Thursday

28th Mar 2024

Ticker

MEPs mandate talks on €500m defence fund

Members of the European Parliament gave their centre-right French colleague Francoise Grossetete a mandate to negotiate with national governments about the conditions of the proposed €500m European Defence Industrial Development Programme. 471 MEPs approved her report, which would exclude weapons of mass destruction and fully autonomous weapons from eligibility. 195 MEPs voted against. "We don't need more money, we need more efficiency," said German left-wing MEP Reinhard Buetikofer.

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"Swiftly dial back" interest rates, ECB told

Italian central banker Piero Cipollone in his first monetary policy speech since joining the ECB's board in November, said that the bank should be ready to "swiftly dial back our restrictive monetary policy stance."

Podcast

Moscow's terror attack, security and Gaza

This week's Euroscopic explores the consequences of Moscow's terror attack, the convergence of public safety and border/migration policy in an EU election year, and the United Nations Security resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Opinion

Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Rather than assuming a pro-European Labour government in London will automatically open doors in Brussels, the Labour party needs to consider what it may be able to offer to incentivise EU leaders to factor the UK into their defence thinking.

Investigation

How migrants risk becoming drug addicts along Balkan route

Psychotropic drug abuse is one of the many dangers migrants face along the Balkan route. In overcrowded camps, doctors prescribe tranquilisers to calm people down. And black market circuits and pharmacies selling drugs without prescription contribute to the issue.

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