Europe Decoded - Latest episodes, latest news and updates about

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (R), and EU Council President Charles Michel (L), meet Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo May 12, 2022.

Brussels and Tokyo vow stronger cooperation on Russian sanctions

The EU's Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel were in Japan on Thursday to discuss efforts to counter Russia's aggression on Ukraine and its impact in the Indo-pacific region.

12/05/2022

Russia's invasion has destroyed key infrastructure, including residential units, across Ukraine.

Europe Decoded

The cost of Ukraine's reconstruction will eclipse the Marshall Plan

Economic losses from the war could total up to $600 billion, including $100 billion alone to rebuild key infrastructure.

11/05/2022

A partial view of the pumping station of the oil pipeline Friendship I at Tupa, Slovakia, near the Hungarian border, Febr. 9, 2015.

Europe Decoded

A week on, the EU appears no closer to a Russian oil embargo

Unlike other rounds of sanctions against Moscow approved swiftly by member states, these talks have been slow and optimism is diminishing.

10/05/2022

A protestor takes part in a demonstration to call on the European Union to stop buying Russian oil and gas, outside EU headquarters in Brussels, April 29, 2022.

Europe Decoded

The EU may have reached its 'whatever it takes' moment.

Draghi's famous "whatever it takes" comments helped save the euro. Can these words once more bring unity as the bloc deals with war on its doorstep and a crippling energy crisis?

10/05/2022

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in the Naval Cathedral in Kronshtadt, July 30, 2017.

Europe Decoded

Orban criticises EU plans to sanction head of Russian Orthodox Church

Patriarch Kirill's support of Putin and the war has already drawn condemnation with Pope Francis warning him not to become "Putin's altar boy".

06/05/2022

If the Supreme Court eventually votes to overturn Roe v. Wade, a group of states will immediately impose near-total bans on abortion.

Europe Decoded

Abortion access: How do the US and Europe compare?

Unlike the US, European countries have used the power of legislation to enshrine abortion access in law.

06/05/2022

European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson on March 8, 2022 in Strasbourg, eastern France

Europe Decoded

EU immigration is broken. Brussels is unlikely to fix it.

EU rhetoric concentrates on fighting illegal immigration when only a tiny fraction of new arrivals come to Europe illegally. The vast majority of skilled migrants are doing low-skill jobs despite Europe's growing labour shortage.

04/05/2022

Germany is one of the top buyers of Russian oil.

Europe Decoded

Explained: Just how dependent is the EU on Russian oil?

The bloc gets over 25% of its oil from Russia through a vast network of ports and pipelines.

03/05/2022

Chinese President Xi Jinping waves during a video conference with European leaders from Beijing on Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020.

Europe Decoded

EU anti-fake news agency starts debunking in Chinese

MEPs have meanwhile called for the bloc to adopt specific sanctions for cases of foreign interference and disinformation campaigns.

02/05/2022

Bulgargas' Chiren gas station in Chiren. Bulgaria, on March 17, 2003.

Europe Decoded

How will Bulgaria cope without Russian gas?

Bulgaria received the vast majority of its gas supply from Russia and is now turning to Greece. Will it be enough?

28/04/2022

Austria has repeatedly extended its land border checks with Hungary and Slovenia.

Europe Decoded

Watch: Why Austria border curbs with Hungary and Slovenia break EU law

The European court says Austria's long-standing checks with Hungary and Slovenia violate Schengen Area rules.

28/04/2022

A Belarusian worker on duty at a gas compressor station of the Yamal-Europe pipeline near Nesvizh, some 130 km southwest of the capital Minsk, Belarus, Dec. 29, 2006.

Europe Decoded

Poland and Bulgaria could manage without Russia gas but not for long

Gazprom's decision to switch off the taps won't hit consumers just yet but industries in Poland and Bulgaria are likely to be hit.

27/04/2022

Energy payments are playing a huge role in propping up the rouble.

Europe Decoded

Explained: Why the rouble has recovered despite Western sanctions

Russia's national currency appears to have defied international sanctions. But the rebound is highly misleading.

27/04/2022

President Ursula von der Leyen met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss trade, technology and security.

Europe Decoded

EU-India relations enter new chapter under the shadow of Ukraine war

The blooming relations between Brussels and New Delhi recently hit a bump in the road: Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which India has failed to condemn or sanction.

25/04/2022

A photo taken on April 7, 2022 shows the contruction site of the Baltic Pipe gas pipeline in Middelfart, Denmark.

Europe Decoded

Watch: Construction of Norway-Poland gas pipeline resumes

25/04/2022

Major Leandro Syka walks inside of Kucova Air Base, which will turn into a NATO air base on March 23, 2022.

Europe Decoded

Watch: Airbase in Albania's former 'Stalin' town to be used by NATO

The base bad been used to store rusting Soviet and Chinese jets since the collapse of the USSR. It will soon host state-of-the-art NATO fighter jets.

25/04/2022

Europe Decoded

What are the urgent challenges facing Macron in his second term?

Emmanuel Macron is toasting being re-elected as France's president. But when reality bites, the challenges are already piling up.

24/04/2022

EU and Chinese flags are seen at the Europa building in Brussels, Dec. 17, 2019.

Europe Decoded

How China's Ukraine stance may be final straw for eastern EU countries

China sent a special representative to Central and Eastern European countries this week to bolster relations, frayed by the conflict in Ukraine. Was it too little too late?

22/04/2022

A Ukrainian government looks through a telescopic sight while guarding the positions in village Mariinka near Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, Aug. 11, 2014.

Europe Decoded

Which country has given the most money to Ukraine?

Lots of nations have donated funds to Ukraine since the war began, but which has given the most?

19/04/2022

Ukraine was formally a neutral country from the collapse of the Soviet Union until 2014.

Europe Decoded

What would a neutral Ukraine look like?

A neutral Ukraine would be forced to renounce NATO aspirations but could continue its path towards EU membership.

19/04/2022

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More news

Brussels and Tokyo vow stronger cooperation on Russian sanctions

The cost of Ukraine's reconstruction will eclipse the Marshall Plan

A week on, the EU appears no closer to a Russian oil embargo

The EU may have reached its 'whatever it takes' moment.

Orban criticises EU plans to sanction head of Russian Orthodox Church

Abortion access: How do the US and Europe compare?

EU immigration is broken. Brussels is unlikely to fix it.

Explained: Just how dependent is the EU on Russian oil?

EU anti-fake news agency starts debunking in Chinese

How will Bulgaria cope without Russian gas?

Watch: Why Austria border curbs with Hungary and Slovenia break EU law

Poland and Bulgaria could manage without Russia gas but not for long

Explained: Why the rouble has recovered despite Western sanctions

EU-India relations enter new chapter under the shadow of Ukraine war

Watch: Construction of Norway-Poland gas pipeline resumes

Watch: Airbase in Albania's former 'Stalin' town to be used by NATO

What are the urgent challenges facing Macron in his second term?

How China's Ukraine stance may be final straw for eastern EU countries

Which country has given the most money to Ukraine?

What would a neutral Ukraine look like?