[Interview] ‘Poor but sexy’ Berlin faces worsening housing crisis and bad fixes, warns German economist euobserver.com/238652/interv…

First blind the Russians, then catch them with robots: Ukraine’s Operation Vivaldi shows cutting edge of modern warfare (Ukraine Battlefield update, Day 1,674) euobserver.com/239734/first-…

Deadlock on EU pesticides bill after scientists call for pause euobserver.com/239810/deadlo…

Europe says critical minerals are essential to its economic security. Mining companies say Brussels still isn’t putting enough money behind that promise. 🌍 The industry is calling for a dedicated EU budget for critical raw materials, warning that strategic mining and processing projects are struggling to secure financing. But the European Commission and member states have pushed back, preferring to keep funding flexible rather than ring-fence money specifically for minerals. The stakes are high: Europe wants to reduce its dependence on foreign suppliers for materials essential to clean energy, defence and advanced technologies — but many of its strategic projects still face major financing hurdles. Read the full story on EUobserver 👉 euobserver.com/239502/mining… Investigative. Influential. Independent. Your EUobserver.

How a Chinese ‘smart sex toys’ company fed Russian war tech against Ukraine — and exposed an EU sanctions blind spot euobserver.com/239459/how-a-…

Shadow fleet tankers flock back to being flagged as Russian, creating more headaches for EU states euobserver.com/239736/shadow…

The gender pay gap is alive in Brussels — and women in NGOs pay the price for speaking up euobserver.com/239667/the-ge…

Russia’s hybrid attacks on Europe are entering a “dangerous escalation”, EU Council president António Costa has warned. 🌎 Speaking at the UN, Costa said Russia has repeatedly threatened the security of EU countries over the past year, as sabotage, cyberattacks and other hybrid threats intensify across Europe. The warning comes as Danish intelligence says Russian hybrid attacks are likely to become more frequent in the coming months — while Washington prepares to invite Russia back to the G20. For some European leaders, that risks sending Moscow exactly the wrong message. Read the full story on EUobserver 👉 euobserver.com/239501/eus-co… Investigative. Influential. Independent. Your EUobserver.

Listen: How do European authorities deal with misogynism online? euobserver.com/239664/listen…

Deporting humans becomes big business, as Brussels and Washington race to pay African countries to take them euobserver.com/239412/a-glob…

EU’s Costa calls out ‘dangerous escalation’ by Russia amid increasing hybrid attacks euobserver.com/239501/eus-co…

Mining firms’ plea for EU critical minerals budget falls on deaf ears euobserver.com/239502/mining…

EU data chief adds voice to unions’ fears of ‘carte blanche’ use of workers’ data for AI euobserver.com/239590/eu-dat…

Macron’s ego may just have permanently damaged EU unity on Russia euobserver.com/239537/macron…

Europe’s development aid budget could be slashed by as much as 40%. 🇪🇺 EU governments are looking for major savings in the bloc’s next 2028–34 budget — and the €200bn Global Europe fund is looking increasingly vulnerable. The cuts would come on top of an already sharp decline: EU institutions’ development aid fell 13.8% last year, the steepest drop in a decade. European Parliament development chief Barry Andrews called the prospect “alarming” and warned it would amount to a “drastic betrayal” of the EU’s values. Spending on Ukraine and Global Gateway would be exempt, EUobserver understands. Read the full story on EUobserver 👉 euobserver.com/239304/eu-40-… Investigative. Influential. Independent. Your EUobserver.

Russians dream of encircling Dobropillia, as Ukraine’s Azov force pushes back (Ukraine Battlefield update, Day 1,673) euobserver.com/239471/russia…

Critical minerals at core of Trump-Xi talks as US ups its game in race to rival Beijing euobserver.com/239494/critic…

Orbán dominoes start falling: Hungary’s accountability drive reaches ex-Fidesz ministers (Day 135 of the Tisza government) euobserver.com/239469/orban-…

🎧 NEW PODCAST: What is “EU Inc” — and why is it causing such a fight in Brussels? 🌎 The idea sounds simple: create a company anywhere in the EU in under 48 hours, entirely online and with no initial capital, under a new European legal regime. Supporters say it could finally make it easier for European companies to scale across borders. Critics fear it could eventually open the door to companies shopping around for weaker labour rules and lower standards. So how would EU Inc actually work — and what would it change for European businesses? In the latest episode of Briefed, Léa Marchal breaks it down. 🎧 Listen on EUobserver and all major podcast platforms 👉 euobserver.com/239383/listen… Investigative. Influential. Independent. Your EU observer.

Giorgia Meloni wants to cap the number of foreign-born children in Italian classrooms. 🇮🇹 The Italian PM says it is “unthinkable” for Italian pupils to feel like a minority at school. Her proposals include quotas on foreign-born students, requiring their parents to learn Italian, and banning the burqa and niqab in schools. Yet foreign nationals make up just 11.6% of Italy’s students. In our latest EUobserver Voice, Gaia Neiman argues Meloni is taking Italy’s migration culture war somewhere it doesn’t belong: into the classroom — with migrant children paying the price. Read the full piece on EUobserver 👉 euobserver.com/239272/in-ita… Investigative. Influential. Independent. Your EUobserver.