Europe

Bye bye Visa, Mastercard, Paypal, and many others. They can go and play "America First". We'll have our own independent system by november 2025.

In the first week of January, I received a letter from the Berlin Immigration Office, informing me that I had lost my right of freedom of movement in Germany, due to allegations around my involvement in the pro-Palestine movement. Since I’m a Polish citizen living in Berlin, I knew that deporting an EU national from another EU country is practically impossible. I contacted a lawyer and, given the lack of substantial legal reasoning behind the order, we filed a lawsuit against it, after which I didn’t think much of it.

I later found out that three other people active in the Palestine movement in Berlin, Roberta Murray, Shane O’Brien and Cooper Longbottom, received the same letters. Murray and O’Brien are Irish nationals, Longbottom is American. We understood this as yet another intimidation tactic from the state, which has also violently suppressed protests and arrested activists, and expected a long and dreary but not at all urgent process of fighting our deportation orders.

Then, at the beginning of March, each of our lawyers received on our behalf another letter, declaring that we are to be given until 21 April to voluntarily leave the country or we will be forcibly removed. The letters cite charges arising from our involvement in protests against the ongoing genocide in Gaza. None of the charges have yet led to a court hearing, yet the deportation letters conclude that we are a threat to public order and national security.

The European Union and China have agreed to look into setting minimum prices of Chinese-made electric vehicles instead of tariffs imposed by the EU last year, a European Commission spokesperson said on Thursday.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.nl/post/31913880

Archived

The original article in German is here.

• Victor Gao, ex-interpreter to politician Deng Xiaoping and now Beijing's mouthpiece, promotes China's line in the West.
• In the midst of economic problems, China is trying to win back Europe as a partner - on the condition that it does not criticize Beijing.

Where other Chinese experts remain silent because the new anti-espionage law forces them to be cautious, Victor Gao [once Deng Xiaoping's interpreter, now vice president of a government-affiliated think tank and figurehead for China's propaganda] talks. And how. Whether CNN, BBC or al-Jazeera - everyone gets it from him, the party line, eloquently packaged and charmingly served.

[...]

His current mission: to woo Europe, while relations with the West are crumbling under the weight of Hong Kong, Taiwan, Xinjiang, corona and closing ranks with Russia.

[...]

Victor Gao demands: "Wake up from your American nightmare." And immediately delivers the Chinese offer: less morality, more market. China as a "resource", not a rival.

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But behind the smile lurks geopolitical calculation.

After all, NATO has long been seen as the enemy, and Western democracies are described in China's state media as decadent, refugee-ridden orders. At the same time, Gao preaches closing ranks in interviews - as long as Europe refrains from any criticism of Beijing.

[...]

Victor Gao, who translated Deng's words into the international arena in the 1980s, embodies China's transformation: from an aspiring reformist state to an autocratically controlled superpower under Xi Jinping.

What used to be openness is now demarcation - and yet: economic hardship is forcing China back towards rapprochement.

With the economic downturn in its own country, youth unemployment, the real estate crisis, demographic decline and mountains of debt, it now wants Europe back as a partner. Or at least as a market.

[...]

Gao describes Europe as a continent on the brink of collapse: "You have no more money at all," he says. China, on the other hand? Ready to help. With experience, technology and growth. A kind of development aid - made in China.

But the price is high: no criticism. No geopolitics. No questions asked.

Human rights? Tibet? Xinjiang? Are elegantly omitted. Anyone who raises them is either a "gangster" financed by the USA or a naïve idealist. Gao prefers to sell the high-speed train network, the next 6G expansion and the bubbling growth figures.

Problems? "Of course there are," he says - and immediately changes the subject.

[...]

Victor Gao says that Europe is too small to be an adversary.

But perhaps this is precisely Europe's underestimated strength: not wanting to dominate, but to mediate between the extremes - without selling out.

Because Gao is right about one thing: the world as we know it is changing rapidly. But whether China's charm offensive is more than just a tactical smile will be measured by whether Beijing wants genuine partnership - or just a Europe that shuts up and pays up.

Archived

Last week, President Vladimir Putin signed an order to call up 160,000 men as part of Russia’s biannual conscription drive. Now, reports are emerging that police across the country are raiding fitness clubs in search of male gymgoers. According to a new report from Current Time, officers quickly divide those detained into Russian citizens and non-citizens. Citizens are then taken to enlistment offices, while non-citizens are often accused of minor offenses or immigration violations and deported. Meduza shares a translation of the outlet’s findings.

[...]

Many of those taken to enlistment offices were ultimately handed military summons, according to multiple witnesses. “My husband is in court now,” said Anastasia, who lives in a city just outside Moscow.

“They tried to issue him a summons illegally more than two years ago — even though he has an exemption. Now they’ve dragged him into the enlistment office again. I rushed over with documents, but they wouldn’t let him go until the lawyer arrived. They told him he had to show up again on the fifth. Of course he won’t go. He’s taken vacation just to avoid getting grabbed on the way to work. But that’s no solution. We have to figure something out. I’m scared they’ll come banging on our door.”

[...]

Sorry to post here as someone who doesn't live in Europe, but I'm seeing something very dangerous unfold in the EU with their fascination with Orwellian methods of surveillance.

On one hand I'm glad to see that the previous proposals were defeated and some politicians still reject the idea. But this is way too persistent. Who are the faces behind this bill and what is their motivation to keep presenting it, to keep pushing for something they know will harm europeans?

I am starting to think that existing resistance is not going to be enough for the next time the bill is voted on. We need more. We need more people than just the EFF and other non-profits talking about this. This is setting a dangerous precedent that I can see the US following if it gets passed in the EU, and I'm scared because the average person doesn't comprehend the problem (and most of the time, won't care).

I had a hard enough time getting just a few family members off of WhatsApp to Signal, imagine the trouble I and a lot of people will have if Chat control is indeed passed. We need to do more.

Sorry if I missed a lot of nuance in this post - I only really follow the headlines and don't know the reality on the ground.

Thanks

Archived

[...]

Kaja Kallas, the EU's head of diplomacy, confirmed that the EU had discussed the news about the capture of Chinese nationals by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. However, she emphasized that this does not mean the Chinese military is directly involved in the war. She pointed out that China could share relevant information regarding the situation.

Kallas also stated that without China's support, Russia would not be able to conduct the war on such a large scale, noting that 80% of dual-use goods reach Russia through China.

She added that if China truly wanted to stop supporting the war, it would have an impact.

[...]

Archived

[...]

Some tactical cooperation makes sense for both sides — just don't expect any grand bargain.

The Xinhua news agency account didn't include any mention of Ukraine [in their coverage on the phone call between Chinese Premier Li Qiang and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen this week].

But the EU's readout did. Von der Leyen "reaffirmed the EU's steadfast support for a just and lasting peace" in the three-year-old war and emphasized that any conditions for peace "must be determined by Ukraine." She invited China to intensify its efforts to "contribute meaningfully" to the peace process, according to the statement.

[...]

Coincidentally (perhaps), President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Tuesday that Ukrainian troops captured two Chinese citizens fighting for Russia, the first time the country's nationals have been taken prisoner during the war. That furnished a reminder of where China's default sympathies lie, on the same day as Li's call with von der Leyen.

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This near-term necessity [to collaborate and seek allies] must be balanced against the recognition that China's ruling Communist Party stands on the side of forces that present an existential threat to Europe's security.

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Under [Chinese President] Xi, it has become clear that China hasn't come to join the postwar global order designed by the US, but to reshape it in its own image. The Ukraine invasion is the most tangible demonstration of that.

Three weeks before Russian troops started crossing the border, Xi and Putin signed an agreement that said there would be "no limits" to their cooperation. It is a remarkably candid document that can fairly be described as a blueprint for a new world order — one that is more comfortable for autocracies. China professed neutrality after the Ukraine war started, but its diplomatic actions and expanding trade and investment with Russia are evidence of de facto support.

[...]

Expediency dictates there will be some cooperation between Europe and China, but don't mistake it for anything more profound or longer lasting. Some things are worth more than an extra battery plant or two.

[...]

In related news, Australia turns down China's offer to 'join hands' to fight US tariffs, says it would build its economic resilience by strengthening trade ties with the European Union, Indonesia, India, Britain and the Middle East.

cross-posted from: https://programming.dev/post/28280646

The Ministry of Justice is developing a system that aims to ‘predict’ who will commit murder, as part of a “data science” project using sensitive personal data on hundreds of thousands of people.

"First Trump calls us Italians and Europeans parasites, and the Meloni government turns a deaf ear by lowering its head," said Schlein.

https://archive.ph/l35bl

cross-posted from: https://sopuli.xyz/post/25151353

Archive: https://archive.is/2025.04.09-095416/https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/germanys-far-right-afd-tops-poll-first-time-blow-chancellor-in-waiting-merz-2025-04-09/

BERLIN, April 9 - Germany's far-right AfD party topped a major poll for the first time on Wednesday in a sign of growing dissatisfaction with mainstream parties as chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz seeks to seal a coalition government deal.

Support for Merz's conservative CDU/CSU bloc, which won the February 23 election, fell by five percentage points to 24% while the Alternative for Germany (AfD) gained three points to land on 25%, according to the Ipsos institute's poll.

The AfD came second in the election, the best performance by a far-right party since World War Two.

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/60943939

Let me be the First to speak it out: Trump has ended the American Empire. He has ended Europe's blind acceptance of American superpower.

America will never again be what it was. That so called beacon of hope that Public relations Geniuses invented and never really existed.

So, yes thank you Mr. Trump for helping us to wake up and thank you for ending the American empire.

Swiss drugmaker Novartis said on Thursday it plans to spend $23 billion to build and expand 10 facilities in the U.S., as it grapples with renewed threats of drug import duties from the Trump administration.

In what bird lovers are calling a landmark ruling, the Montpellier court held EDF Renouvelables and nine of its subsidiaries responsible for the deaths of 160 bats and birds, especially lesser kestrels, which regularly collide with the blades despite deterrents put in place by operators.

Archived version

Amidst geopolitical shifts, the notion that Europe must choose between security and social support is not only politically dangerous but also economically unsound.

[This is an opinionated piece by Anton Hemerijck, Professor of Political Science and Sociology at the European University Institute and a frequent adviser to the European Commission, and Manos Matsaganis, Professor of Public Finance at Polytechnic University of Milan, and Head of the Greek & European Economy Programme at the Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy ELIAMEP in Athens.]

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These are extraordinary times, which is precisely why we must remain resolute. Europe possesses significant strengths, and a robust and cherished welfare state that invests in human capital is one of them. Depriving it of tax revenue would be a gift to Europe’s enemies. Instead, we should maintain (and modernise) social assistance and pension benefits, and invest generously in childcare, parental leave, lifelong learning, health, and long-term care.

Those who believe that now is not the time to discuss social investment should reconsider. After all, the aftermath of the Second Battle of El Alamein (October-November 1942), when the outcome of World War II was still uncertain, hardly seemed like an opportune moment to discuss building a welfare state. Yet, that is precisely what British troops in North Africa and elsewhere did, at numerous improvised conferences just a few kilometres from the front lines. The Beveridge Report, fresh from the Ministry of Information press, was meticulously presented by officers and eagerly read by soldiers. Sceptics at the War Office and elsewhere had to acknowledge that fostering the realistic expectation of a fairer post-war social order actually strengthened the war effort, rather than detracting from it.

Sceptics should take note.

A Swedish court on Wednesday ordered the detention of a man suspected of spying on ethnic Uyghurs for China, Sweden's prosecution authority said on Wednesday.

The prosecution authority declined to give more detail on the case or whether it concerned the small population of Uyghurs living in Sweden or groups elsewhere.

[...]

The man, whose nationality was also not disclosed, is in custody in the Swedish capital, court documents showed.

"The man is suspected of having illegally collected information and intelligence on people in the Uyghur environment on behalf of the Chinese intelligence service," Prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist said in a statement earlier on Wednesday.

[...]

Rights groups accuse Beijing of widespread abuses of Uyghurs, a mainly Muslim ethnic minority group of about 10 million people who live in China's far western Xinjiang region.

Beijing denies any abuse and has accused Western countries of interference and peddling lies.

In 2022, a landmark United Nations report said that China's "arbitrary and discriminatory detention" of Uyghurs and other Muslims in Xinjiang may constitute crimes against humanity.

[...]

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Prosecutors said the group was sexually exploiting some 30 Chinese women from Brussels. While the group's activities largely focused on the Brussels area, victims were working in 16 prostitution sites across the country. The victims, all women of Chinese nationality, regularly changed their place of work.

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"The Brussels Federal Judicial Police put an end to the criminal activities of an alleged group of Chinese perpetrators engaged in the sexual exploitation of women, also from China. The victims were working in private prostitution, in various parts of the country," the prosecutor's office said.

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Prosecutors said all the victims had also been interviewed and had been given access to a protection procedure, in collaboration with a specialised centre for victims of human trafficking.

Ukraine's energy system has endured relentless and brutal attacks by Russia. Yet, through incredible skill and resourcefulness, Ukraine has managed to keep the lights on through the winter. Now the unpredictable Trump administration has begun haphazardly withdrawing air defences and intelligence while using nuclear power stations as bargaining chips. More than ever, Ukraine needs support to transition towards a long-term energy system that is resilient, flexible and secure. The EU has the expertise, the ability and the will to help make that happen.

[...]

Ukraine's renewables sector has also shown considerable resilience, despite the seizure of key assets by Russian forces. Renewable energy sources (RES) continue to supply 8.7% of Ukraine's energy, down from 9.4% in 2021. However, this decline is largely due to the occupation of territory rather than the destruction of infrastructure. Over 40% of Ukraine’s pre-2022 RES in solar PV and wind power currently lies in occupied territory. Wind generation capacity, once concentrated in the now occupied regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, has been especially hard hit. The Russian destruction of the Kakhovka dam has also significantly reduced Ukraine’s hydroelectric generation capacity.

[...]

All in all, Ukraine's experience demonstrates the immense challenge of ensuring a reliable energy supply in wartime.

The biggest problem is fixed, high-value infrastructure. The crippling of Ukraine's thermal capacity – illustrated by the destruction of the Kurakhivska thermal power plant – demonstrates just how exposed these critical assets are to targeted attacks. Even with sophisticated air defences, an overwhelming swarm of drones and/or missiles can inflict irreparable damage with long-term consequences. Repair efforts can only accomplish so much, with roughly only 5 GW of over 25 GW of lost generation capacity restored in two years.

[...]

A decentralised energy network – built around multiple small, localised generation nodes linked together through a meshed grid – offers extensive resilience against Russian attacks. Why?

• The first reason is attrition. By bringing generation down to a single solar panel or wind turbine, it flips the cost calculation of mass drone or missile attacks on its head. While it might make sense to launch a swarm of Shahed-136 drones at $20,000 a piece against a multi-million dollar energy facility, it makes little strategic or economic sense against a $100 solar panel or even a $2000 wind turbine.

• The second is flexibility. A large power station or high-voltage grid system requires specialised equipment and months to relocate or rebuild. A collection of solar modules with a battery can be loaded into the back of a van and redeployed within minutes. Portable gas turbines are moveable but with limited air defence and required gas supply, they are slightly less agile even while offering continuous electricity supply.

• The third is speed. Solar power is the quickest and cheapest way to deploy electricity generation. In the face of sudden attacks, solar can quickly fill some gaps in the electricity system. Especially when combined with battery storage, it offers a rapid and reliable source of electricity, albeit in lower volumes.

[...]

Looking ahead, the EU should apply the lessons from Ukraine to strengthen its own energy system – building resilience and removing structural vulnerabilities. One critical area is in the power grid: while one interconnector is vulnerable, one hundred smaller connections are resilient.

In an era of growing geopolitical uncertainty, energy security is one thing that can still be actively safeguarded.

Japan expressed interest Tuesday in participating in the NATO command for its Ukrainian mission based in Germany in what would be a major boost in ties with the largely European alliance.

Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani announced his country’s interest during talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Tokyo. After providing the war-torn country with defense equipment and support, Japan now wants to join NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine, or NSATU, headquartered at a U.S. base in the German town of Wiesbaden.

Details of the mission, including the possibility of sending any Japan Self Defense Force members to Wiesbaden, were still to be discussed. But any Japanese cooperation was not expected to involve combat, in line with what has been Tokyo’s post-World War II tradition of limiting its military’s role.

Nakatani said Japan wants to further deepen security cooperation with NATO and that participation in the NSATU mission would help Tokyo learn lessons from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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Japan has said that Russia’s war on Ukraine underscores that security risks in Europe and Asia are inseparable, and Tokyo has sought closer ties with NATO while also joining the United States in expanding defense ties with other friendly nations in the Indo-Pacific.

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Japan considers China a threat in the region and has in recent years accelerated its military buildup, including preparing to acquire strike-back capability with long-range cruise missiles.

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NATO has stepped up its ties with Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, known as the IP4, in recent years, with their officials attending NATO ministerial and summit meetings.

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