Politico Europe
June 2026
Erdoğan rejects Israel’s Armenian genocide recognition, points to Gaza deaths
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hit back at Israel on Tuesday after the country unanimously voted on Sunday to formally recognize the Armenian genocide
We do not give the slightest heed to the slanders about our country from the murder network that has the blood of 73,000 innocent Gazans, most of them children and women, on its hands,
There is the virtue of protecting those who fled from … Nazi persecution,
Conservative ex-mayor Andy Street in the running to oversee Britain’s nationalized railways
We do not comment on speculation.”
Russia to import gasoline as Ukrainian strikes force Putin to use reserves
Discussions are actively being held,
In Germany, even football now looks like a crisis of governance
The 2014 FIFA World Cup champion, which has struggled at every major tournament since 2016, suffered a bruising defeat against Paraguay, losing 3-4 on penalties to be dumped out of the tournament hosted in the Americas
Even though the loss hurts: What a game, @DFB_Team! Your determination and team spirit throughout this World Cup inspired our country. We’re proud of you,
The country... In a political culture shaped by negativity … the decline of the West is always said to be just around the corner, with the state the national team held up as the latest omen. First the national team collapses, then society itself. That is utter nonsense.”
This national team plays the way this federal government governs: big on ambition, short on resolve. Everyone struggles on their own, no one takes responsibility, and when luck finally does appear, the goal doesn’t count,
5 things to know about the UK’s new defense spending plan
Even after revisions, the final document published Tuesday still leaves Britain short of its NATO spending goals
Some capital projects, for example, on roads and energy, which are important but not immediately vital, will no longer go ahead as planned,
This is a good step towards reaching the 3.5% of GDP on defence agreed in The Hague last year.”
It will deliver the UK’s renewal of the nuclear deterrent, with £64 billion of investment to build new submarines, develop a sovereign warhead and buy F35A jets,
By any measure, this is a huge historic shift for our nation and a legacy in which I take pride,
Britain will still be spending just 2.7 percent of GDP in 2030, the date when NATO has warned we could face a Russian attack,
As one of only three nuclear powers in NATO, the U.K. provides the ultimate guarantee of security for itself and its NATO allies,
French government to face no confidence vote over heat wave
But the prime minister and his team have been the subject of intense criticism over preparedness for heat so extreme that mainland France recorded its highest average daily temperature ever for three consecutive days
These deaths are on your conscience,
Protesters and police clash in Albania on day after MEPs visit
Tuesday’s clashes marked an escalation from the peaceful demonstrations in Tirana over the past 31 days
I believe the Flamingo protests have a profoundly European, and perhaps even global, significance. They express a popular demand for a radically different model of development — one that rejects predatory capitalism and puts people, communities, and the environment first,
Violence is never acceptable.”
EU slashes import quotas on UK steel by nearly a quarter
Securing wider export access for certain high-value steel products will be critical for the long-term viability and profitability of the U.K. steel sector,
Given the importance of the EU market to British steel producers, fair and workable market access remains critical if we are to achieve a sustainable steel industry here in the UK,
Our priority is providing the best possible outcome for the U.K. steel industry, which is why we have engaged tirelessly with the EU and will continue to work to strengthen U.K.-EU steel trade long-term,
There is further work to be done by the Government as U.K.-EU reset talks continue,
We will need some time to analyse the specific details of the announcement with respect to different product categories,
Kallas to meet Erdoğan ahead of pivotal NATO summit
Closer EU-Turkey cooperation serves us all,
Türkiye is an essential partner on defence, migration, trade and regional stability,
Three injured in parcel bomb attack in Monaco
Once one of Ukraine’s wealthiest businessmen, he was sanctioned by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2023 over allegations that companies linked to him paid taxes in Russian-occupied Crimea
I believe we must be cautious about the legal classification of the incident,
Montenegro joining EU will cost ‘less than a coffee,’ says Commission
The EU’s next €2 trillion budget — which will come into force at the start of 2028 — will have to be topped up to cover the costs of new members joining
Today’s package is another concrete step towards Montenegro’s future in our Union. We are getting Montenegro, Member States and our institutions ready,
Iran rejects Macron’s plan to clear Strait of Hormuz
Tehran also cast doubt on the U.S.-Iran talks expected to take place in Doha this week
We will not have any negotiation meetings at any level with the American side in the coming days,
Unfriendly fire: Who buys the defence investment plan?
EU reaches deals with a dozen countries for smaller steel quota cuts
The measure seeks to shelter the European steel industry from global overcapacity, while inflicting less pain on countries that have free-trade deals with the EU
This decision will have immense consequences for the Ukrainian steel industry and the country’s economy, ultimately affecting Ukraine’s resilience and ability to finance its fight for existence,
I do want to dispel the idea that this is only about China. The non-market part is driven more by China, but the structural nature of overcapacity is also present in other countries,
Call it a club, call it an alliance, call it whatever you like: The idea that we come together with like-minded partners on this global challenge of overcapacity,
Europe’s awkward embrace of Turkey
Three very senior EU heavyweights are on the ground in Turkey today — just days before the NATO summit in Ankara
Irish EU presidency to cost triple those of Cyprus, Denmark
Denmark, which preceded Cyprus in the six-month presidency rotation, spent an estimated €80 million
We’re manifestly not in a position to secure the environment, we don’t have any meaningful air, or maritime, or cyber defenses — we just don’t have them,
There may well be threats. There may well be incidents. I mean, we’ve seen them before in presidencies. So the question is, are we ready for them? … Yes, absolutely,
We haven’t set it as high as that. The figure will be high … [but] we haven’t published a final figure really,
How a bloody past is reshaping politics in Poland and Ukraine
To Ukrainians, the same dispute is turning into a defining red line of whether outsiders can dictate their national heroes, and has become politically important to Zelenskyy
No one will ever dictate how we live, how we speak, who we love, who we should be grateful to, or which heroes we should honour,
Polish society is being cured of a certain idealism, the idea that something can be built with Ukraine on the basis of partnership. We can see that this is not possible. So it should be only hard, pragmatic interests from now on,
We understand that Ukraine is at war and we want Ukraine to win this war against Russia, but we cannot allow Poland and Poles to be so disrespected,
The Kyiv regime is neither an ally nor a friend. It is an enemy of the Polish nation and the Polish state,
Zelenskyy has withstood enormous Russian pressure, and enormous pressure from Trump, who tried to break him and force him into various concessions. So this pressure from Poland — for him to move on the UPA — barely registers by comparison,
Unconditional aid and funding from the government in Kyiv, as well as putting the Polish state into debt in order to finance the corrupt government in Kyiv, are absolutely harmful and irrational,
The political class in Poland — and I think all political forces in Poland — know who Zelenskyy is now. They know how Ukrainians operate, that this is still a post-Soviet country, with a post-Soviet mentality, where methods and diplomacy do not work, but rather, I would say, force and arrogance,
They have an election in 2027. We have no business here, this is their internal matter,
Dear Volodymyr, Mr President, the dispute does not concern Poland’s domestic issues at all. There are no such issues, because all Poles know and understand how much evil Ukrainian nationalists did to Poland, to Polish women, Polish men and Polish children,
The president has recognized the public mood has shifted more against Ukraine and the Ukrainians and concluded he wasn’t really risking anything,
Paris and Berlin push to make EU foreign policy great — somehow
There is not one Berlin vision for the foreign policy,
Foreign and security policy responsibilities in Brussels must be both clearly delineated and pooled,
To go from being the sort of number one person in the government and in the system, to one of a number of vice presidents of the Commission, may not be the easiest transition,
The first thing to do is to clarify who does what,
Britain unveils its new Ukraine-modeled armed forces
Technology on the battlefield is changing at lightning speed. The clear lesson from Ukraine tells us that drones have changed the character of warfare,
It’s warfare we couldn’t do. We wouldn’t last more than a few weeks,
German politicians vow to stop VW’s mass layoff plan
The primary goal is to preserve the production sites of German manufacturers and to safeguard jobs,
As a state, we have a clear expectation that VW management will put forward a viable plan for the future,
It would be very radical,
Germany’s industrial base is crumbling at a dramatic pace right before our eyes,
Our task must be to ensure that we don’t seek solutions through simplistic measures like ‘We’ll lay off employees or close locations,
MEPs urge FIFA to investigate chief Infantino over Trump peace prize
Fifty members of the European Parliament are demanding that FIFA investigate its president, Gianni Infantino, over alleged violations of the football federation’s own political neutrality rules
We are merely asking for the FIFA Ethics Committee to fully investigate the awarding of the inaugural FIFA Peace prize to President Trump, and to ensure that due process is done,
With the eyes of the world on FIFA this summer, the organisation must address FairSquare’s ethics complaint,
EU and China seek to head off trade war with new dialogue
The two sides issued a joint statement on the topic, the first of its kind since 2019, although Šefčovič briefed reporters alone after the bilateral
What would be very important for us [is] to see the direction of travel, how we want to address the issue of the trade deficit,
Nearly 1 million unauthorized migrants apply for legal status in Spain
The legalization drive stems from a 2024 citizens’ initiative that was backed by over 700,000 Spaniards, hundreds of humanitarian organizations, business groups and the Catholic Church
Andy Burnham soft-launches his premiership
While the political direction I set is not up for negotiation, I will build an inclusive team at the very highest level,
EU plans reset with Serbia as elections loom
Last week, Serbia’s parliament backed relaxing controversial rules that international legal experts had warned would undermine the independence of the judiciary and weaken the fight against organized crime
Serbia has just adopted a set of judicial laws fully aligned with the recommendations of the Venice Commission,
These are my last days and weeks as the republic’s president. After that, I will resign,
From what we hear it is not clear who will be … the candidates for the future elections,
There is a general feeling we shouldn’t ‘lose’ Serbia completely,