Think back to 2016, the year of Britain’s referendum. Remember the predictions that a leave vote would see the EU collapse under the weight of its intrusions into national affairs? Sovereigntists were on the march, the Brexiters declared. Brexit would beget Frexit and the whole house of cards would collapse. It was delusional stuff but tapped into a scepticism about European integration that reached beyond the UK.
And now? The little Englanders, it turns out, were right about one thing. The EU has changed profoundly during the past seven years. The forces, however, have been centripetal rather than centrifugal. Far from breaking up, the EU is doing more. Lots more.
Governments that were once jealous guardians of national competences have been shifting more decision-making to Brussels.
Russia risks war with NATO in Black Sea, former top commander in Europe warns
Moscow risks sparking a direct war with NATO by intercepting ships in international waters and seeking to impose an economic stranglehold on Ukraine, NATO's former Supreme Allied Commander Europe is warning.
Swiss government lines up behind EU's 11th round of sanctions against Russia
The Swiss executive branch decided Wednesday that the new measures adopted by the European bloc on June 23 would take effect later in the day in the Alpine country.
Finland to Build EU’s Largest Stockpile for Chemical and Nuclear Emergencies
Finland will build up the largest strategic reserve of emergency supplies in the European Union after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sparked an effort within the bloc to boost its crisis preparedness.
The reason given for their decision is that the institutions and governments of the European Union spend a lot of money on the same topics as OSF, so they will focus on other parts of the world where they can operate more efficiently.
Jobs, study or retirement: Why Brits move to EU and where they go
Brexit has made moving to the EU more complicated for Brits - but it's far from impossible and in fact more than 40,000 first-time residency permits were issued to Brits in 2022.
REACTION: "Europeans Become Poorer As Americans Get Wealthier" by the Wall Street Journal
...uhhh, WHAT?! How can the WJS claim that Europeans are getting poorer while Americans are getting wealthier? Is the American economy really that strong? Is life in Europe really that bad? Or is there more lurking beyond the surface of this article by the Wall Street Journal? Let's take a look at the data.
We call it AI because no one would take us seriously if we called it matrix multiplication seeded with a bunch of initial values we pulled out of our asses and run on as much shitty data as we can get our grubby little paws on.
EU delivers Ukraine 224,000 shells under ammo plan
The EU has delivered Ukraine 223,800 shells under the first part of a plan to provide a million artillery rounds to aid Kyiv's fight against Russia, a spokesman said on Friday (11 August).
EU to send observation mission for Liberia elections
The European Union will send an observation mission (EOM) to Liberia ahead of the country's general election in October, the EU said on Friday.
Liberia, founded in 1822 as an outpost for returning freed slaves from the Americas, is still recovering from a military coup in 1980 and a 14-year civil war that ended in 2003.
"The deployment of this Election Observation Mission confirms our long-standing commitment to supporting competitive, transparent and peaceful elections in Liberia, the oldest democracy in Africa," said Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief.
"The European Union is a close partner of Liberia and is committed to continue its support to democratic governance."
Polish govt plays anti-EU, anti-German card ahead of polls
Poland's populist, nationalist government is increasingly taking an anti-German, anti-European Union stance in the run-up to the October 15 legislative elections in the hope of mobilising its most loyal followers, analysts say.
Eurostat: Over 4 Million Refugees from Ukraine Under Temporary Protection in EU
The European Union countries have granted temporary protection to nearly 4.07 million Ukrainians as of June 30, 2023, who had left Ukraine due to the Russian invasion of the country that started on February 24, 2022.
Among EU member states, Germany received the largest share of refugees granted temporary protection from Ukraine, providing shelter to around 1,133,420 people, which accounted for 28 per cent of the total beneficiaries.
Poland took second place, hosting 977,740 people or 24 per cent of the total), while the Czech Republic hosted 349,140 people or nine per cent of the total, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
Dutch snap election: Polls suggest swing to centre-left under Timmermans
The alliance of Dutch centre-left PvdA (S&D Group) and GroenLinks (Greens) parties has taken the lead in polls in the Netherlands after joining forces ahead of the upcoming November national parliament snap election, according to Europe Elects’ latest analysis.
Brussels vows 'maximum flexibility' to help Slovenia after floods
The Eastern European country will be able to repurpose EU funds to cover its immediate and long-term needs after deadly floods unleashed considerable damage.
NATO, EU send aid to Slovenia after devastating floods that killed at least 6 and left many homeless
The European Union and NATO began sending urgent aid to Slovenia after severe flooding over the weekend affecting two-thirds of the small European country killed at least six people and left hundreds homeless.