Europe

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/28684388

In a recent escalation, Berlin authorities ordered the deportation of four pro-Palestine activists – three EU citizens and one American, none of whom were convicted of a crime. Rather, citing Staatsräson, their threatened deportation was for holding anti-Israel views. Although one of these deportations was later deemed invalid by the Berlin Administrative court, the move followed 18 months of cancellations, bans and dismissals of artists, academics and speakers – Palestinians, Jews, Israelis and others – for speaking out against Israel.

In a cruel historical twist, Germany, the perpetrator of the Holocaust, has enabled what numerous observers, including Amnesty International, have identified as a genocide of Palestinians. Rather than learning a universal historical lesson that applies to all people, Germany chose a particularist interpretation of its history, centered on the state's relation to Israel.

The recent deportation order suggest a dramatic escalation in the influence of Staatsräson, which now seems to extends beyond foreign policy. For example, one controversial clause in a draft of the coalition agreement leaked last month proposes stripping dual nationals of German citizenship if they are found to be "supporters of terrorism, antisemites or extremists who jeopardize the free democratic order."

Thankfully, Europe has loads of homegrown cloud providers. The largest is France’s OVHcloud, which runs the world’s largest data centre by surface area. Others include Finland’s UpCloud, Switzerland’s Exoscale, Germany’s IONOS, and France’s Scaleway (the cloud provider of choice for French AI unicorn Mistral).

Political momentum on this front looks to be building. In a speech yesterday, France’s AI minister, Clara Chappaz, called on the continent to “work as a pack” to take on US “predator” tech firms, particularly in the cloud services sector.

https://archive.ph/03Ihx

China wants to deal with the European Union as a partner instead of a rival, its ambassador to Spain said, amid shifting geopolitics and Washington's new trade policy which he described as unilateral economic abuse.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/28301959

Sitting alone at the end of a dinner party, under chandeliers, next to a table with white roses and leftover wine, Giorgia Meloni and Donald Trump are locked in conversation.

Whatever was discussed, however, Meloni appears to be holding sway. Trump later described her as “a real live wire” and someone he could work with “to straighten out the world a little bit”. He may well have received positive reports on her from Elon Musk, with whom the Italian prime minister has met on several occasions and whom she has called “a brilliant man”.

As the relationship progressed, Meloni paid a flying visit to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago golf club in Florida a month later, and was the only European leader to attend his inauguration as US president.

Now her influence over Trump is to be put to the test when the pair reunite in Washington on Thursday for their first bilateral summit. Meloni is the first European leader to meet Trump since he paused some of his planned tariff hikes last week.

Overall, our readers had a clear message for Prime Minister Keir Starmer: don’t trade away British laws and values for a quick economic boost. Many argued that any deal undermining protections, particularly for LGBT+ people and other minority groups, would be not only politically reckless but morally indefensible.

The European Commission is closely monitoring containerized imports from China amid growing fears that the high US tariffs will force a redirection of trans-Pacific trade flows and flood Europe with Chinese goods.

While there is no evidence yet of increasing volume from China above seasonal norms, the commission is taking no chances and has deployed an “Import Surveillance Task Force” to track any irregular changes in trade.

“The commission is monitoring imports closely to ensure that it detects in good time any potential increase in imports due to trade diversion,” Olof Gill, spokesperson for trade at the European Commission, told the Journal of Commerce Wednesday.

The US’ 145% tariffs on Chinese imports came into effect April 9, leading to significant frontloading ahead of that date and a large-scale cancellation of cargo bookings thereafter. Some shippers are requesting containers already in-gated at Chinese origins not be loaded on ships, while others have asked that containers be pulled completely from port, according to a trans-Pacific carrier executive.

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With the door to US trade effectively slammed shut, Chinese manufacturers are urgently looking for alternative markets in which to offload their surplus inventory. Europe’s huge consumer base is an attractive target, and the European Commission is shoring up its defenses against any incoming wave of cheap Chinese products that could displace European-made goods.

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The concerns of the European Commission might be valid. According to Sea-Intelligence Maritime Analysis, carriers have announced an all-time high in capacity sailing out of Asia toward North Europe this week at 411,600 TEUs, beating the record set in early March of 2021, with very limited capacity blanked.

“Surely not a coincidence, and even though some of it should have sailed last week, it’s not canceled but set to sail this week,” said Peter Sand, chief analyst for rate benchmarking platform Xeneta.

The average transit time from China to North Europe is 54 days, meaning the first shipments from any diverted trade will begin to arrive in early June.

Casper Ellerbaek, global head of ocean freight at DHL Global Forwarding, said strong bookings from Asia to Europe have been sustained through recent weeks, but that was aligned with DHL’s usual book of business.

“There is indeed speculation within the market that, as US demand decreases due to the Trump tariffs, China may seek alternative markets to offload its goods at competitive prices,” Ellerbaek told the Journal of Commerce, adding, however, that it was too early to definitively identify that trend.

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Also not yet seeing a significant rise in China volume was Marc Meier, global head of ocean freight at Toll Group. But he warned that could change.

“One thing we can say is that all signs point towards China and others having to play more in other markets, so Asia to Europe will surely receive more focus,” Meier told the Journal of Commerce Wednesday.

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Another potential issue is that any surge in Chinese imports will quickly exacerbate the severe port congestion that is still causing delays across the major North Europe and Mediterranean gateways. A host of factors are responsible for the bottlenecks, including full container yards at most terminals, crane maintenance in some ports, berth congestion, rail disruption from line closures in northern Germany and low water levels on the Rhine River impacting inland connections.

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While Europe prepares for a possible wave of Chinese imports, the spot market has finally arrested its steady slide that began in late December. Xeneta data shows that China to North Europe rates are up 7% since April 1 at $2,514 per FEU.

But while an increase in Chinese imports may help rising rates, it won’t last, according to Rico Luman, senior economist at global Bank ING.

“It will be the first reaction because of this disruption but afterwards the massive overcapacity in container shipping will weigh on rates once again, because that is the backdrop to all of this,” Luman told the Journal of Commerce.

“This tariff discussion is not good news for global trade, and I expect rates to drop again over the course of this year,” he added.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/32828862

Original article is behind a paywall.

UK government officials have raised private concerns that Chinese-manufactured drones are being used to take high resolution images of critical national infrastructure sites in the UK, going against guidance from the country’s security services.

National Grid Plc, which operates the nation’s electricity and gas networks, uses drones made by Shenzhen-based SZ DJI Technology Co. to take videos, photographs and thermal images of its electricity substations, according to information posted on its website as recently as September.

DJI drones have also been used to survey the construction of Electricite de France SA’s Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant, to inspect solar farms, and by Thames Water to monitor reservoirs and the water supply.

Deployment of the drones comes despite a warning in 2023 by the UK’s National Protective Security Authority (NPSA), part of the domestic security service MI5, that British organizations managing sensitive sites should be wary of using drones “manufactured in countries with coercive data sharing practices,” a reference to China. Moreover, in 2022, the US Department of Defense included DJI on a blacklist of Chinese firms with military ties.

National Grid said it follows government guidance, while Thames Water said it takes security “seriously.”

EDF didn’t respond to requests for comment.

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“It is reasonable to be concerned around the alleged widespread use of Chinese drones to map and track the performance of critical UK national infrastructure,” said Sam Goodman, senior director of policy at the China Strategic Risks Institute in London.

“At the very least, without British companies undertaking modification of these drones including software patches, this could pose a significant data security and national security risk to the UK, as DJI is legally required to provide data and cooperation with China’s Ministry of State Security under the PRC’s National Intelligence Law.”

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Prime Minister Keir Starmer is pursuing closer economic ties with China, even amid those security concerns and President Donald Trump’s trade war with the Asian nation.

Last year, Bloomberg reported that British officials were concerned Chinese state actors had made widespread — and likely successful — efforts to access British critical infrastructure networks, underscoring fears of vulnerabilities to increasingly sophisticated efforts by foreign powers to compromise security.

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Meanwhile the UK’S NPSA’s advice to British companies states: “the first line of defense for organisations wishing to use unmanned aerial systems (UAS) may be to restrict UAS and associated component procurement from countries which pose a risk to security.”

Using Chinese-made drones at key sites in Britain pose a risk because Chinese national security laws can compel its companies to share data with the state, according to a UK government official who requested anonymity discussing a sensitive issue.

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DJI drones were able to capture “incredibly valuable, accurate data” at Hinkley Point nuclear power plant, according to Skymatics, a surveying company which ran the project at the site.

The site is part-owned by China General Nuclear Power Group. Representatives for EDF did and Skymatics did not respond to requests for comment.

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Micael Johansson, the CEO of Swedish company Saab, confirmed to Swedish media that Portugal and Canada are studying whether to buy the JAS 39 Gripen E/F fighter jet.

Fears of potential lawsuits and future liability over contamination from the use of so-called 'forever chemicals' has prompted German insurers to consider new clauses limiting coverage for damages.

Britain would support a decision by Germany to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine, sources have indicated, in a boost to Friedrich Merz, the incoming chancellor.

https://archive.ph/M8KaG

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/61457995

US Vice President JD Vance has called on European states to show greater independence, urging them not to be US "vassals." He also said EU governments could have done more to oppose Washington over the Iraq War.

The UK supreme court has ruled that the terms “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act refer to a biological woman and biological sex, in a victory for gender-critical campaigners.

Five judges from the UK supreme court ruled unanimously that the legal definition of a woman in the Equality Act 2010 did not include transgender women who hold gender recognition certificates (GRCs).

In a significant defeat for the Scottish government, the court decision will mean that transgender women can no longer sit on public boards in places set aside for women.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/36493283

EU standards, particularly in relation to food health and safety, will never be part of the negotiation, ‘not with the US or anyone else', European Commission says

Archived version: https://archive.is/20250416105427/https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2025/04/16/eu-dismisses-us-demands-on-food-standards-and-ties-to-china/

Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.

Archived link

The Belarusian and Russian security services are preparing to take “preemptive” measures against Nato member states, the Kremlin’s spy chief has said.

Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service, accused Nato of an increase in military activity near the borders of the two countries. Belarus is Russia’s strongest ally in Europe and the Kremlin has used its territory for attacks on Ukraine. Moscow also says it has transferred tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus.

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Naryshkin, a reputed former KGB officer, gave no other details or evidence for his claim of a Nato build-up near the Belarusian and Russian borders.

Western security officials suspect that agents from both countries have orchestrated dozens of arson and sabotage attacks in Europe since President Putin ordered tanks into Ukraine in 2022.

The Kremlin’s shadow war in Europe is intended to create “political disquiet” in Europe and undermine support for Ukraine, Nato has said. It has been described as “staggeringly reckless” by Sir Richard Moore, the head of Britain’s foreign intelligence service.

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A recent report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank said the number of attacks nearly tripled between 2023 and 2024, after quadrupling between 2022 and 2023. It read: “Despite the increase in Russian attacks, western countries have not developed an effective strategy to counter these attacks.”

The report said sabotage was an attractive tactic for Moscow because it allowed the Kremlin “to conduct coercive activities against a state below a threshold that is likely to trigger a costly or risky conventional war”.

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There have been no suspected Russian sabotage attacks in either Hungary or Serbia, the Kremlin’s biggest allies in Europe besides Belarus.

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Not all of the sabotage has been carried out directly by the Kremlin’s agents. Last year a 20-year-old British man admitted an arson attack on a Ukrainian-owned business in east London on behalf of Moscow, while a Romanian man was arrested this month over a fire at a DHL warehouse in Birmingham that was caused by a suspected Russian incendiary device.

A 17-year-old Ukrainian refugee has also been charged with terrorism by Lithuania over an arson attack on an Ikea store in Vilnius, the capital. Daniil Bardadim is said to have been offered a BMW and about $11,000 to set fire to the store. It is unclear if he realised he may have been working for Moscow.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/28294218

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) on Friday appeared to reject a call from Spain to hold an open debate on Israel’s participation in this Eurovision song contest amid the ongoing Gaza war.

Earlier in the day, the president of Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE sent a letter to the director general of the EBU urging the step. Several hours later, the EBU issued a brief statement in response.

In an apparent effort to assuage RTVE over the decision not to rule in its favor, EBU added that it remains in “constant contact” with the Spanish broadcaster and all other members regarding all aspects of the May singing competition.

The European Commission said it was proposing to designate Kosovo, Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Morocco and Tunisia as "safe countries of origin

Archived

Here is the original Reuters report.

More than one hundred Chinese citizens fighting for the Russian military against Ukraine are mercenaries who do not appear to have a direct link to China's government, [according to reports].

But Chinese military officers have, with Beijing's approval, been touring close to Russia's frontlines to draw lessons and tactics from the war. The officers "are absolutely there under approval," [a former Western intelligence official] said.

China has for years provided Moscow with material support to help aid its war against Ukraine, primarily in the shipment of dual-use products – components needed to maintain weapons such as drones and tanks.

Beijing has also supplied Russia with lethal drones to use on the battlefield. In October, the Biden administration sanctioned for the first time two Chinese companies for providing the weapons systems to Moscow.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/61295662

Germany’s next chancellor signaled his willingness to provide Ukraine with long-range Taurus cruise missiles, marking a potential shift in Berlin’s military support as Kyiv continues to press for more high-precision weapons to hit deep into Russian-held territory, The Financial Times reported on April 13.

Friedrich Merz, leader of the center-right Christian Democrats (CDU) and the expected successor to Olaf Scholz said that Germany should participate in supplying Taurus missiles if a joint decision is reached with European allies.

“Our European partners are already supplying cruise missiles,” Merz said. “The British are doing it, the French are doing it, and the Americans are doing it anyway.”

“This must be jointly agreed. And if it is agreed, then Germany should take part,” he added.

[...]

Archived

Beijing’s bid to enlist Australia to join its side in the escalating trade war with the United States has drawn a frosty response, with the Albanese government vowing to redouble its push to seek new export markets beyond China and the US.

The European Union’s top trade official is set to travel to Australia soon after the federal election to restart negotiations on an elusive free trade pact, after Trade Minister Don Farrell spoke to his counterpart on Wednesday night in an unusual move during an election campaign.

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The focus on trade came as a visiting Pacific leader rejected China’s bid to force it to break with Taiwan, while arguing there was still lingering damage from a decade-old gaffe in which Peter Dutton joked about rising sea levels in the Pacific.

Defence Minister Richard Marles firmly rejected Chinese ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian’s offer to “join hands” with Australia to respond to Trump’s tariffs, which the diplomat made in an opinion piece in this masthead on Thursday.

“We’re not about to make common cause with China – that’s not what’s going to happen here,” Marles told Nine’s Today.

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EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic proposed moving towards reopening talks during his hour-long video meeting with Australian counterpart Don Farrell on Wednesday evening.

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Any potential Australia-EU deal would eliminate about 98 per cent of tariffs and reduce red tape for companies doing business across borders. Business groups estimate an agreement would deliver a $6 billion boost to what is already Australia’s third-largest trading partner after China and Japan.

[...]

Archived link

On the morning of April 15, Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti published — and later deleted — two Telegram posts that appeared to show military drone operators directing strikes against Ukrainian territory from a makeshift control center located inside a residential high-rise in Moscow City, the Russian capital’s business district.

The first post claimed that a “combat FPV drone, controlled from Moscow, struck an Armed Forces of Ukraine target in Chasiv Yar at an ultra-long distance for the first time.” The second post said the UAV, piloted remotely from Moscow, had been launched by the drone unit of the Espanola brigade, which was operating near Chasiv Yar — a city in the Bakhmut District of Ukraine’s Donetsk Region, most of which is under Russian control.

A six-minute video accompanied the posts, showing the coordination of the drone strike in detail. Both posts, along with the video, were removed within 90 minutes of publication. The Telegram channel CHTD first noticed that the posts had been taken down.

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"José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, an old friend of the Chinese people, has played a prominent role in politics, both in Spain and internationally. During his administration, he actively promoted structural adjustment and internal reform, improving Spain's competitiveness in the global economic landscape." This was the introduction made by officials from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the city of Guiyang, in the south of the Asian giant, when the former Spanish president visited them at the end of last year to participate in a symposium. Zapatero praised the successful policies of the Chinese government to improve the lives of its people, such as those that had lifted half a million people out of poverty in record time in the region where he was.

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"Without holding an official position or having a fixed headquarters in Beijing, he [Zapatero] is being the best ambassador Spain has ever had in this country, in terms of strengthening ties and successfully mediating for Spanish commercial interests," says a Spanish diplomatic source. A representative from the EU office in Beijing adds important nuances: "For almost all European countries, especially in these times of trade wars, it is essential to have China as a stable trading partner. But there are countries that are more aware than others of the risks of getting too close to Beijing. No matter how attractive its packaging may be, we must not forget that we are dealing with a dictatorship. And we cannot promote alliances with dictatorships. Therefore, it is unsettling that a figure like Zapatero, who is very influential in the Spanish government, is behaving like an activist on his many trips to China."

The consulted Spanish diplomatic sources are clear that Zapatero's frequent walks in the Asian superpower have been key for Pedro Sánchez to return to Beijing this Friday for the third time in two years. Since the pandemic, no EU leader has visited the Asian giant as many times.

[...]

The former Spanish leader held meetings with high-ranking CCP officials and acted as a liaison between Spanish companies and Chinese state-owned firms like China Energy, a conglomerate that has invested in several renewable energy projects in Spain.

It is no secret the lobbying that Zapatero does in China through the Gate Center think tank, where he serves as chairman of the advisory board, and the ONUART Foundation, based in Barcelona, where he acts as chairman of the advisory board. Both organizations, linked to Chinese entrepreneurs close to Beijing, promote Chinese projects under the umbrella of the new Silk Road, especially in Latin America.