European News 🇪🇺

Don’t ‘blackmail’ us: Europe rejects Trump’s demand to help clean up Hormuz mess

“This is not Europe’s war,” EU tells Washington in bruising rebuke on Iran even as oil prices rise.

https://www.politico.eu/article/europe-donald-trump-strait-of-hormuz-war-iran/

Update on Trump's Hormuz coalition (Mon, March 16):

🇫🇷 France: REJECTED
🇬🇧 UK: REJECTED
🇮🇹 Italy: REJECTED
🇪🇸 Spain: REJECTED
🇯🇵 Japan: REJECTED
🇳🇴 Norway: REJECTED
🇨🇦 Canada: REJECTED
🇦🇺 Australia: REJECTED
🇩🇪 Germany: REJECTED
🇨🇳 China: NO RESPONSE
🇳🇱 Netherlands: NO RESPONSE
🇰🇷 South Korea: NO CONFIRMATION

Convicted hitman confessed to have committed bombings to help Fidesz win election in 1998

Jozef Roháč, a convicted hitman from Hungary's 1990s underworld, has confessed to carrying out a series of non-lethal bombings prior to the 1998 parliamentary elections. He claims he was instigated to detonate explosives at the properties of various right-wing politicians specifically to boost the electoral prospects of Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party.

https://english.atlatszo.hu/2026/03/12/convicted-hitman-confessed-to-have-committed-bombings-to-help-fidesz-win-election-in-1998/

EU states must provide proper ID for transgender citizens

The EU's top court on Thursday said the bloc's countries must provide trans citizens IDs reflecting their "lived gender." The case was referred to the ECJ by Bulgaria, which sought clarity on the issue.

https://www.dw.com/en/eu-states-must-provide-proper-id-for-transgender-citizens/a-76336447

Historic Chat Control Vote in the EU Parliament: MEPs Vote to End Untargeted Mass Scanning of Private Chats

In a sensational turn of events in the fight against Chat Control, a majority in the European Parliament voted today to end the untargeted mass scanning of private communications. In doing so, the Parliament firmly rejected the error-prone and unconstitutional surveillance practices of recent years.

https://www.patrick-breyer.de/en/historic-chat-control-vote-in-the-eu-parliament-meps-vote-to-end-untargeted-mass-scanning-of-private-chats/

There are now more tech workers going from the US to Europe than the other way around

Putin’s GRU-linked Election Fixers Are Already in Budapest to Help Orbán

Moscow has dispatched a team to Budapest to interfere in Hungary’s April 2026 parliamentary elections, VSquare has learned from multiple European national security sources. The operation, overseen by Putin confidant Sergei Kiriyenko, is designed to keep Viktor Orbán in power — and follows the same blueprint Russia used in Moldova.

https://vsquare.org/putins-gru-linked-election-fixers-are-already-in-budapest-to-help-orban/

Ukrainian FM claims Hungarian authorities have effectively "taken hostage" seven employees of Ukrainian state savings bank

According to the savings bank, the vehicles that were stopped contained US$40 million, €35 million, and 9 kg of gold.

https://telex.hu/english/2026/03/06/ukrainian-fm-claims-hungarian-authorities-have-effectively-taken-hostage-seven-employees-of-ukrainian-state-savings-bank

Macron expresses 'solidarity' with Spain after Trump's threat to sever trade

Donald Trump said that he would 'cut off all trade with Spain' because the country refused to allow US use of its bases to attack Iran. French President Emmanuel Macron told Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez he stood by him, his office said.

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/03/04/eu-says-ready-to-defend-interests-after-trump-threatens-spain_6751087_4.html

Media must stop normalizing the far right

Every uncritical mention of far-right rhetoric is an editorial decision with political consequences.

https://www.politico.eu/article/media-stop-normalize-far-right/

Orban’s Support Crumbles Weeks Ahead of Hungarian Elections

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s support crumbled less than seven weeks before a parliamentary election, a poll showed, raising the prospect of a landslide victory for an opposition that’s pledged to reverse the country’s slide toward authoritarianism.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-25/orban-s-poll-support-crumbles-as-hungary-opposition-widens-lead

US ambassador to France banned from meeting French government

https://www.reuters.com/world/us-ambassador-france-banned-meeting-french-government-2026-02-23/

Pentagon aggressively lobbies EU against Buy European weapons push

In previously unreported remarks, the U.S. administration warned Brussels that it will retaliate if Europeans “strong-arm American companies out of the market.”

https://www.politico.eu/article/washington-lobbies-eu-against-buy-european-push-for-weapons-donald-trump/

US sanctions turn International Criminal Court judge’s daily life into a nightmare

French ICC Judge Nicolas Guillou is living a nightmare after the US sanctioned him and other judges for issuing an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, once again exposing the risk of Europeans' reliance on American services.

http://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/02/18/us-sanctions-turn-international-criminal-court-judges-daily-life-into-a-nightmare

F-35 Software Could Be Jailbreaked Like An iPhone: Dutch Defense Minister

The F-35's vendor locked software is becoming a greater concern as relations between the U.S. and longtime allies falter.

https://www.twz.com/air/f-35-software-could-be-jailbreaked-like-an-iphone-dutch-defense-minister

Russian War Losses Now Exceed Recruitment, Western Officials Say

Russia sustained around 9,000 more battlefield losses in Ukraine than it was able to replace last month, according to assessments from Western officials, signaling progress for Ukraine’s ambition to inflict heavier damage on the front line.

(https://archive.ph/xhYG2)

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-11/russian-war-losses-now-exceed-recruitment-western-officials-say

Far-right Alternative for Germany embroiled in nepotism scandal

AfD party officials used taxpayers’ money to hire family members, media investigation shows

(https://archive.ph/Ycj4z)

https://www.ft.com/content/0d63bb48-58aa-4a53-b029-114e6819cceb

EU now has its own 'secure and encrypted' satellite communication system, Kubilius says

Eight satellites from five different member states are currently being pooled as part of GOVSATCOM. The Commission hopes this is the first step towards less dependence on the US.

http://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/01/27/eu-now-has-its-own-secure-and-encrypted-satellite-communication-system-kubilius-says

Does Europe Finally Realize It’s Alone?

Washington’s new National Security Strategy ratifies an adversarial relationship.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/12/05/national-security-strategy-2025-trump-europe-russia-ukraine-war/

(https://archive.ph/023AI)