Europe

The plans, hatched by Sweden’s rightwing government with support of its far-right backers, made waves around the world. Politicians said they were working to strip citizenship from dual nationals who had been convicted of some crimes.

The concept also made a cameo in Germany’s February election after Friedrich Merz – whose centre-right CDU/CSU bloc emerged victorious in the ballot – told the newspaper Welt it should be possible to revoke German citizenship in the case of dual nationals who commit criminal offences.

The proposal was swiftly criticised, with one political commentator pointing out that it would result in some being “Germans on probation” for their entire lives. “They can never truly be German. One mistake, one crime – and their Germanness is gone,” the journalist and political commentator Gilda Sahebi wrote on social media. “It doesn’t matter if they were born here or if their family has lived in Germany for generations.”

Merz’s idea, she added, had laid bare the normalisation of “racist discrimination” in that, “in other words,” he was calling for remigration – the concept long-peddled by far-right, anti-immigrant parties and which, in Germany, calls for the mass deportation of migrants, including those with German citizenship.

Paywall? https://archive.is/NicVP

Paywall? https://archive.is/ZSHXV

Archived version

Chairs of the foreign affairs committees of eight European parliaments on April 25 urged U.S. President Donald Trump to end "the policy of appeasement" towards Russia, and called for a "resolute stance" against Moscow, according to a document seen by the Kyiv Independent.

"We strongly warn against yielding to its blackmail and deception," the statement reads.

The statement is signed by chairs of the foreign affairs committees of the U.K., France, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Ukraine.

"We urge an end to the policy of appeasement and call instead for a united, resolute stance against Russia’s terrorist regime."

"Negotiating with the war criminal Putin is evidently futile; his main objective is to undermine and humiliate our ally, the United States. We call upon all states to ensure that Vladimir Putin and all those complicit in his crimes are brought to justice."

"We must not repeat the mistakes of Munich in 1938."

"There can be no compromise and no external pressure on Ukraine regarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity."

[The latter point is noteworthy as the U.S. is reportedly proposing its de jure recognition of Russian control over Crimea, which Russia has occupied since 2014, as part of a potential peace deal.]

The signatories also urged Europe to confiscate Russia’s frozen assets and redirect them to support Ukraine.

[Edit typo.]

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/62370804

Russia became increasingly aggressive and provocative toward European countries in 2024, employing espionage, cyberattacks, and covert disinformation campaigns to influence public debate, according to the annual report released by the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD). The agency described Russia’s actions as approaching the level of state terrorism aimed at spreading fear across Europe. The report also highlighted a rise in extremist threats within the Netherlands.

“The regime uses sabotage that borders on state terrorism to sow fear in Europe,” the AIVD stated in its report.

[...]

On Tuesday [April 22], the Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) disclosed that Russian hackers attacked a Dutch public facility in 2024. The specific facility was not identified. The incident was part of the agency’s annual report and signals a significant shift in how national security is viewed, with threats now considered the norm rather than the exception. “From uncertainty as the exception to uncertainty as the rule,” AIVD Director-General Erik Akerboom said in the report.

According to the AIVD, the Netherlands faced a “multitude of threats” in 2024. The agency issued 73 official intelligence reports to the Public Prosecution Service—17 more than in 2023. These classified communications typically alert authorities about individuals who may be involved in criminal activity and allow prosecutors to initiate investigations.

...

Many of the AIVD’s investigations were linked to shifting global power dynamics and ongoing international conflicts. “The balance of power is changing, and the question is what the future world order will look like,” the report noted. “Anyone who assesses the threats to the Netherlands in 2024 will not only wonder what kind of world we live in, but also what we must do in response to this threat landscape.”

Alongside Russian threats, China also posed significant dangers. The Chinese government targeted a Dutch military research network with malicious software in a bid to spy on Dutch governmental and political targets. The AIVD report stated that China aimed to reduce Western influence worldwide through collaboration with Russia.

In addition to joint geopolitical efforts, China supplied military goods to Russia, including attack drones. These drones are frequently deployed in Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.

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Archived

Norway will provide NOK 53 million [EUR 4.6 million] in funding for assistance in the health sector in the period from December 2024 to December 2027. The funding is intended to support the health care system development strategy and priorities set out by the Ukrainian Government, and represents a new phase of the institutional health collaboration first initiated between Norway and Ukraine in 2019.

[...]

The institutional collaboration brings together the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Akershus University Hospital, the Resource Centre for Violence, Traumatic Stress and Suicide Prevention (eastern region) and Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital to share their expertise with partners in Ukraine.

[...]

Akershus University Hospital has worked together with Ukraine in the areas of grief support and suicide prevention since 2015.

The hospital has developed and implemented a training programme on suicide prevention. In addition to strengthening the practical skills needed to identify suicide risk situations and support people in need, the programme raises awareness about suicide prevention. To date, 3 765 Ukrainians have participated in the programme, which has been carried out in major cities and small communities across most of Ukraine’s regions.

In cooperation with an NGO in Ukraine, Akershus University Hospital has also provided both direct grief support and training. The hospital has developed guides that have been translated into Ukrainian. Since the project began, some 21 000 Ukrainians have taken part in the training.

[...]

[...]

For Trump, Ukraine's southern peninsula was "lost years ago" and "is not even a part of discussion" in peace talks.

But for Zelensky to renounce Crimea as an indivisible part of Ukraine would be unconscionable.

In the words of opposition MP Iryna Gerashchenko "territorial integrity and sovereignty is a red line for Ukraine and Ukrainians".

[...]

Putin later admitted hatching the land-grab [the attack on Crimea] in an all-night meeting with his officials days after Ukraine's pro-Russian leader was ousted in Kyiv.

[...]

Zelensky was adamant that he has no power to give up Crimea: "There's nothing to talk about here. This is against our constitution."

Article 2 of the constitution states that Ukraine's sovereignty "extends throughout its entire territory" which "within its present border is indivisible and inviolable".

Any change to Ukraine's territory has to go to a national referendum, which must be authorised by the Ukrainian parliament.

[...]

Crimea along with the rest of Ukraine voted for independence from the collapsing Soviet Union in 1991. It had the status of autonomous republic within and Kyiv allowed Russia to lease the port of Sevastopol as a base for the Black Sea Fleet.

[...]

• Three European funding groups say no new funding with Chinese agency since 2021
• Funders concerned about risks from China's Data Security Law
• U.S., Britain also concerned about way law could affect collaboration
• Funding suspension could hamper research into global health issues

Several of Europe’s biggest funders of scientific collaboration with China, in fields such as viruses and air quality, have put bilateral research programmes on hold due to concerns over Chinese data protection laws, funding agencies said.

The suspension, which Reuters is reporting for the first time following queries to the agencies on funding, highlights the widening impact of a Chinese data protection law that has already impeded some business projects, as international institutions and companies assess how to navigate the regulations.

[...]

While many countries require various protections and privacy safeguards for research involving their citizens, one of China’s most recent laws – known as the Data Security Law – makes it illegal to share any "important data" with overseas partners without approval.

Three European funding agencies - the German Research Foundation, Swedish Research Council and Swiss National Science Foundation - told Reuters that they had not offered new co-funding for projects with the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) since 2021, the year the law took effect.

They said they would not jointly fund new research projects with the NSFC due to concerns over access to data, potential conflict with local data law, or legal liabilities for themselves or research institutes for breaches of the law's vaguely-defined provisions.

[...]

"It is not clear what the definition of 'important data' is," the Swiss National Science Foundation told Reuters. "It is therefore difficult for the Swiss research community to assess when and under what circumstances a research collaboration could be subject to sanctions or even penalties."

China had defined "important data" as data that poses a threat to national and economic interests or affects the rights of individuals or organisations, and has not provided further details.

A dataset classified as "important data" means "it will be extremely difficult (if not virtually impossible) to export these data from China to another country," the German Research Foundation [said].

[...]

The suspension could potentially delay research in the health sector - one area of joint collaboration funders had previously supported - at the same time as the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump moves to freeze billions of dollars in U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding, cut 1,200 of that agency's staff and withdraw from the World Health Organization.

[...]

"The concerns about how the data laws are being applied exist, and are very real," said Jan Palmowski, secretary-general of the Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities.

"We saw that responding to the COVID pandemic effectively required global sharing of data on a massive scale; but we have also seen national sensitivities around data relating to the origin of COVID," Palmowski added. "If we want to be agile in responding to future pandemics and address other key health challenges, we need to find ways to share data responsibly, safely, and according to common ethical rules."

[...]

Speaking to the BBC, she said: "I understand why there's so much focus on our trading relationship with the US but actually our trading relationship with Europe is arguably even more important, because they're our nearest neighbours and trading partners.

https://archive.ph/oxPY3

The European Union is looking into whether Hungary’s plan to deploy facial recognition technology to identify people attending LGBTQ+ Pride events is illegal.

https://archive.ph/qYlDB

The UK could soon reach a deal to join the EU's €150 billion defence joint procurement scheme, Ursula von der Leyen said in London on Thursday.

https://archive.ph/wEYz0

Donald Trump is turning his back on free trade and, with it, the €1.6 trillion transatlantic trade relationship. That's motivating the European Union to do trade deals with just about everyone else.

The United States accounts for 13 percent of world trade. The EU, the world’s largest single market spanning 27 nations and 450 million people, accounts for around 16 percent — and is looking to extend its lead.

“Countries are lining up to work with us,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has told POLITICO.

https://archive.ph/qq7wN

Moldova will receive new financial assistance, amounting to 60 million euros, on behalf of the European Union (EU). EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas has made statements to this effect at a joint conference with President Maia Sandu.

The head of state said that, with the support of the EU, Moldova would benefit from equipment that can protect citizens from Russian drones.

"The drones that violate our airspace and even crash on our territory endanger people's lives, homes and infrastructure," Sandu stressed.

The European Union's diplomacy head specified that the financial support aimed to strengthen the resilience of Moldova and enhance its defense capabilities, in the context of escalating security risks at Europe's eastern borders.

[...]

The assistance is part of a broader European Union strategy to support the stability and security of partner countries in the eastern neighborhood, in the context of regional tensions triggered by the war in Ukraine.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/37177667

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday the Russian missile that struck a residential building in Kyiv overnight and killed 12 people was supplied by North Korea, confirming an earlier Reuters report.

Archived version: https://archive.is/20250425002436/https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/missile-that-killed-eight-russian-strike-kyiv-was-nkorean-kyiv-source-says-2025-04-24/

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