European Union

The COVID-19 crisis has exposed Europe's strategic vulnerabilities and underscored the need for the European Union to foster its own industrial policy and aim for technological sovereignty in "the new geopolitical order", the EU's Commissioner for the internal market, Thierry Breton, has stressed.

The EU on Tuesday (27 July) said it had reached its target of giving 70% of adults at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, though with only 57% of adults fully jabbed, the WHO says Europe is still “far from out of the woods” when it comes to ending the pandemic. 

One person is dead and four are missing after an explosion rocked an industrial park in the western German city of Leverkusen on Tuesday, sending dark plumes of smoke into the sky. A fire at the Chempark site, which includes...

While the controversial extension of COVID-19 pass is still being discussed in the French Parliament, the country's equality agency, Défenseur des droits, published 10 points that need to be watched closely.

For decades, those who dared venture beyond the realm of Earth held a romantic position in our minds – men and women that combined great knowledge with great courage. Today, however, the great mystery of space is commodified. We’re well on our way to space becoming a playground for billionaires. The final frontier is just another bucket list item for the rich.

A number of European states have already taken the first steps in the direction of privileges for those who have been vaccinated and even compulsory vaccination, provoking major protests. Europe's press discusses whether compulsory vaccination is fair and what the alternatives could be.

In Tunisia, the Islamist Ennahdha party has called for early elections after President Kais Saied deposed Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi on Sunday and susended the work of the parliament. Saied's move came after protests in several cities last week against the government's management of the coronavirus crisis. Commentators fear the flagship country of the Arab Spring could drift towards autocracy once more and say Europe is also partly to blame.

Since the US and Nato troops began their withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban have been expanding their sphere of influence and have recaptured more than 160 of the country's 400 districts since the start of May. According to the UN, in May and June alone 2,392 civilians have been wounded or killed in the process. Commentators discuss the future role of the Taliban and other political powers in the region.

Privileges for those who have been vaccinated or even compulsory vaccination - a number of European states have already taken the first steps in this direction. Some commentators see this as an abrogation of fundamental rights. Others, however, point out that compulsory vaccination could ultimately lead to more justice.