Governments, elections, EU geopolitics
The Council of the European Union decided on Monday, 19 May 2026, to extend its restrictive measures targeting the former al-Assad regime in Syria by one year, until 1 June 2027, while de-listing seven entities. The renewal preserves the architecture of asset freezes and travel bans introduced in response to the brutal repression of the…
Negotiators from the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Cypriot EU Council Presidency met in Brussels on Tuesday, 19 May 2026, for what officials described as a final-stretch round of trilogue talks on the so-called Defence Readiness Omnibus. The package, proposed by the Commission a year ago, aims to cut red tape, increase transparency…
Members of the European Parliament concluded their May plenary session in Strasbourg this week with a final vote on the regulation strengthening the screening of foreign investments in EU strategic sectors. The four-day session, which ran from 18 to 21 May 2026, was attended by Cyprus European Affairs Deputy Minister Marilena Raouna, representing the Council…
Strasbourg – The European Parliament opened its 18-21 May 2026 plenary session in Strasbourg yesterday, with President Roberta Metsola presiding over an agenda heavily focused on global security and trade challenges. The centrepiece of the week is the return of Question Time, with High Representative Kaja Kallas due to face MEPs on the EU’s strategy…
In short: The European Commission’s annual State of Schengen report, published on Monday 18 May 2026, concludes that the borderless area continues to demonstrate operational resilience despite the cumulative pressure of irregular migration, hybrid threats at the eastern border, and the spillover effects of the Iran war. The Commission says member states are now better…
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…
The European Commission, acting on behalf of the European Union, joined on 15 May 2026 the Enlarged Partial Agreement of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine — the foundational document that sets out the institutional, financial and administrative modalities for what may become one of the most ambitious accountability mechanisms of…
The first disbursement of the €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan is now firmly scheduled for June 2026, EU High Representative Kaja Kallas confirmed at the close of the Foreign Affairs Council (Defence) in Brussels on Tuesday 12 May. Defence ministers also gave their political backing to mobilising additional European Peace Facility (EPF) funds, with concrete…
The first disbursement of the €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan is now firmly scheduled for June 2026, EU High Representative Kaja Kallas confirmed at the close of the Foreign Affairs Council (Defence) in Brussels on Tuesday 12 May. Defence ministers also gave their political backing to mobilising additional European Peace Facility (EPF) funds, with concrete…
President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping opened their two-day state summit in Beijing on Thursday 14 May 2026 with an opening session of two hours and fifteen minutes. It is the first state visit by a sitting US president to China since Mr Trump’s previous visit in 2017 — and Brussels is watching…