More than 10 years of negotiations come to an end this Friday in Mexico: the European Union and the Latin American country will sign an update to the trade agreement that has been in force since the beginning of this century. The move — arguably more significant than the text of the renewed pact — signals a clear rapprochement between two parties whose commercial — and, to an extent, geopolitical — strategies have been shaken by Donald Trump’s return to the White House, based on protectionism, in barely a year and a half. For both, it is a renewed bet on multilateralism in international relations and a way to diversify alliances and risks to soften the impact of Washington’s unpredictable, unilateral decisions. The update will be signed this Friday in Mexico City by Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, and the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

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In this week's briefing, RFE/RL Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak, drills down on two issues: the terrorist threat Russia poses to the EU, and Brussels’ expanded mission to Ukraine.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Polish leader Donald Tusk have signed a new defence pact aimed at deepening military and security cooperation between the two NATO allies. The agreement focuses on strengthening joint capabilities, cyber defence and coordination in response to growing concerns over Russian aggression across Europe.

The local publican thought he was a retired scientist. There was little to give away that the quiet and convivial gentleman was in fact Oleg Gordievsky.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth on Saturday marked the 82nd anniversary of the World War II D-Day landings in France with a speech that bemoaned the "invasion" of "boats and men" on Europe's beaches. In his address at a US military cemetery in Normandy, Hegseth called on allies to contribute more for their defence. 

The long fight for justice by victims of a man who allegedly dosed them with diuretics has raised fresh concerns over how France treats serious abuse accusations.

A “heat dome” is driving unusually high temperatures across Europe, pushing readings well above seasonal norms. The UK and France have already set May records while Spain and Italy are facing heat alerts and limits on outdoor work. Scientists say climate change is making these kinds of extreme heat events more common.

The EU's foreign policy chief will discuss the issue of Aughinish Alumina and alumina exports to Russia when she meets the Taoiseach in Dublin tomorrow.

In this week's briefing, RFE/RL Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak is drilling down on two issues: a damning rule-of-law assessment for Serbia and the latest Franco-German EU enlargement proposal.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged European leaders on Saturday to remain vigilant against the threat of what he described as “dangerous ideologies” coming to the continent, invoking the lessons of D-Day to warn about modern-day immigration.    “In the years since these beaches, much of the West, in some places, in some quarters, and in...

Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar on Monday threatened legal action and said the government would use its two-thirds parliamentary majority to amend the constitution to ​force President Tamas Sulyok from office. Sulyok, who was appointed under former prime minister Viktor Orban, has refused to resign before his term ends in 2029. 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended how Washington shifted military forces around the world amid confusion over whether a brigade-size contingent of US troops would be rotated out of Poland.