Hours after negotiators finalised their conditions for a contentious EU-US trade deal agreed to last summer, top European Parliament negotiator Bernd Lange has defended the pace and the scope of the agreement – but warned that Europe will never be out of the woods while US President Donald Trump is…

Published on 20/05/2026 – 7:53 GMT+2•Updated 8:25 Also on today’s show: ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Explainer by Jakub Janas: Putin visits Xi Jinping — what does it mean for Europe? Interviews with Sir Chris Bryant, UK Minister of State for Trade, Colonel Martin L. O’Donnell, Chief of Public Affairs at NATO SHAPE,…

EU governments and the European Parliament struck a provisional deal on May 7th to amend the AI Act, the landmark legislation that entered into force in August 2024. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The deal delays tough rules on high-risk AI systems covering biometrics, critical infrastructure, law enforcement, and employment decisions by 16…

Published on 20/05/2026 – 2:31 GMT+2 Diplomats and MEPs reached an agreement late on Tuesday to implement the contentious EU-US agreement, which eliminates duties on most US industrial goods imported into Europe. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The negotiations concluded two weeks after US President Donald Trump threatened to impose 25% tariffs on…

Published on 19/05/2026 – 19:28 GMT+2•Updated 19:35 The European Commission kept its carbon border tax unchanged in a fertiliser plan announced on Tuesday meant to support struggling farmers, despite complaints that carbon pricing is also contributing prices amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Fertiliser producers argue that…

Updated: 19/05/2026 – 19:38 GMT+2 Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel was awarded the European Order of Merit on Tuesday. Merkel warned that Europe could no longer take peace and security for granted following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. She also said changes in US security policy showed old certainties were fading.…

The EU is hopeful it can reach a deal on a raft of measures aiming to slash red tape, increase transparency and supercharge domestic production to respond to growing security threats – but significant issues remain regarding autonomy, risking the continent’s security. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT On Tuesday, members of the European…

Published on 19/05/2026 – 8:28 GMT+2 Many people once again reached for their winter coats and woolly socks at the weekend. This week, though, summer in Germany is set to really gather pace: ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT By midweek a strong early-summer area of high pressure will have established itself over south-western…

An F-16 fighter jet deployed with NATO air policing forces in the Baltics shot down what is believed to have been a stray Ukrainian drone over southern Estonia on Tuesday ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said that, given the drone’s trajectory, “we decided that we needed to take…

Published on 19/05/2026 – 11:47 GMT+2 Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar said Tuesday he hopes to sign a political agreement with the European Commission “next week” on the release of EU funds that had been frozen during the previous government. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “Both sides will do everything they can to…