Europe

Paywall? https://archive.is/S0oZ4

China is willing to work with the European Union to resist protectionism, the country's economy tsar told the bloc's trade chief, in an invitation to join forces in pushing back against mounting threats of trade tariffs from the United States.

The head of President Andrzej Duda’s National Security Bureau (BBN), Dariusz Łukowski, has warned that Poland only has enough ammunition to defend itself “for a week or two” if it was attacked by Russia

But his remarks have been criticised as “outrageous” by a deputy defence minister, who says they are not true and will be exploited by Poland’s enemies.

Trump has slashed education funding, meaning many US universities are facing hiring freezes and budget constraints. Economist Monika Schnitzer speaks to DW's Marie Sina about the opportunities for German universities and research institutions to tempt academics and scientists to cross the pond.

I think this is related to Europe as it may try to take advantage of the current situation in the US to its advantage. This one focuses on Germany.

The European Union is urging citizens across the continent to stockpile food, water and other essentials to last at least 72 hours as war, cyberattacks, climate change and disease increase the chances of a crisis.

Archived

Emboldened by the Trump administration’s split with Europe, Russian President Vladimir Putin may be preparing to directly test the resolve of the postwar Western military alliance.

In an interview with German business daily Handelsblatt, the chairman of European aerospace and defense group Airbus warned the continent needs to arm itself now that it’s likely the United States will not honor its obligations under NATO’s Article 5 common defense clause.

“There are strong indications that Russia is preparing an attack on NATO’s eastern flank,” René Obermann told the newspaper on Monday, adding that Putin will not likely wait until Europe has enough time to build up its own sovereign capabilities for deterrence before striking.

[...]

Obermann argues the Russian dictator has placed his country’s economy on a wartime footing with a fiscally unsustainable 10% of gross domestic product diverted to its military, according to Obermann. That’s five times the NATO minimum target, and Putin also plans to mobilize 1.5 million soldiers—the world’s second largest standing army after China.

With so much already invested, ending his expansionist campaign and returning to peace risks the one thing Putin appears to fear most—political upheaval. That may be one reason why a joint military exercise is planned for this year in Russia’s neighboring client state of Belarus.

“That is reminiscent of the events leading up to the Ukraine invasion. Furthermore, the internal pressure [in Russia] to deliver new victories through military conquest likely will grow,” he said.

[...]

US President Donald Trump has announced a 25 percent tariff on all car and light truck imports into the country, saying the move would 'spur growth' in the American economy. But world leaders are among those warning of the chilling effect it will have on the global economy. The White House said the tariffs would raise 100 billion dollars a year. Applying them could be tricky, however, with US carmakers sourcing many components internationally, especially from Canada and Mexico. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has given her reaction to Trump's announcement.

On a Monday morning in September 2024, an alarming email lands in the inbox of the Norwegian Financial Supervisory Authority.

The email is from an insurer from Ghana who has been asked to investigate a potential Norwegian partner for a customer. Before the customer signs his contract, he wants to make sure that the Norwegian company is legitimate, so the insurer attaches a document he has received in the email to the Norwegian authority. 

“Something wasn’t right and I couldn’t put my finger on what it was,” says the Ghanaian insurance man, who doesn’t want to be named for risk of losing his job. “Maybe I was just following my instincts”.

Italian tax authorities argue that user registrations with X, LinkedIn and Meta platforms should be seen as taxable transactions as they imply the exchange of a membership account in return for a user's personal data.

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The case could ultimately be extended to the 27-nation European Union since VAT is a harmonised EU tax, and force a rethink of the business model of the tech industry.

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The Italian approach could affect almost all companies, from airlines to supermarkets to publishers, who link access to free services on their sites to users' acceptance of profiling cookies.

Visualised growth of renewable energy between 2016 and 2024. It can be done, just keep on building and keep ignoring the fossil energy companies. Who don't understand energy at all.

China’s secret services could use sensors and cameras in the cars to monitor secure areas, wiretap passenger conversations and access phones that are plugged into the vehicle, CSRI senior policy director Sam Goodman said.

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Top diplomats from France and Indonesia have agreed to a new maritime security project which aims to "to ensure peace and safety" at sea in the Indo-Pacific region.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot’s visit to Jakarta, his second stop on his four-day Asia tour, comes amid ongoing trade tensions between the European Union and Beijing.

He told reporters on Wednesday that the Indo-Pacific Port Security Project "is close to my heart," promising France's support.

Neither he nor his Indonesian counterpart, Sugiono, gave any further details on what exactly the project will entail.

Earlier this month, during a discussion about the project at the Ottawa Conference on Security and Defence, Indonesia's naval chief of staff, Admiral Muhammad Ali, said it would address various maritime security challenges, including piracy, terrorism and other illegal activities, and would likely involve collaboration between several countries in the Indo-Pacific.

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Military cooperation between France and Indonesia has grown in recent years.

French air force planes made a stopover in Jakarta in July as part of a visit to Southeast Asia that was meant to display France’s commitment to regional security.

With just two years left to meet the 2027 Russian gas phase-out goal, the EU needs to step up and deliver on commitments, which will bring economic and security benefits in the process.

https://nyheder.tv2.dk/live/2025-01-06-kampen-om-groenlands-fremtid/amerikanere-stemte-doerklokker-i-nuuk-foer-aflyst-besoeg-siger-steinmetz?entry=2b1ef233-8348-47f6-8219-f8783a4b72cd

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/59581749

US President Donald Trump ramped up his claims to Greenland on Wednesday, saying ahead of a visit by Vice President JD Vance that the United States needed to take control of the Danish island for "international security."

Archive: https://archive.is/2025.03.26-113538/https://www.ft.com/content/eeb1ee80-00b8-4f9f-b560-a6717a80d58d

EU households should stockpile essential supplies to survive at least 72 hours of crisis, Brussels has proposed, as Russia’s war in Ukraine and a darkening geopolitical landscape prompt the bloc to take new steps to increase its security.

The continuing conflict in Ukraine, the Covid-19 pandemic that brutally exposed a lack of crisis response capabilities and the Trump administration’s adversarial stance towards Europe have forced the continent to rethink its vulnerabilities and increase spending on defence and security.

The new initiative comes as European intelligence agencies warn that Russia could attack an EU member state within three to five years, adding to natural threats including floods and wildfires worsened by climate change and societal risks such as financial crises.

Europe faced increased threats “including the possibility of armed aggression against member states”, the European Commission warned on Wednesday as it published a 30-step plan for its 27 capitals to increase their preparedness for crisis and mitigation measures.