The Parliament Magazine

Europe was on the menu at this week's summit in Beijing between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, where the two discussed countless issues important to the European Union such as rare earths, tariffs and Chinese cars. The problem? The EU was nowhere in sight. Read this weeks newsletter here: buff.ly/EJoMKx9

For years, Europe had largely been spared the worst anti-wind myths. But Europe’s wind industry now warns that a surge in online misinformation is derailing wind projects worth billions of euros, reports FDS. Read the full story here: buff.ly/frLi6Oz

Fresh print alert! The Parliament’s May print edition is out now. This month’s cover story examines what a post-Orbán Hungary really means for Europe’s hard right — and whether Hungary’s election was truly a turning point for populist politics across the continent, or simply the result of mounting economic frustrations at home. In this edition we travel to the Baltics to explore what a stalled railway project reveals about the EU’s defence and infrastructure ambitions, unpack how artificial intelligence is reshaping modern warfare faster than regulation can keep up, and investigate whether Europe’s energy crisis could have been avoided altogether. As Europe faces growing geopolitical pressure, technological disruption and political uncertainty, this edition takes a closer look at the stories shaping the continent beyond the headlines. Read the ebook here: buff.ly/QPR9tOA

Anthropic has restricted the EU’s access to its cutting-edge cyber model Mythos, a move that could heighten security risks for Europe while underscoring a widening global divide in access to frontier AI systems. Read the full story by @pedersschaefer: buff.ly/on0a3yu

Seventy-year-old German MEP Bernd Lange lacks the flair of a polished political star, and never enjoyed the profile of lawmakers who were once frontline faces or household names in their home countries. Still, he’s emerged as the winner in ongoing negotiations over a controversial EU-U.S. trade deal, writes FDS in this profile: buff.ly/Watd9DQ

This year's Europe Day celebrations on May 9 came at a particularly tenuous time for the bloc, as Washington’s decades-long support for European integration withers away under U.S. President Donald Trump. The Parliament spoke with Belgian political scientist Steven Van Hecke about the postwar history of European integration, and the new phase of strategic autonomy the EU is now entering. Read the full story by @pedersschaefer: buff.ly/jwPtaHa

With Hungary’s veto-wielding Viktor Orbán out of the picture, the European Union has finally passed a 20th sanctions package against Russia. The new restrictions aim to sever the connection between Russia's liquified gas terminals in Arctic Russia and EU ports starting 2027, a major win for sanctions campaigners. Read the full story here: buff.ly/3K4aX7T

EU defense chief warns that national protectionism is slowing the continent’s €800 billion rearmament drive — and is calling for a “coalition of the willing” to get major projects moving. Read the full interview here: buff.ly/htzL16C

Europeans are still at odds over a contentious EU-U.S. trade deal. While the European Commission and most EU capitals are pushing to seal an agreement ASAP, the European Parliament is insisting on stronger safeguards. The already fraught talks have now been further complicated by a fresh U.S. Supreme Court ruling that found Donald Trump acted against the law when imposing a universal 10% tariff on most U.S. imports earlier this year. Read the full analysis by Federica Di Sario in this week’s newsletter — an be sure to subscribe! Newsletter: buff.ly/EHeeGoL

The Parliament’s May print edition is out now. This month’s cover story examines what a post-Orbán Hungary really means for Europe’s hard right — and whether Hungary’s election was truly a turning point for populist politics across the continent, or simply the result of mounting economic frustrations at home. In this edition we travel to the Baltics to explore what a stalled railway project reveals about the EU’s defence and infrastructure ambitions, unpack how artificial intelligence is reshaping modern warfare faster than regulation can keep up, and investigate whether Europe’s energy crisis could have been avoided altogether. As Europe faces growing geopolitical pressure, technological disruption and political uncertainty, this edition takes a closer look at the stories shaping the continent beyond the headlines. Read the ebook here: buff.ly/QPR9tOA

Bernd Lange has nothing intimidating about him. The 70-year-old German MEP lacks the flair of a polished political star, and never enjoyed the profile of lawmakers who were once frontline faces or household names at home. His unassuming figure, however, stands in sharp contrast to the outsized role he’s played steering Europe’s international trade agreements for over two decades, writes Federica Di Sario in this profile. Read the full piece here: buff.ly/Watd9DQ

The European Commission's digital omnibus is drawing particular attention for what it aims to achieve: reducing legal uncertainty, cutting red tape and shortening time to market for SMEs. But at what cost? Revising rules already in force could create uncertainty among investors, while undermining consumer privacy. In a recent interview, Roberto Viola, director-general of the European Commission’s DG Connect unit, discusses the ongoing evolution of the EU’s digital legislation. Read the full interview: buff.ly/vMB01mg

Viktor Orbán’s defeat was quickly cast as a blow to Europe’s populist right. But right-wing parties are driven more by domestic voter concerns than by ideological loyalty to the outgoing Hungarian prime minister. The bigger question may be whether the international network Orbán spent years building — institutions, funding streams and ideological allies beyond Hungary — can survive without him. Read the full feature by Carl-Johan Karlsson: buff.ly/3DQTTHj

From Italy to Austria and Germany, one term has come to dominate the European far-right narrative: ‘remigration.’ What makes it so effective is its lack of a clear definition, argues Gaia Mastrosanti, a political analyst specializing in migration and European affairs, in a new op-ed. Its deliberate vagueness, she contends, makes it a powerful mobilizing tool, but also highlights the inconsistency of far-right immigration proposals. Read the full argument: buff.ly/KZ2OQAM

Donald Trump's policy volatility is reshaping global capital flows, with investors increasingly turning to Europe. At the same time, the EU is advancing deregulation to attract investment. This policy report explores how these dynamics are redefining investment priorities and influencing European industry's competitiveness. It features reporting on capital moving toward eurobonds by Peder Schaefer, alongside an op-ed from Malmö Mayor Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh warning that changes to existing regulation could confuse investors. An interview with Roberto Viola examines the potential and limits of the digital omnibus. Moreover, commentaries by MEPs Elena Donazzan and René Repasi address investment in the space sector. And contributions from Robert Brüll, CEO of FibreCoat, and MEP Tobias Cremer focus on defense. From a major aerospace convention in Lisbon, Paula Soler's coverage highlights the investment strategy needed for Europe's aeronautics industry to maintain its global leadership. Read the full policy report by Francesco Puggioni here: buff.ly/kJC4iaP

Civil aeronautics remains one of the EU’s last globally dominant high-tech sectors, accounting for around 40% of the global market. But without a long-term industrial strategy and funding for R&D, it could lose its edge, industry leaders say. Read Paula Soler’s full story here: buff.ly/yB5XSvf

Simmering transatlantic tensions are compelling the European Union and more governments across the bloc to ditch technology provided by Big Tech in the U.S. and turn to European companies instead for software and cloud compute. Read the full story by @pedersschaefer: buff.ly/O5u39DZ

Rail Baltica is one of the European Union's flagship infrastructure projects, but it's also way over budget. Designed to bring the Baltics closer to Europe, parts of the rail line are already under construction in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania. However, without a major boost in funding in the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework, construction may stall. Read the full story by @pedersschaefer and @LoughlinNeuert: buff.ly/iSyplF1

Investors are treating U.S. government debt as increasingly risky, with many turning towards the European Union instead. Demand for so-called eurobonds is at a record high, with a 16% increase from non-EU investors for certain euro-denominated joint debt since 2022. But are proposals to expand the EU’s joint debt market realistic? Read the full story by @pedersschaefer: buff.ly/MjlyIoj

Viktor Orbán's electoral defeat in Hungary marks a turning point for the far right, @FabianZuleeg, chief executive of the @epc_eu, argues in a new op-ed. The setback comes as amid growing divisions between the U.S. and European far-right camps. And Europe’s liberal forces, he says, should exploit that fragmentation to advance their democratic agenda. Read Zuleeg’s full argument: buff.ly/mZymNhT