EU Insider News

Jul 23, 2026

Europe Is Spending Big on Defence — and Struggling to Build Anything Together

European defence budgets are climbing at their fastest pace since the Cold War. But the collapse of the Franco-German fighter programme shows that money is the easy part — the hard part is getting Europe's armies and arms makers to act as one.

The Europe Debate

Jul 22, 2026

Turkey Is the EU's Least-Ready Candidate, and the Only One Sliding Backwards

A readiness index built only from the European Commission's own progress reports scores Turkey at 2.81 out of 10 for 2025 — bottom of ten candidates, and lower than its 2021 mark. After 26 years as a candidate, Ankara is drifting away from Europe, not toward it.

Business & Economy

Jul 22, 2026

The 2035 Engine Ban Is Now in Parliament's Hands, and Getting Weaker

Six months after Brussels proposed replacing its 2035 combustion-engine ban with a 90% emissions cut, the fight has moved to the European Parliament — where the lead lawmaker's April draft wants to loosen the rule further. Where the EU's flagship climate deadline actually stands now.

News & Analysis

Jul 22, 2026

Europe Brands China a Strategic Threat as Paris and Berlin Draft a Plan

EU foreign ministers have quietly branded China a "critical long-term strategic challenge." Now France and Germany want a joint roadmap to confront Beijing's economic muscle before Europe's dependencies harden.

Business & Economy

Jul 21, 2026

Europe Never Measured What Completing Its Single Market Would Gain

A new EPIC study finds Europe has measured what the single market delivers, and what losing it would cost — but never what completing it would gain. Mario Draghi called that unfinished market the EU's 'only hope.' Nobody has put a price on finishing it.

News & Analysis

Jul 21, 2026

The EU's 21st Russia Sanctions Package Hinges on One Last Meeting

Brussels has until 23 July to save its cap on Russian oil revenue. A single meeting of EU ambassadors on 22 July — the last before the summer recess — will decide whether the bloc's 21st sanctions package survives a handful of national vetoes.

Latest News

Europe Is Spending Big on Defence — and Struggling to Build Anything Together

Turkey Is the EU's Least-Ready Candidate, and the Only One Sliding Backwards

The 2035 Engine Ban Is Now in Parliament's Hands, and Getting Weaker

Europe Brands China a Strategic Threat as Paris and Berlin Draft a Plan

Europe Never Measured What Completing Its Single Market Would Gain

The EU's 21st Russia Sanctions Package Hinges on One Last Meeting