eu

EU Launches €38bn Defence Investments Under €150bn SAFE Scheme

The European Union (hereinafter: EU) has approved 38€ billion in initial defence investments under the broader Security and Defence Investment Framework, known as the SAFE scheme. These are the first major defence allocations from a total planned envelope of 150€ billion, designed to strengthen EU defence capabilities, industrial capacity and strategic autonomy in response to...

Lesson from Samarkand: “Union” or Multi-Vector Balancing in the Turkic World?

Samarkand has become the clearest illustration that the trajectory of Turkic cooperation is shaped less by cultural affinity than by the cost structure of external partnerships. On 4 April 2025, the European Union (hereinafter: EU) and the five Central Asian republics elevated relations to a strategic partnership and launched a 12€ billion Global Gateway investment...

EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement Signed After 25-Year Negotiation

On 17 January 2026, the European Union (hereinafter: EU) and the Southern Common Market (hereinafter: Mercosur) formally signed the EU-Mercosur trade agreement during a summit in Montevideo, Uruguay. The signing marks the conclusion of a negotiation process that spanned more than 25 years and was last delayed in December 2025. The ceremony was attended by...

EU Carbon Border Tax Goes Into Effect

The EU carbon border tax, known formally as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (hereinafter: CBAM), entered into effect on 1 January 2026, requiring importers of high-emission goods such as steel, cement, aluminium and electricity to account for and pay for the associated CO₂ emissions as part of the European Union’s regulatory framework. The measure is...

EU-Mercosur Trade Deal Signing Delayed to January Amid Farmer Protests

Last week, hopes for the immediate ratification of the EU-Mercosur trade deal were dashed as European leaders confirmed a delay in the signing ceremony. Originally scheduled to take place during a summit in Foz do Iguacu, Brazil, the finalisation of the agreement has been pushed to January 2026. According to Euronews, the President of the...

Canada EU Defence Fund Access Granted to Ottawa

The European Union’s (hereinafter: EU) flagship rearmament initiative, the Canada EU defence programme known as Security Action for Europe (hereinafter: SAFE), concluded negotiations with Canada, granting the North American nation preferential access to the 150€ billion fund. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on 2 December 2025 that Canada was the first neo-European state to secure participation in...