May 30 marks the start of the wildfire season in the EU. European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič spoke to the enr about crisis response, climate change and the 10th birthday of the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC).
A doctored photo began circulating on social media in multiple languages in the spring of 2023. It purported to show European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in front of a grey statue with breasts and male genitalia. In fact, the image was altered to superimpose the leaders – from a photo taken in Kyiv in 2023 – against the nude statue found in The Hague.
German Defence Minister “somewhat disappointed” with Hungary over Ukraine aid. More than 1,000 individuals indicted over war crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In other news: Belgian Prime Minister eager to halt European nature legislation and ECB wants to bring inflation back to 2 percent.
A group of ten EU member states launched a fresh drive to reform the bloc’s approach to decision-making on foreign and security policy after years of infighting over the issue. While the reform would favour France and Germany, the EU’s two most populous nations, previous attempts to change the system have proved divisive.
2022 marked the hottest European Summer on record and the next forest fire season is upon us: Ahead of the 10-year-anniversary of the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC), the European Newsroom (enr) organised an interview with European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič on May 25.