More than 90 Labour MPs have now publicly called for Sir Keir Starmer to resign as Prime Minister, following the catastrophic performance of the governing party in the 7 May 2026 English local elections. Labour lost roughly 1,500 council seats; Nigel Farage’s Reform UK gained 1,454 and took control of Essex County Council, Havering (its…
Two and a half decades after negotiations first began, the EU-Mercosur trade agreement entered provisional application on 1 May 2026, immediately cutting tariffs on key European exports to Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay — a combined market of 260 million people and the world’s fifth-largest economic bloc by GDP. From day one, EU exporters of…
EU High Representative Kaja Kallas on Tuesday 12 May 2026 used the Foreign Affairs Council (Defence) in Brussels to press the case for increased EU funding to the Lebanese Armed Forces, framing the disarmament of Hezbollah and the restoration of state control across Lebanon as a direct corollary of European security in the wake of…
New European Union rules updating the lists of pollutants in surface and groundwaters entered into force across the 27 Member States on Monday 11 May 2026, introducing stricter limits on a range of chemical contaminants and bringing entirely new pollutant categories — including microplastics and antimicrobial-resistance markers — into the regulatory perimeter for the first…
The European Commission confirmed in early May 2026 over EUR 1 billion in funding for 9 hydrogen production projects across 7 EU countries, expected to produce more than 1.3 million tonnes of hydrogen over 10 years to decarbonise transport and chemical industries amid the Iran war energy shock.
Eurozone services PMI confirmed at 47.6 in April 2026, dropping into contraction. Germany 46.9, France 46.5, Spain crashed to 47.9 from 53.3. The energy shock is destroying consumer purchasing power across Europe’s largest economies.
Eurozone manufacturing PMI confirmed at 52.2 in April 2026, with Spain leading at 51.7, Italy at 52.1, France 52.8 and Germany 51.4. Defense procurement and auto orders are sustaining factory output even as consumer-facing services collapse.
The European Central Bank held its deposit rate at 2% on 30 April 2026 for the third consecutive meeting. Eurozone inflation jumped to 3% in April from 1.7% in February, driven by 10.9% energy price increase amid the Iran war.
ECB held deposit rate at 2% on 30 April for third consecutive meeting. Eurozone inflation 3% in April, Brent crude above $126, GDP growth slowed to 0.8% Q1 2026. Lagarde: ‘data-dependent and meeting-by-meeting’ approach.
Europe Day on 9 May 2026 marks the 76th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration. As war returns to Europe, AI reshapes economies, and enlargement accelerates, what does Schuman still mean?