European Union | DD News

April 9, 2026 4:15 PM

Italy working to restore freedom of navigation in Hormuz, Meloni says

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Thursday that restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz was of vital interest for her country and the European Union, as she pledged to work with partners to achieve that aim. Following U.S.- Israeli attacks, Iran restricted traffic through the Strait to pressure its enemies, in a move that drove up energy prices as around a fifth of the world's oil and gas pass through the narrow waterway. As part of its proposals to end the war, Teh...

April 8, 2026 12:43 PM

Vance says EU is meddling in Hungary’s election as he backs Orban in Budapest

U.S. Vice President JD Vance lashed out on Tuesday at what he called "disgraceful" European Union interference in Hungary's election, even as he openly endorsed Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a close ally of both President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, days before the vote. Vance's visit to Budapest came ahead of Sunday's election, which independent public opinion polls show Orban is likely to lose. The trip - and the rare endorsement by a sitting U.S. official - underscored ...

March 31, 2026 2:44 PM

EU tells members to prepare for ‘prolonged disruption’ to energy markets from Iran war

European Union governments should prepare for a "prolonged disruption" to energy markets as a result of the Iran war, the bloc's energy chief has told countries' ministers ahead of an emergency meeting on Tuesday. In a letter to energy ministers, EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen said governments were "encouraged to make timely preparations in anticipation of a potentially prolonged disruption". Europe's heavy reliance on imported fuel means the continent is very exposed to the Middle East ...

March 20, 2026 10:28 AM

EU leaders call for moratorium on strikes against energy and water facilities in Middle East

European Union leaders called on Thursday for a moratorium on military strikes on energy and water facilities in the Middle East, amid growing concerns about the impact of the Iran war on the global economy. "The European Council calls for de-escalation and maximum restraint, the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure and full respect of international law by all parties," the leaders of the EU's 27 countries said in written conclusions of a summit in Brussels. "In this regard, it ...

March 15, 2026 1:55 PM

EAM Jaishankar to visit Brussels, hold talks with EU foreign ministers

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will visit Brussels from March 15 to 16 at the invitation of Kaja Kallas to interact with foreign ministers of the 27 member states of the European Union at the Foreign Affairs Council meeting, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Sunday. During the visit, Jaishankar will also meet the leadership of the European Union and hold discussions with his counterparts from Belgium and other EU member states, the MEA said. The EAM’s vis...

March 5, 2026 7:18 PM

EU countries give final approval to 2040 climate target for 90% emissions cut

European Union countries gave the final approval on Thursday to a new climate target to slash greenhouse gas emissions 90% by 2040, pressing ahead with the bloc's ambitious climate agenda despite political resistance. The new climate target is a hard-fought political compromise, struck by governments and EU lawmakers last year. It is more ambitious than most major economies' emissions-cutting commitments, including China's. In practice, the target will require an 85% emissions reduction from E...

March 3, 2026 10:12 AM

France to boost nuclear arsenal, involve European allies in deterrence

France will expand its nuclear arsenal and will potentially allow European partners to host its aircraft on nuclear deterrence missions, President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday, signalling a major doctrine change for France and the continent. Though France and Britain are both nuclear powers, most European countries have relied primarily on the United States for deterring any potential adversaries - a decades-old pillar of transatlantic security. But Trump's rapprochement with Russia on the U...

February 16, 2026 10:12 AM

Europe aims to rely less on US defence after Trump’s Greenland push

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reflected a feeling of profound change among European leaders at this weekend's Munich Security Conference when she said: "Some lines have been crossed that cannot be uncrossed anymore". Transatlantic ties have already been strained over the past year by Donald Trump’s return to the White House. But the U.S. president’s push to annex Greenland dramatically increased European doubts about Washington’s commitment to protect the continent th...

February 12, 2026 6:44 PM

India urges medtech startups to go global as trade pacts open access to 70% of world GDP

India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday urged medical technology startups to expand beyond the domestic market and tap India’s free trade agreements that now provide access to nearly 70% of global GDP, most of it at zero duty for Indian products. Speaking at the Pfizer INDovation Startup Showcase in New Delhi, Goyal said nine free trade agreements signed over the past three years cover 38 countries, including major developed and emerging markets, creating unpreceden...

February 2, 2026 10:16 PM

EU efforts to diversify critical raw material imports fail so far, auditors say

The European Court of Auditors said on Monday the EU's efforts to diversify its imports of metals and minerals critical to tech, defence and the energy transition had "yet to produce tangible results". The EU's Critical Raw Materials Act in 2024 set a plan to boost local production of 34 strategic materials to reduce an over-reliance on imports from just a few countries - mainly China, Turkey and Chile. The list includes lithium, antimony, tungsten, copper and rare earth elements needed to man...