
A steel factory in Duisburg, Germany. The European Union is attempting to reduce reliance on China by requiring companies to buy critical components from at least three different suppliers.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 18, 2026
EU to force companies to buy components from non-Chinese suppliers, FT reports
Under the new legislation, companies would be limited ⁠to buying about 30% to 40% of components from a single supplier.
In the aftermath of this month’s elections, Labour members of Parliament pointed to voters’ dissatisfaction with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as a contributing factor to the party’s performance.
WORLD / Politics
May 18, 2026
Labour’s Starmer revolt revives thorny debate over rejoining EU
The development follows heavy losses by the party in local elections earlier this month to the rightwing Reform U.K. and the leftist Green Party.
The Las Rozas solar park, operated by Zelestra, near Seville, Spain, on June 18, 2025. In the coming months, about 40 terawatt-hours of solar-generated electricity, enough to power Greater London for a year, could go to waste in Europe.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
May 14, 2026
Solar power is so big in Europe that electricity is being wasted
A record amount of electricity is being wasted because grids can’t handle the surge in output.
European leaders gather for a picture at the B9 summit in Bucharest, Romania, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
May 14, 2026
Russian airspace breaches show need to boost NATO eastern flank air defense, leaders say
The meeting aims to find ways to mend a widening rift between U.S. President Donald Trump and Europe over the Iran crisis.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrives for a College meeting of commissioners in Brussels on May 6.
WORLD / Politics
May 12, 2026
The EU’s commission chief is increasingly seen as too powerful
Sources say Ursula von der Leyen’s working style is leading her broader campaign to revive the EU project to falter.
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Ryosei Akazawa (second from left) and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Iwao Horii (far left) attend a high-level economic dialogue with the European Union in Brussels on Thursday.
BUSINESS
May 8, 2026
Japan and Saudi Arabia to set up energy security task force
Discussions at the task force are slated to start early next week.
Henna Virkkunen (second from left), executive vice president of the European Commission, and communications minister Yoshimasa Hayashi (third from left) at a news conference in Brussels on Tuesday
JAPAN / Politics
May 6, 2026
Japan and EU to enhance cooperation on regulating social media
A joint statement called for cooperation in areas such as data flow and communications infrastructure, in addition to artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
A top Google scientist warned EU antitrust regulators that its proposal ​requiring the company to share search engine data with rivals risked exposing ‌users' private information.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 6, 2026
Top Google scientist says EU data measures pose privacy risk for users
The European Commission, which acts as the EU competition enforcer, has in recent years cracked down on Big Tech via a slew of legislation.
The presidents of Ukraine and France, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hold a news conference after signing a declaration on deploying a post-ceasefire force in Ukraine during the Coalition of the Willing summit in Paris on Jan. 6. 
COMMENTARY / World
May 5, 2026
The EU needs new security partners
Closer security partnerships with a wider range of states will increasingly become a source of power, allowing Europe to defend its interests wherever they are at stake.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte walks into the White House, as seen through a fence, in Washington on April 8.
WORLD / Politics
May 5, 2026
Trump’s Germany troop cuts show limits of NATO efforts to keep U.S. on board
European diplomats say they fear Trump may make further moves that could test the alliance before a summit of its 32 national leaders in Ankara in July.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer speaks to the media in Brussels in November 2025. Greer told CNBC on Monday that he'd advised European Union and German trade officials over the weekend that Washington will move forward with U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to raise EU car import tariffs to 25%.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 5, 2026
Washington to proceed with plan to hike EU car tariffs, U.S. trade official says
U.S. President Donald Trump’s post saying he’d increase the tariffs came amid tensions over European countries’ refusal to send navies to open the Strait of Hormuz.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives to attend the eighth European Political Community summit in Armenia on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
May 5, 2026
U.S. allies look to Europe to build a post-Trump global order
Some nations are warning that that the system of security and trade championed by Western powers for more than 70 years is broken beyond repair.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte delivers a speech during an official visit to Turkey, in Ankara on April 22.
WORLD / Politics
May 4, 2026
NATO chief says Trump disappointed in Europe over Iran response
The U.S. president had accused European countries of ignoring his requests to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. and Israel went to war with Iran.
A view of the Republic Square on the eve of the 8th European Political Community summit in Yerevan, Armenia, on Sunday
WORLD
May 4, 2026
European leaders meet as Trump adds more threats
The U.S. president said he would cut thousands of troops stationed in Germany after accusing European countries of ignoring requests for help in the war with Iran.
Orthodox priests arrive for a ceremony in the cathedral of Saint Etchmiadzin near Yerevan, in Etchmiadzin, Armenia on May 3.
WORLD
May 4, 2026
Ancient faith to AI future: Five things to know about Armenia
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has cautiously deepened engagement with the European Union and the United States, seeking economic support and political backing.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (right), during a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (left) ahead of the European Political Community summit in Yerevan, Armenia, on Sunday
WORLD / Politics
May 4, 2026
Armenia summits show Europe’s Caucasus rivalry with Trump and Putin
Long the dominant force in the region, Russia now faces growing competition from the U.S., as well as from Turkey, the European Union and China.

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival