Morning opening: ‘The West as we knew it no longer exists’
Jakub Krupa
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told the German weekly Die Zeit that “the West as we knew it no longer exist,” as she spoke of “historic” changes taking place as a result of Donald Trump’s presidency in the US.
In a wide-ranging interview, she defended the EU’s position on regulating US digital services even in the face of threats of removing US nuclear umbrella, as she pointedly said “we don’t have bros or oligarchs making the rules.”
Striking a delicate balance, she still sung praises for the US and the EU-US relationship, while urging countries to produce and buy more in Europe, particularly when it comes to increasingly critical defence supplies.
On European security, von der Leyen also warned that “while Putin may pause every so often, there is no limit to his imperial ambitions,” highlighting the existential risks facing the EU.
What’s notable is that the interview – originally conducted in German – was translated for the newspaper by von der Leyen’s office – as if she and her team wanted it to be more widely read across Europe (and beyond; hello Donald and JD.)
Either way, her comments come a day after the EU appeared to be growing frustrated with the lack of engagement on the US side when it comes to resolving the tariffs standoff, with commission spokesperson telling reporters that the bloc needed “an additional level of engagement from the US to keep the ball rolling forward.”
Further talks will be taking place in the background as the 90-day pause continues.
Let’s see what the day brings today.
It’s Wednesday, 16 April 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
Key events
US removes sanctions from close ally of Hungarian prime minister Orbán
The United States has removed sanctions on a close aide of the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, the state department said, adding that the punitive measures had been “inconsistent with US foreign policy interests”.
Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, spoke on Tuesday with his Hungarian counterpart, the foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, and informed him of the move, state department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement.
“The Secretary informed foreign minister Szijjártó of senior Hungarian official Antal Rogán’s removal from the US Department of the Treasury’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, noting that continued designation was inconsistent with US foreign policy interests,” Bruce said.
The two also discussed strengthening US-Hungary alignment on critical issues and opportunities for economic cooperation, Bruce said.
Rogán is a close aide of Orbán and has run his cabinet office since 2015.
Irregular migrant crossings into Europe fall 30% in first quarter of 2025
Ashifa Kassam
Irregular crossings at Europe’s borders have fallen by 30% in the first quarter of the year compared with the same period last year, in a decrease that rights groups partly attributed to EU policies that have emphasised deterrence while seemingly turning a blind eye to the risk of rights abuses.
The decline was seen across all the major migratory routes into Europe, the EU’s border agency Frontex said in a statement, amounting to nearly 33,600 fewer arrivals in the first three months of the year.
The largest decrease, at 64%, was along the routes that cross Albania, Serbia, Montenegro and North Macedonia, while crossings into the UK were down 4%.
While migration patterns are influenced by a mix of factors that range from weather to conflict, the data appears to suggest a continuation of the downward trend seen in 2024, when irregular border crossings into Europe dropped by 38% compared with the previous year, said Judith Sunderland of Human Rights Watch.
Ukraine extends martial law until August
Ukraine’s parliament voted to extend martial law until 6 August, a senior lawmaker said, as Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country continues.
Reuters reported that an overwhelming majority of 357 deputies supported the extension, which allows the country to continue mobilizing troops and suspends the election cycle.
One lawmaker voted against the bill.
Serbian cyclists complete their epic Strasbourg trip to highlight student protests
A group of Serbian students completed their epic 1,300km trip from Novi Sad to Strasbourg, France last night, getting a red carpet welcome as they got there.
The campaign sought to draw the EU’s attention to on-going mass protests in Serbia against alleged corruption after 15 people died and several were seriously injured when the concrete canopy of the newly renovated train station in Novi Sad, Serbia’s second largest city, collapsed.
You can see a clip of their (really emotional) arrival to Strasbourg here, as reported by TV N1 Beograd.
Morning opening: ‘The West as we knew it no longer exists’
Jakub Krupa
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told the German weekly Die Zeit that “the West as we knew it no longer exist,” as she spoke of “historic” changes taking place as a result of Donald Trump’s presidency in the US.
In a wide-ranging interview, she defended the EU’s position on regulating US digital services even in the face of threats of removing US nuclear umbrella, as she pointedly said “we don’t have bros or oligarchs making the rules.”
Striking a delicate balance, she still sung praises for the US and the EU-US relationship, while urging countries to produce and buy more in Europe, particularly when it comes to increasingly critical defence supplies.
On European security, von der Leyen also warned that “while Putin may pause every so often, there is no limit to his imperial ambitions,” highlighting the existential risks facing the EU.
What’s notable is that the interview – originally conducted in German – was translated for the newspaper by von der Leyen’s office – as if she and her team wanted it to be more widely read across Europe (and beyond; hello Donald and JD.)
Either way, her comments come a day after the EU appeared to be growing frustrated with the lack of engagement on the US side when it comes to resolving the tariffs standoff, with commission spokesperson telling reporters that the bloc needed “an additional level of engagement from the US to keep the ball rolling forward.”
Further talks will be taking place in the background as the 90-day pause continues.
Let’s see what the day brings today.
It’s Wednesday, 16 April 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
