EUobserver

The fate of Belarus is tied to Europe’s future, as I write in @euobs. Freeing Belarus from tyranny & Russia’s grip is in all Europeans' interest. No fight for freedom is won alone—but with support from our allies, we will build a free, democratic Belarus. euobserver.com/eu-and-the-wor…

Trump said nothing on Russia and little about China, pledged trade tariffs, and voiced rightwing views on migrants, gender, and climate, in a speech full of bombastic rhetoric, including a promise to send Americans to Mars. buff.ly/4arzTLp

EU finance ministers avoided directly responding to incoming president Donald Trump’s tariff threats and Greenland trolling. buff.ly/3PKovk6

Russia is leading a disinformation campaign ahead of the February election in Germany, weakening mainstream parties and increasing far-right AfD narratives, a think-thank reported. buff.ly/42ixfVZ

The EU Commission has left the door open to reform of its planned carbon import levy, days after the main centre-right political group in the EU institutions called for its implementation to be delayed by two years. buff.ly/42kWKWX

The European Commission continues to defend the slow pace of its investigation into Elon Musk's social media platform X, amid accusations the perceived delay is politically motivated. buff.ly/40mTMOU

One umbrella organisation of 30 Jewish peace groups – European Jews for Palestine – say they were snubbed by the EU’s antisemitism “tsar”, after twice requesting an invitation to the Holocaust remembrance conference. buff.ly/4h7cyB1

The European Commission says a contractor it hired to monitor rights in Libya does not report on any evidence that its policies are harmful, following a three-year saga of document access requests by EUobserver. buff.ly/40CUFEp

Europe could never win a race to the bottom that Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s admirers here are clamouring for — and we can already see how this recipe has damaged Europe’s competitiveness. buff.ly/40oJKNf

The EU is prepared to hit back if Donald Trump imposes trade sanctions against Denmark for refusing to give up Greenland to the United States, officials confirmed on Friday. buff.ly/4jheCrF

The former heads of state and government called on EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to break up Google's ad tech monopoly, to restore competition and safeguard democracy in Europe. buff.ly/42i6Ojj

Thursday's ECJ ruling is truly a black box being opened. The European Commission will no longer be able to unjustifiably deny access to documents concerning deliberations on pesticide regulation. buff.ly/4g3B70z

EU enlargement commissioner Marta Kos told MEPs that Montenegro and Albania could possibly join the EU as soon as 2028. buff.ly/40yzWS4

EU asylum, anti-racism and rule-of-law policies are often “inadequate” and “abusive,” the organisation Human Rights Watch stated in its annual report. buff.ly/4hfBmXc

Discussing Europe's industrial woes at a Bruegel event, EU vice-president Teresa Ribera said Europe is "one of the best places to invest in" and asked people to lighten up. buff.ly/4jm2rK4

Israel has continued mass-killing of Palestinians amid ceasefire delays, as the EU pledged more humanitarian aid, but said it had little diplomatic sway on the war. buff.ly/4g3vIX0

The EU Commission has promised to set up a ‘safety net’ fund worth at least €1bn to support European farmers if they take a financial hit from a proposed trade deal with the South American Mercosur bloc. buff.ly/42caWBq

The concept behind 'migrant resource centres' co-run by the Vienna-based institute, the International Centre for Migration Policy (ICMPD), is set to expand. buff.ly/3DV5ZCN