Bucha remembrance meets political deadlock
EU foreign ministers are gathering in Kyiv this week to mark four years since Russia’s atrocities in Bucha, as divisions over support for Ukraine persist. Ministers will discuss further backing for Kyiv, with Hungary continuing to veto a €90 billion loan intended to replenish Ukraine’s finances and support its war effort.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó is expected to skip the meeting, though a Hungarian delegation will attend on Tuesday, three officials told my colleague Magnus Lund Nielsen and me.
Szijjártó is under scrutiny for his contacts with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov around EU Council meetings. Budapest is demanding that Kyiv resume Russian oil flows via the Druzhba pipeline before lifting its veto, despite having agreed to the loan last December.
No signs of Iran migrant surge, Cyprus says
Cyprus’s migration chief, Nicholas Ioannides, struck a cautious tone on fears of a refugee surge to Europe tied to the conflict in Iran, in an interview with Rapporteur.
“There are no signs of flows from Iran at this stage,” he said, noting that past regional wars – including Iran-Iraq – did not trigger mass departures to the bloc. Instead, displacement tends to remain internal or confined to neighbouring countries.
For frontline Cyprus, the bloc’s easternmost state, instability is nothing new. “Unfortunately, our neighborhood is very volatile,” he said. “Every time an armed conflict erupts in the region, we're getting ready, getting prepared in order to deal with possible migratory flows.” Last month, British bases on the island were the target of attacks by Iranian drones.
Still, Brussels and national capitals are watching closely. A recent letter from Italy and Denmark urged the Commission to avoid a repeat of the 2015 crisis, including by preparing emergency measures if arrivals spike. Ioannides called such concerns “normal,” but insists the bloc is better equipped this time, citing stronger legal frameworks, upgraded infrastructure and clearer procedures ahead of the EU’s migration pact rollout in June.
Digital detox for MEPs headed to China
Nine MEPs from the Internal Market Committee will head to Beijing and Shanghai this week – the first such visit in eight years – for talks with Chinese officials on tech and e-commerce, as well as meetings with companies including Shein, Alibaba and Temu.
Officials advised participants not to carry personal devices, one person briefed on the mission told my colleague Anupriya Datta. French lawmaker Stéphanie Yon-Courtin said MEPs would follow “best practices” on secure communication.
One European Parliament spokesperson told Euractiv that "necessary measures" had been taken to ensure information security, calling the issue "sensitive."
Parliamentary trips were halted during the pandemic, and further frozen after Beijing sanctioned several MEPs in 2021.
EU €1tn renewables shift falls short
After decades of pouring billions into wind and solar, Europe is facing another energy crunch, with its reliance on foreign supplies largely unchanged from 20 years ago. In 2004, the EU imported 56.9% of its energy, despite ambitious promises that renewables would turn the bloc from energy-poor to energy-independent. Two decades on, that figure has barely moved, inching up to 57.2%.
My colleague Nikolaus J. Kurmayer unpacks why the bloc’s green transition has yet to deliver energy independence. Read the full story.
MEPs pile pressure on Biennale over Russia
A cross-party group of MEPs is urging the Commission to follow through on its warning to pull EU funding from the Venice Biennale if Russia is allowed back in. Last month, Commissioners Micallef and Virkkunen blasted the decision to allow Russia to reopen its national pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale.
In a letter to von der Leyen and Kallas – and seen by Rapporteur – lawmakers argue the bloc must match words with action after the Commission said it could suspend funding over Moscow’s participation.
“Culture must never be used as a platform for propaganda,” Brussels warned at the time, but MEPs now want concrete steps, including sanctions checks and cutting roughly €2 million in EU support if the pavilion goes ahead. The Commission did not reply to a request for comment before publication.
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