In the last 72 hours, a question has crystallised in European capitals: is US president Donald Trump mad, bad or both? This is neither a frivolous nor a hyperbolic question. Nor, of course, can any clinical answer be offered. But balanced and rational individuals do not write to allied prime ministers as Trump did this […]
Continue ReadingEuropean leaders are hoping to prevent a trade war breaking out with the United States over Greenland, but are preparing contingency plans to push back on Donald Trump’s “blackmail” attempts, should high-stakes attempts to defuse tensions this week fail. Efforts to engage the White House are being stepped up and several EU leaders are expected […]
Continue ReadingUS president Donald Trump has linked his drive to take control of Greenland to his failure to win the Nobel Peace Prize, saying he no longer thought “purely of Peace” as the row over the island threatened to reignite a trade war with Europe. Asked by NBC News in a brief telephone interview on Monday […]
Continue ReadingStocks dipped and gold hit a fresh record on Monday as trade tensions between the US and Europe flared over president Donald Trump’s push to take control of Greenland. Mr Trump said on Saturday he would impose an additional 10 per cent tariff on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and […]
Continue ReadingThe European Union is preparing a massive package of tariffs in retaliation for Donald Trump’s threats over Greenland. But surviving the latest crisis will not be enough. Planning for a world minus one European leaders are hoping that a united and resolute response will persuade Trump to back away from his threat to hit them […]
Continue ReadingUkraine’s entry into the European Union would help guarantee its security and help ward off any future Russian attack in the event of a peace deal, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has said. European leaders are grappling to keep Washington onside in the stop-start negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, while at […]
Continue ReadingThe European Union is reportedly demanding guarantees the UK will compensate the bloc if a future government reneges on the Brexit “reset” agreement British prime minister Keir Starmer is currently negotiating. The termination clause is a stark reminder of the painful and costly divorce in which the EU set up a colossal €5.4 billion fund […]
Continue ReadingIrish farmers have gathered for a rolling tractor protest in Athlone as anger grows over the progression of the EU-Mercosur deal. On Friday, the EU ambassador approved a trade deal with Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay – but it still needs to be backed by the European Parliament. The Irish Government voted against the deal […]
Continue ReadingBack in 2017, in the early days of Leo Varadkar’s period as taoiseach, he was fond of referring to Ireland as “an island at the centre of the world”. It was a phrase that reflected both Varadkar’s facility for a catchy soundbite but also Ireland’s good fortune in the second half of the 2010s, as […]
Continue ReadingIf Astrid Lindgren, the creator of Pippi Longstocking, had written Nordic westerns then she would have set them in a place like Nuuk. A sprawl of multicoloured wooden homes on snowy hills, Nuuk feels like a frontier town and, as the world’s most northerly capital city, is tucked into the southwestern coast of Greenland. The […]
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