Shipping between EU ports in the Arctic is driving the rapid loss of sea ice, report warns

Black carbon emissions from ships in the Arctic nearly doubled in six years.

Copyright AP Photo/David Goldman

By Euronews Green
Published on 28/05/2025

Black carbon emissions from European shipping in the Arctic have been significantly underestimated, a new study suggests.

Produced by the incomplete combustion of fuels in ship engines, black carbon is contributing to the rapid loss of Arctic sea ice.

Previous reports have only focused on vessels flying EU flags, overlooking the impact of ships travelling to and from EU ports.

“Our findings show that ships connected to EU trade, regardless of their flag, are major drivers of black carbon pollution in the Arctic,” says Liudmila Osipova, senior researcher at the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), and lead author of its new study.

“Recognising these emissions in future policies could help the EU better align its climate goals with its real footprint in the Arctic.”

Black carbon emissions doubled in six years

As Arctic shipping activity increases, so too are the associated black carbon (BC) emissions.

Between 2015 and 2021, BC emissions in the International Maritime Organisation (IMO)’s definition of the Arctic nearly doubled, according to the study.

In the more broadly defined Geographic Arctic, shipping emitted 1.5 kilotonnes (kt) of BC and 12 kt of CO₂ in 2021. About a quarter of these emissions occurred within the IMO definition of the Arctic, indicating a strong growth in BC emissions in the polar area, from 193 tonnes in 2015 to 413 tonnes six years later.

How does black carbon melt sea ice?

This growth trend is concerning, since one tonne of black carbon has a global warming effect equivalent to 900 tonnes of CO₂, as it absorbs more heat in the atmosphere.

BC’s impact is particularly pronounced in the Arctic. When the sooty particles settle on snow or ice, they reduce the albedo of these surfaces, meaning they reflect less light and so melt faster.

This compounds the climate challenges in a region which is already heating up three to four times faster than the global average.

Despite its potent climate and health impacts - it is linked to lung cancer, respiratory illness, and cardiopulmonary disease - BC remains one of the most unregulated short-lived climate and air pollutants.

Related Spy planes over the North Pole: Could climate change fuel war in the Arctic?

The hidden carbon cost of EU trade in the Arctic

Brussels typically only accounts for the emissions from its EU-flagged ships in the Arctic. To give a truer picture of the pollution over which the bloc has control, ICCT has also totted up BC and CO₂ from EU-regulated ships, which answer to the EU Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system as they voyage between EU ports.

These vessels are the bigger polluters, it found. BC and CO₂ emissions from EU-regulated ships of at least 5,000 gross tonnage were nearly double those from EU-flagged ships in the IMO Arctic in 2021.

That year, nearly three-quarters of the ships operating in the Geographic Arctic and half of those in the IMO Arctic were navigating to or from EU ports.

To address a significant gap in its maritime regulation, the researchers say that EU policymakers could include BC among the pollutants measured and reported within the bloc’s MRV system.

Beyond improved emissions tracking, there are various ways to reduce BC emissions, such as incentivising ships to use distillate instead of residual fuel, and encouraging the installation of diesel particulate filters on board.

Military-free Iceland should have 'skin in the game' in securing Arctic region, PM says

Copyright Roni Rekomaa/Lehtikuva via AP

By Alice Tidey
Published on 28/05/2025 

The country's prime minister stressed on Wednesday that although the island nation doesn't have a military, "that doesn't mean we don't have strong defences and a role to play in NATO."

Iceland needs to have "skin in the game" when it comes to defence and security in the High North and is looking at how to adjust its defence posture and spending accordingly, the country's prime minister said on Wednesday.

"When it comes to the Arctic, this is a place where we have to step up. This is our area. We need to have skin in the game when it comes to the Arctic and have an opinion on that, not that just being run by others," Kristrún Frostadóttir said in Brussels following a meeting with NATO chief Mark Rutte.

"I see a lot of possibilities coming out of that as well, even though we're in a situation where this is also run a bit from a threat position, there's still possibilities for build-up in Iceland as well. So this is something we're looking into. We will have concrete points going into the Hague summit and then also going forward in our spending reviews," she added, referring to a NATO summit scheduled to take place in the Dutch city in late June.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to annex Greenland by force, arguing that US control of the semi-autonomous Danish territory is necessary for "international security".

"We have a lot of our favourite players cruising around the coast and we have to be careful," Trump told Rutte in March.

"The whole area is becoming very important and for a lot of reasons, the routes are very direct to Asia, to Russia, and you have ships all over the place and you have to have protection. So we're going to have to have a deal on that," he added.
RelatedWe believe in free trade, Iceland Prime Minister Frostadóttir tells Euronews

Russia and China have increased their presence on the Northern Sea Route (NSR), a shipping lane in the Arctic Ocean that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. This is due to warming temperatures, which makes the route more manageable for longer, and Chinese growing appetite for Russian commodities including fossil fuels.

Rosatom, a Russian state corporation primarily focusing on energy and high-tech products, said last month that the volume of cargo transportation along the NSR reached a record high of 37.9 million tonnes, a 4.4% increase on the previous year and a near ten-fold increase from ten years ago.

China, which describes itself as a "near-Arctic state", and Russia are also increasing their military presence in the natural resources-rich area, with joint patrols and military exercises.

Denmark, an EU and NATO member state, announced shortly after Trump's return to the White House that it will inject €1.95 billion into boosting its military presence in the Arctic and North Atlantic region.

Iceland, together with Norway and UK, two fellow NATO allies, is also now using AI to detect hostile activity in the Arctic.

Frostadóttir stressed on Wednesday that although the island nation doesn't have a military, "that doesn't mean we don't have strong defences and a role to play in NATO".

Members of the military alliance are currently negotiating an increase to its defence spending target from its current 2% of GDP threshold. Allies appear to have landed on 5% of GDP target, a number repeatedly called for by Trump, although it would be split in two: 3.5% of GDP for hard military spending, and a further 1.5% on defence-related spending including, for instance, infrastructure and cybersecurity.

NATO defence ministers will continue negotiations next week at a meeting in Brussels, with leaders set to adopt the new target at the June summit in The Hague.

"We're willing to spend more when it comes to defence-related investments, to strengthen our facilities when it comes to Keflavik Air Base, when it comes to ports, when it comes to general host nation support," Frostadóttir said.

"And also very good and constructive talks on Arctic security. We're aware of our position in the north. This is obviously our home. It's not just a conceptualised idea."

"Russia's aggression towards Ukraine is something that is relevant to us, even though it's far away, because if they win on the eastern flank, they might move their views towards the north, which is where we live. So this is also our fight," she added.

Rutte, speaking alongside Frostadóttir on Wednesday, said positive steps have been taken by the seven allies that have stakes in the Arctic - Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the US - but that the alliance as a whole needs to be better organised, including when it comes to intelligence gathering.

"We do not have enough icebreaker capacity within NATO potentially, so we have to look into that," he also said.

EU on track to meet 2030 emissions goal thanks to strong progress on renewables

Belgium, Estonia and Poland were  singled out for not submitting their NECPs and were urged to “do so without delay”.

Copyright AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos, File

By Rosie Frost
Published on 28/05/2025

The EU is “well on track” to reach its 2030 climate targets, the European Commission said on Wednesday.

An assessment of updated National Climate and Energy Plans (NECPs) shows the EU is on course to achieve a 54 per cent emissions reduction by 2030 - just one per cent shy of its legally binding 55 per cent target.

It reflects increased efforts by member states to curb their emissions over the last two years, despite demands from some for the bloc to weaken its green commitments.

But civil society organisations say there are significant flaws in these plans and they remain concerned about whether governments can fully implement them.

“The EU’s 2030 climate and energy targets are clearly achievable, but without effective national policies and credible financing - both of which are largely lacking in the updated plans - implementation will fall short,” says Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe’s climate policy expert Giulia Nardi.

Where have emissions been cut the most?

NECPs detail how each member state intends to reach the bloc’s long-term target of being climate neutral by 2050 and cutting emissions by 55 per cent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.

The 2030 target is one of the most ambitious among major economies around the world. The Commission is now preparing to propose a new target for 2040 - one that could be as high as 90 per cent.

It attributed the progress towards the 2030 goal to action in the energy sector, with renewables covering 24 per cent of energy consumption in the EU in 2023. Most member states are now aligned with the target of reaching a share of 42.5 per cent by 2030, according to the Commission.

Agriculture and transport were among the sectors lagging behind on emissions cuts. Belgium, Estonia and Poland were also singled out for not submitting their NECPs and were urged to “do so without delay”.

“Emissions are down 37 per cent since 1990, while the economy has grown nearly 70 per cent, proving climate action and growth go hand in hand,” EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said.

He urged member states to “build on this momentum”, adding that investing in clean technology and innovation was “essential” for industrial competitiveness and opening up new markets for EU companies.

The Commission has called on countries to stay on course and fully implement the plans they have put forward.

“We have reasons to be proud, although we cannot be satisfied. We've come a long way, but we're not where we need to be yet,” said Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen.
Plans are only as strong as the processes implementing them

Civil society groups say that their preliminary analysis of these NECPs shows that major shortcomings still remain. They point out that many lack the necessary ambition and policies to deliver the emissions reductions required, particularly in the field of energy efficiency.

A coalition of NGOs from France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Malta is calling on the European Commission to launch legal action against their governments. They believe that the shortcomings in their climate plans are not just policy failures but breaches of EU law.

States have a legal obligation to deliver climate action, and the Commission has a clear responsibility to uphold and enforce EU law in response.

CAN Europe also says that compulsory citizen involvement in the process has proven to be particularly weak with either opaque or flawed processes. It is a missed opportunity to strengthen plans by involving people in their creation.

“National climate plans are only as strong as the processes implementing them,” Nardi adds.

“By sidelining public participation and failing to establish clear accountability mechanisms, governments are weakening the foundation of their climate commitments.”

France pushing for 'China-EU leadership' on climate to counter US withdrawal

The European Union and China must "take on global climate leadership" in the wake of US President Donald Trump's return to the White House, a French government source ahead of a top French official's visit to Beijing on Thursday.


Issued on: 29/05/2025 -  RFI

French Minister of Ecological Transition, Energy, Climate, and Risk Prevention Agnes Pannier-Runacher, at the National Assembly in Paris, France, 22 October, 2024. 

© Stéphanie Lecocq / REUTERS

Agnès Pannier-Runacher, France's minister for ecological transition, is slated to meet counterparts on Thursday and Friday in the first visit to China by a French environment minister in five years.

A member of her team said the visit came at a "pivotal moment" on three key themes: the year-end COP30 climate summit in Brazil, the UN Ocean Conference in Nice 9 - 13 June, and negotiations in August in Geneva to forge an international treaty to combat plastic pollution.

"The idea is to see how – given the US withdrawal (from climate leadership) – we can try to build a new convergence between the EU and China on climate," the source said.

The US pull-out from the 2015 Paris Agreement – the second time Trump has taken this step – "leaves these two key players with the responsibility of taking climate leadership," the source added.

The broad-based multilateralism that has driven progress in climate talks to date is under strain, and could fray as other countries review their commitments to curb carbon pollution in light of the Trump administration's position, according to analysts.

Developing nations blast $300 billion Cop29 climate deal as insufficient

Send strong message

"It is extremely important that China and the European Union send a very strong message," the source said.

A bilateral Sino-US accord in April 2015 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is widely credited with paving the way for the landmark Paris climate treaty signed later that year.

The French minister's visit comes in advance of a Beijing-Brussels summit in China in July, which France has identified as "a good opportunity" to publicly affirm Sino-European leadership on climate issues.

At COP28 in Dubai in 2023, countries committed to transition away from fossil fuels, a promise that saw little progress at COP29 in Baku the following year.

'Building trust' key to solving climate crisis, Cop30 president tells RFI

Pannier-Runacher, who will talk with the Chinese environment and natural resources ministers, as well as former special envoy for climate change Xie Zhenhua, will discuss how to "push this issue" when nations meet in Brazil in November at the COP30 summit, the source said.

(with AFP)

Is 'brain rot' real? Experts weigh on on the impact of excessive screen time on our brains

Is the overconsumption of "trivial or unchallenging" content online or on social media platforms causing our brains to deteriorate?

Copyright Canva

By Euronews with AP
Published on 28/05/2025 

Doomscrolling. Instagram obsessions. Mindless YouTube video viewing. Distracting behaviours, yes, but can they actually rot a person's brain?

Last year, Oxford University Press designated "brain rot" as its word of the year, defining it as the "supposed deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual state" caused by overconsuming "trivial or unchallenging" material found on social media and other online platforms.

"It's what happens when you consume too much low-quality online content, which is like junk food for the brain," said Dr Andreana Benitez, an associate professor in the Department of Neurology at the Medical University of South Carolina in the United States.

But whether that content is actually harming the brain – and how – remains unclear.

Screen habits can shape health

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), half of teenagers in the US spend four hours or more looking at screens each day, and global estimates suggest adults may be online an average of more than six hours per day.

There are no federal health guidelines for how many hours of daily screen time are appropriate for teens or adults.

Researchers lack sufficient data to fully understand the concept of brain rot and what it might lead to.


"There really isn't a coherent science around it," Benitez said.

There is, however, CDC data showing that 1 in 4 teenage frequent scrollers report feeling anxious or depressed.

Related French experts recommend cutting screen time for children under 3 and social media for teens

Some research suggests problems with heavy online use may begin quite young. Adolescents who spend greater amounts of time in front of screens may be more likely to experience mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder, and related physical symptoms such as pain, dizziness, or nausea.

That's according to a 2024 analysis of data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, the largest long-term child brain development study in the US.

Other studies have potentially linked brain rot to emotional desensitization, cognitive overload, negative self-worth, and impaired executive function skills, including memory, planning, and decision-making.

Related  Phone screens can impact your sleep so how can you stop doomscrolling in bed?

Rethinking our digital diet

While there's no evidence that hours of daily screen time are changing the structure of the human brain, it's what's not happening during those hours that could be harmful, especially for young people whose brains are still developing, said Dr Costantino Iadecola, director and chair of Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City.

The more time young people spend in front of screens, the less time they spend being physically active or having face-to-face human interactions that supply the developing brain with critical, complex sensory and emotional input, he said.

"Brain development requires diversity of exposures," Iadecola said.

"When you are on your phone, you are not getting these other experiences. We are substituting artificial interactions for human interactions, and artificial interactions lack the complexity of the human experience – the verbal, sensory, and emotional reactions we have after interacting with people".

Related One in four people are choosing to get less sleep to stay on screens, French study finds

It's not just screen time that matters – it's also screen content, Benitez said.

"If you consume excessive amounts of low-quality online content, you are more likely to be exposed to information that might distort your perception of reality and harm your mental health," she said.

Cycling through large amounts of negative content can also leave a person mentally exhausted, she said.

But how much is too much has yet to be determined, Benitez said. Sticking to her junk food analogy, she likened short periods of screen time to the occasional junk food snack.

"One bag of chips might not be that bad, but if you're eating three at a time, that might be a problem," she said.

Related ‘Brain rot’ is Oxford’s Word of the Year for 2024

How to have smarter screen time

Helping kids – and adults – consume a healthier online diet isn't easy, Benitez said, because so much of modern life, from schoolwork to shopping, entertainment, and socializing, involves online applications.

"With kids, screens are a part of their lives," she said. "It's how they get a lot of information".

But, she said, "it's incumbent upon adults to curate the content, make sure they are consuming content that's good for them and in a way that does not result in mental fatigue. We need to make sure they are engaging in critical thinking as they engage with screens".

For both children and grown-ups, Benitez also cautioned against scrolling before bedtime.

Related Scientists produce complex map of mouse's brain that could unravel mystery of how ours work

"Consuming arousing information and being exposed to light when your body should be winding down for sleep might affect your sleep," she said.

The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests families develop screen-time plans together and encourage usage that builds creativity and connections with family and friends.

It also suggests parents emphasise the importance of offline activities such as sports, music, art, and other hobbies.

The AAP also notes that some screen use may be "healthy and positive," a point both Benitez and Iadecola agreed with.

"You could be consuming good content," Benitez said. "There's a value judgment in this".

Iadecola suggested making sure online usage is "purpose-appropriate. It's OK to use the technology for whatever task is at hand. The problem is when it becomes addictive behavior. Everything in moderation".

Azerbaijan pardons French street artist jailed for painting graffiti on metro

Copyright AP Photo

By David Mouriquand & AP
Published on 28/05/2025 - 

Théo Clerc was submitted to “discriminatory treatment," according to French authorities, who have advised citizens against traveling to Azerbaijan because of the risk of “arbitrary detention and unfair sentencing."

A French street artist who had been sentenced to three years in prison in Azerbaijan for painting a graffiti in the Baku metro has been pardoned and freed, French authorities announced Tuesday.

Théo Clerc, 38, has returned to France following 422 days in detention after he was pardoned by Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told lawmakers.

In a message posted on X, Barrot said that Clerc was “back in France, after 422 days in detention.”



He added: "It is the honor and pride of French diplomacy and its representatives to have worked tirelessly for his release.”

For her part, the entourage of the European Union's head of diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, announced that she had contributed to the Frenchman's release by pleading his cause during a recent visit to Azerbaijan. This release “illustrates the effects of discreet diplomacy and respectful dialogue,” said Kallas in a message on X.

French authorities had complained in September that Clerc was submitted to “discriminatory treatment," because two co-defendants who were accused of the same offense – a New Zealander and an Australian - only received ‘simple fines’ for the same offences.

In September 2024, the Quai d'Orsay condemned the “arbitrary and blatantly discriminatory treatment” of Théo Clerc.

The street artist's conviction provoked outrage in France, which called on its citizens to refrain from travelling to Azerbaijan unless absolutely necessary. Indeed, France has advised its citizens against traveling to Azerbaijan because of a lack of legal protections and the risk of “arbitrary detention and unfair sentencing."

Another French citizen, Martin Ryan, is currently being held in Azerbaijan on espionage charges - charges which have been rejected by Paris.

French-Azerbaijani relations have been strained ever since Azerbaijan completely retook the Nagorno-Karabakh region following a lightning offensive in September 2023, which led to the exodus of more than 100,000 Armenians.

Baku accuses Paris of supporting Armenia, while France accuses Azerbaijan of interfering in its overseas territories - allegations that the latter rejects.

New US Senate bill could wreck Russia, but also damage the EU economy

In a bid to isolate Moscow, a new bill in the US Senate threatens to impose 500% tariffs on any country that buys Russian fossil fuels. If implemented as intended, the plan could ravage several EU countries.

Copyright Michael Reynolds/AP

By Jorge Liboreiro
Published on 28/05/2025 

A bill rapidly making its way through the United States Senate and gathering impressive bipartisan support threatens to wreak untold havoc on Russia's economy in a bid to force Vladimir Putin into "good faith negotiations for a lasting peace in Ukraine".

But the concerted push, jointly promoted by Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, and Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, also risks devastation for roughly half the European Union.

"Our legislation will isolate Russia – putting it on a trade island by imposing stiff tariffs on other countries that support these atrocities," Graham and Blumenthal said last week as they announced the text had secured 81 signatures in the 100-seat Senate.

Besides a wide range of primary sanctions and duties against the Kremlin, including sweeping prohibitions on financial transactions with Russian entities, the bill also foresees secondary tariffs on countries that still do business with Moscow.

In particular, it zeroes in on Russia's energy exports, an indispensable source of revenue to maintain the costly full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The text drafted by Graham and Blumenthal proposes a tariff of "not less" than 500% on any country that "knowingly sells, supplies, transfers, or purchases oil, uranium, natural gas, petroleum products, or petrochemical products that originated in the Russian Federation." In other words, any nation on Earth that consumes Russian energy.

According to the senators, the law is mainly intended to "hold China accountable for propping up Putin's war machine by buying cheap Russian oil from the shadow fleet." The critical assessment of Beijing's "no-limits" partnership with Moscow is widely shared in Brussels, where the "shadow fleet" has become a highly pressing concern.

"Without China's economic support, Putin's war machine would come to a grinding halt," the two senators said.

And yet, given the vast extraterritorial scope of the bill, the no-holds-barred offensive against Moscow and Beijing has the potential to spill over and inflict intense pain on disparate nations worldwide, also in Europe, at a time of sky-high trade tensions.

Old habits die hard

Despite unprecedented efforts to wean the bloc off Russian energy, several member states remain hooked. Last year, the EU spent an estimated €23 billion on Russian fossil fuels, exceeding the military support provided to Ukraine.

Gas, consistently spared from any sanctions due to a lack of unanimity, led the chart.

Today, five coastal states – France, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Portugal – act as entry points for Russian-made liquefied natural gas (LNG), which last year saw a 9% uptick in purchases. Italy, Greece, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria receive flows of Russian gas through the pipelines that crisscross the continent.

Hungary and Slovakia, meanwhile, get Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline, indefinitely spared from an EU-wide ban at Budapest's request.

Additionally, five countries – Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Finland – operate Russian-made nuclear reactors that require specific Russian-made fuels.

Senators Richard Blumenthal and Lindsey Graham with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.AP Photo

The European Commission has presented a roadmap to phase out all Russian energy by the end of 2027, but the action plan is still in early stages. Hungary and Slovakia have come out strongly against the roadmap, warning it would imperil competitiveness.

The state of play means that, should the Graham-Blumenthal bill pass and apply as originally conceived, something far from guaranteed at this stage, up to 12 member states could be subject to a punitive 500% tariff when they sell to the American market.

Both goods and services could be targeted, further spreading the pain across the many corners of the economy. The 500% tariff would come "in addition" to anti-subsidy and anti-dumping duties already in place.

Primary and secondary sanctions should remain in place until "the Government of the Russian Federation has entered into a peace agreement with Ukraine", the law says.

The offices of Graham Blumenthal did not reply to a request for comment.

Making it work

In Brussels, the Senate bill is seen as a double-edged sword.

On the one hand, it is considered a welcome initiative to tighten the screws on the Kremlin, something that President Donald Trump has until now refused to do. On the other hand, it is an explosive gamble that could exacerbate transatlantic turmoil and ravage export-dependent sectors overnight.

If introduced, the secondary tariffs would throw a grenade right into the ongoing trade talks between the Commission and the White House.

Both sides have set a 9 July deadline to strike an agreement. Otherwise, Trump has threatened to slap an across-the-board 50% tariff on all EU-made goods.

"We try to coordinate with the US on sanctions to the extent possible because the more we join on that front, the bigger impact we can have," a Commission spokesperson said when asked about the Graham-Blumenthal bill, without commenting on the devastating effects it could have on parts of the EU economy.

"So coordination in that sense, in the various fora, does take place."

But there is a glimmer of hope for Brussels: the draft law offers the possibility for the president to grant a 180-day exemption from the 500% tariff to a country, good or service – as long as doing so is justified for "national security interests".

The one-time waiver would be left entirely at Trump's discretion: the president would be able to hand-pick whom he saves and whom he punishes. This would give individual member states a chance to visit the Oval Office and lobby for a reprieve, a ritual that Trump appears to enjoy, particularly when cameras are present.

Donald Trump has refused to apply new sanctions against Russia.Manuel Balce Ceneta/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved.

The question of enforcement might also dent the impact on the bloc.

Maria Shagina, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), believes implementing the 500% tariffs would be logistically challenging, if not impossible, due to the numerous countries that regularly purchase Russian energy. The list of clients features some of America's strategic partners, like India and Turkey.

"Would the US monitor exports of these fossil fuels, and if so, how? Would it impose blanket bans on all goods imported from countries that import Russian fossil fuels? How does this square with an all-out trade war against allies and adversaries alike?" she asked.

The law, Shagina noted, should be seen in the context of American politics and Trump's much-publicised mission to achieve a settlement between Russia and Ukraine, which has made limited progress since his first phone call with Vladimir Putin in February.

"The bill does not seek to put congressional pressure on Russia independently of Trump's actions regarding Russia," Shagina told Euronews.

"Rather, it aims to support Trump's rhetoric on Russia."

Spanish minority language question echoes across Europe

Spain is continuing to push for greater recognition of its regional languages at EU level, but it's far from alone among countries wresting with a multilingual population where some feel less recognised.

Copyright AP Photo

By Marta Iraola Iribarren
Published on 28/05/2025 

Spain failed on Monday to obtain the necessary unanimity to elevate Catalan, Galician and Basque into official languages of the European Union, as several member states raised concerns over the administrative and legal implications of such an unprecedented move.

One of the main arguments against the proposal is that it could set a precedent, leading to similar demands from other countries with minority languages.

Across Europe, between 40 and 50 million people speak around 60 regional and minority languages.

However, only a handful of countries recognise these languages as co-official, allowing them to be used in government, administration, and public institutions on an equal footing with the majority spoken language.

Spain

In Spain, Basque, Catalan and Galician, enjoy strong legal protections in their respective autonomous communities and are widely used in education, government, and media.

Catalan is spoken by approximately 7.5 million people, primarily in Catalonia and it is one of the most widely spoken minority languages in Europe.

It is also spoken, to a lesser extent, in parts of France and Italy.

Around 1 million people speak Basque in the regions of the Basque Country and Navarra. It also has speakers in the French Basque country where it is not recognised as an official language, while around 2 million people speak Galician.

The Netherlands

While Dutch is the national language, the northern province of Friesland is home to Frisian, which is recognised as the region’s second official language.

Frisian comprises three branches across the Netherlands and Germany, West Frisian, East Frisian, and North Frisian, the latter being most prominent, spoken by an estimated 4,000 to 10,000 people.

The German government, however, does not officially recognise Frisian as an administrative language.

Portugal

Portugal also has a regional co-official language: Mirandese.

Spoken in the region of Miranda do Douro, it is officially recognised by the Portuguese government as one of the two languages of the country.

A 2020 study by the University of Vigo estimated that around 3,500 people knew the language, with only about 1,500 actively using it.
Finland

In the northernmost regions of Finland, approximately 2,000 people speak Sámi as their native language. This figure includes speakers of Northern Sámi, Inari Sámi, and Skolt Sámi.

Sámi is also spoken in Sweden, where estimates suggest that between 7,000 and 9,000 people use some form of the language, although official language data is not recorded in population registers.

Indigenous parliaments in Sweden, Finland, and Norway have raised concerns about the endangered status of several Sámi languages, including Pite Sámi and Ume Sámi, each with fewer than 50 speakers.
Italy

French, German, Ladin, Slovene and Catalan are also recognised as co-official to Italian in certain regions or municipalities of Italy.

Many are more widely spoken outside the country. French, German and Slovene are main languages in their respective countries and Catalan is mostly used in Spain.

Ladin is mainly spoken in the Dolomite Mountains in Northern Italy in the provinces of South Tyrol, Trentino, and Belluno, by the Ladin people.

Seven dead after migrant boat capsizes near Canary Islands, emergency crews say

The Spanish archipelago located off Africa's western coast has for years been a main route, and a deadly one, for migrants trying to reach Europe.

Copyright AP Photo

By Gavin Blackburn with AP
Published on 28/05/2025

Four women and three girls died on Wednesday when a small boat carrying migrants capsized while arriving to port in the Canary Islands, emergency services in Spain said.

Spain's maritime rescue service, which located the boat some 9.6 kilometres from shore, said the boat tipped over as rescuers started removing children as it arrived at a dock on the island of El Hierro.

Local media said the small boat appeared to be packed with more than 100 people.

Spanish rescuers and members of the Red Cross were involved in a rescue operation, pulling several people out of the water.

The Spanish archipelago located off Africa's western coast has for years been a main route for migrants trying to reach Europe.

But it's also one of the world’s most dangerous with the Spanish migrants' rights group Caminando Fronteras (Walking Borders) saying in a January report that more than 10,000 people had died last year trying to reach the archipelago.

Survivors of a capsized boat are transported by rescue workers in the port of El Hierro in the Canary Islands, 28 May, 2025AP Photo

But a record number of migrants were more lucky, with authorities in the Canary Islands saying more than 43,000 people had arrived there in 2024.
Several EU member countries have started to update their migration policies, just as migration also comes at the top of the European Council's agenda.

In a letter to EU member states, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed speeding up the return of asylum seekers and opening detention centres in third countries, following the precedent set by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's controversial agreement with Albania.

Meanwhile, the Spanish government announced last year the opening of an emergency reception centre at Ciudad Real airport to deal with asylum requests from irregular arrivals.

And in March, Madrid adopted a measure to redistribute thousands of unaccompanied migrant minors currently sheltered on the Canary Islands to other parts of Spain.

The reform ended a months-long political stalemate between Spain's regions and the central government and was aimed at easing pressure on overcrowded migrant reception centres, mainly in the Canary Islands.

For several months, local leaders in the Canaries had complained about a lack of resources to shelter the thousands of unaccompanied children and teenagers who reach their shores.

The Canary Islands are sheltering more than 5,000 unaccompanied minors across the archipelago.

Racial profiling still rife across the EU, Council of Europe says

New technologies such as facial recognition could worsen the problem, experts have suggested.

Copyright Claude Paris/Copyright 2021 The AP. All rights reserved.

By Lauren Walker
Published on 28/05/2025 -

Law enforcement officials across Europe continue to use racial profiling, the Council of Europe's human rights monitoring body (ECRI) has warned.

In a report published on Wednesday, the ECRI said the practice — which sees officials act on ethnic background, skin colour, religion or citizenship rather than objective evidence — persists both in stop-and-search policing and at border controls.

"We've noticed that no member state of the Council of Europe is really immune when it comes to racial profiling," Bertil Cottier, chair of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), told Euronews.
Concerns over new technologies

Experts are concerned about law enforcement agencies' plans to make extensive use of facial recognition technology. Adequate safeguards need to be introduced first, they say

Despite the strict European framework outlined in the Artificial Intelligence Act, which came into force in August 2024, practices vary across different member states.

French police, for example, have been routinely using facial recognition on the streets for many years, and Belgium is looking into systematically introducing the controversial technology for "tracking convicted and suspected offenders".

The Council of Europe pointed to research indicating that such technology risks misidentifying individuals.

"It is a concern for us. New technologies are always a problem when it comes to discrimination issues," said Cottier. "We fear that if new technologies are abused then it will enhance the problem."

For this reason, the ECRI watches over emerging technologies.

The Council of Europe has adopted a framework convention on AI and human rights.

"One committee of the Council of Europe is dealing with anti-discrimination issues and is preparing a specific recommendation on the field of AI and discrimination," said Cottier.
Countries failing to deal with police racial profiling, CoE says

The ECRI report does not cite situations in specific countries.

However, in the past, the body has published country-specific reports.

In France, for example, the ECRI has long recommended that authorities introduce an effective system of recording identity checks by law enforcement officers.

Last year, the Council of Europe organised a round table with the French authorities, police forces and NGOs to discuss the recommendation.

"France is one country of concern when it comes to racial profiling," said Cottier.

"But still we noticed a couple of months ago sadly that our recommendation on combating racial profiling — in particular on tracing the police officers who (incorrectly) stopped people — has been ignored so far," Cottier added.

France's highest administrative court ruled in 2023 that the state was failing to deal with the widely documented practice of racial profiling by the police.

NGOs have warned that the practice damages the relationship between the police and the public. So does the ECRI, which said in its report that "racial profiling generates a feeling of humiliation and injustice in society".

"Such practices jeopardise the work of law enforcement officials who comply with the law and police ethics standards, and who are committed to combating racism and racial discrimination," the ECRI experts wrote.

Italian government hits back against study

Italy is another country of concern.

"During our visit to Italy we noticed some cases of racial profiling within the police forces. We made a recommendation to the Italian government to take this issue seriously," Cottier noted.

Here, racial profiling by law enforcement especially targets the Roma community and people of African descent.

An October 2024 report urged Italy to carry out an independent study to assess the level of racial profiling within its police forces.

However, the Italian government hit back against it.

Italy's Premier Giorgia Meloni defended the “men and women who, every day, work with dedication and self-sacrifice to ensure the safety of all citizens, without distinction".

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini called the ECRI “a useless body".

Cottier regrets this response. "They had the impression that we denounced Italy and the Italian police by saying they committed racial profiling. In fact, we just asked the Italian government to assess the problem," he said.

It remains a delicate issue, the ECRI chair acknowledged. "We don't want to counter the police. We know that we need them and we want to trust them. That's why it's sometimes very difficult to make states aware of this issue," Cottier concluded.

Severe flooding cripples Romania's historic Praid salt mine

Heavy flooding in Romania's Harghita County has caused critical conditions at the historic Praid salt mine, a major tourist attraction.

Copyright Mti/Papp Gábor

By Sandor Zsiros
Published on 28/05/2025

Heavy flooding in Romania's Harghita County — the worst in the past three decades — has led to critical conditions at the historical Praid salt mine, one of Europe's largest salt reserves and a major tourist attraction in the country, authorities said.

According to County Prefect Petres Sandor, the inflow of water is uncontrollable.

"We lost the fight with nature. The water has started to enter the salt mine again, with a flow that cannot be controlled at the moment," Sandor told local press.

"Authorities will carry out an expertise as soon as possible to establish the condition of the walls, the pillars inside the mine, and to decide what to do next," he added.

The Praid salt mine dates back to Roman times. In recent times, the attraction on the Via Transilvanica long-distance trail also served as a medical centre and a tourist destination, including an adventure park, a cinema, a small museum and other facilities, all located some 120 metres underground.

Scope of damage remains unclear

The authorities are yet to determine the extent of the salt mine emergency and the impact of the flooding.

"The situation is complicated. When water comes into contact with the salt, it immediately melts it and makes a hole," Sorin Rindasu, head of the Emergency Situations department in the Romanian Waters Administration, said.

The flow of the Corund stream increased, resulting in the water further pouring into the mine, he added.

Authorities say that although the situation is critical, the flooding will not destabilise the entire mine.

"it would take quite a while for the water to dissolve so much salt inside to pose a problem of stability, we are talking about months, years, not days, weeks, in any case," Sandor said.

Archive picture of the visitor centre inside the Praid Salt mine in Romania 

Zsiros, Sandor/

In recent years, water leaks have already posed a problem to the mine, and authorities have carried out works to prevent infiltration.

The Romanian government offered assistance to the region to deal with the emergency situation, and the ministry of economy assured the residents that it would make further investments to reduce the impact of the salt mine's flooding on Romanian tourism and reopen the mine for visitors.