Thursday

28th Mar 2024

Ticker

Future of EU's Mediterranean naval mission in doubt

EU defence ministers want to continue Operation Sophia, the EU's Mediterranean naval mission, after its mandate ends this year, but have not yet agreed where warships should drop off migrants rescued at sea after Italy refused to take them in, EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini said Tuesday. She called the migrant issue a "small element" of Sophia, which also trains the Libyan coastguard and enforces a Libya arms embargo.

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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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