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1 month ago | 
politico.eu | Louise Guillot |Lucia Mackenzie
BRUSSELS — The European Union’s agriculture chief Christophe Hansen is on a mission to shield farmers from red tape and unnecessary checks, while securing more cash for the sector ahead of tough EU budget negotiations. But while he is set to unveil a plan on Wednesday that aims to do just that, critics warn that the environment risks becoming collateral damage.
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1 month ago | 
politico.eu | Louise Guillot |Lucia Mackenzie |Jakob Weizman
BRUSSELS — The European Commission’s plan to slash bureaucracy for farmers risks hurting the planet. The EU executive wants to give out more cash to aid farmers hit by natural disasters while weakening the very green rules that are meant to safeguard the environment. That’s the main takeaway of a planned package of reforms to simplify EU farm policies, which account for over a third of the bloc’s total spending.
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1 month ago | 
politico.eu | Bartosz Brzezinski |Lucia Mackenzie
On the flat plains of central Poland, where densely packed poultry sheds crowd the landscape, the future of Europe’s meat industry hums to the rhythm of millions of broiler chickens. Inside, birds bred to grow at record speed shuffle under the constant glow of artificial light, each one a copy of the last. They live fast, grow faster and end their lives in industrial kill lines — destined for export to Germany, the U.K. and Saudi Arabia. Chicken isn’t just dinner.
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2 months ago | 
wiadomosci.onet.pl | Laura Kayali |Lucia Mackenzie
— Jestem pewien, że nastąpi pewne zmniejszenie obecności USA w Europie — mówi w rozmowie z POLITICO emerytowany generał broni Ben Hodges, były dowódca amerykańskich sił zbrojnych w Europie.
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2 months ago | 
politico.eu | Laura Kayali |Lucia Mackenzie
The countdown has started. During his first trip to Europe in February, United States Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth warned that the American military presence in Europe was "not forever," sending shockwaves through the continent's capitals. Since then, U.S. and European officials have denied over and over again that the U.S. commitment to NATO under President Donald Trump is wobbling and that Washington is mulling withdrawing troops — but few doubt the moment will eventually come.
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2 months ago | 
politico.eu | Victor Jack |Lucia Mackenzie |Sam Clark
GULF OF FINLAND — Before Russia bulldozed its way into Ukraine, Ilja Iljin mainly hunted for people stranded at sea. Now, he also hunts saboteurs. Iljin, a deputy commander of Finland’s coast guard, is increasingly on the lookout for tankers about to commit sabotage. Behind him is a small army: dozens of radars and cameras, numerous patrol boats, a fleet of planes and helicopters — all deployed to scour a stretch of water as large as Belgium.
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Mar 19, 2025 | 
politico.eu | Laura Kayali |Joe Gould |Robbie Gramer |Lucia Mackenzie
Europe’s dependence on American weapons is facing a reckoning thanks to Donald Trump. His administration’s unpredictability and repeated attacks on NATO partners are forcing a rethink of arms purchases by some key allies. For the U.S. industry, the sales pitch they’ve relied on for decades — American weapons like fighter jets and air defenses that come with a key bonus of U.S. protection — is falling flat. While no radical decisions have been made, warning lights are flashing in allied capitals.
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Feb 24, 2025 | 
politico.eu | Lucia Mackenzie |Veronika Melkozerova |Jamie Dettmer
Donald Trump's attacks on Ukraine are forcing European countries to think the unthinkable: The U.S. may stop arming Kyiv. But both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and military analysts think that while losing U.S. support will be a major blow and will hit deliveries of key weapons, Ukraine backed by its European allies will be able to keep fighting for many months. Governments are racing to show diplomatic and military support for Ukraine.
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Jan 20, 2025 | 
politico.eu | Joshua Posaner |Jacopo Barigazzi |Lucia Mackenzie |Johanna Sahlberg
Much of Europe is anxious about Donald Trump’s return to the White House, but there’s little to suggest the continent’s arms manufacturers expect a crisis. Europe is seeing a dramatic boost in defense budgets, driven by both long-standing pressure from Washington and the continent’s own reaction to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. That promises a glut of military contracts for weapons-makers in Europe as well as in the U.S., South Korea and elsewhere.
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Dec 30, 2024 | 
politico.eu | Giovanna Coi |Lucia Mackenzie |Hanne COKELAERE
Gone are the days of Europe’s open-door policy for Syrian refugees, epitomized by then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s slogan “We can do it!” Securing Europe’s borders has become the No. 1 priority, and in some places the political debate has even started to include removing migrants from the EU’s territory entirely. Brussels has been no exception to this reality. The European Commission, reconstituted on Dec.
