From Europe or about Europe

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From Europe

or about Europe

Basics:

This is a curated community but everyone is welcome to post. Please read the rules before engaging.
Intent of this community is to fit the purpose rather than being popular.
I encourage browsing content sorted by the time of posting.

Etiquette

Basic human decency, authenticity, honesty and accountability.
No witch hunts, no doxxing, no brigading.
No punching down.
No approval for authoritarianism.
No hate speech against groups based on innate traits.
Aesthetics irrelevant, profanities are human but don’t use them to replace punctuation.
Downvotes for offtopic only.

Content:

From Europe or about Europe.
Europe is Iceland and Georgia but not Israel or Turkey.
In English for news unless breaking with translation provided. Other European languages are allowed for things where meaning can be inferred from context.
If source not clear from the URL (like YouTube) please provide author name after a „|” separator in the title.
No title editorialising unless for unclear or unnecessarily alarmist titles. Change it in a neutral matter or provide non-biased context or wing it as long as it’s descriptive.
No dupes within reason, new content must contain new information or offer in-depth analysis or opinion. In case of breaking news, if dupes exists decision which one to preserve will not be based on time of posting but on quality and number of comments.
Direct links only.
Paywalled content permissible as long as archived version is provided or if breaking news.
Regular journalism only for news content. No blogs, social media unless from official accounts.
Prioritise posting concrete actions and deliveries over posting political speech and announcements.
Prefer nice things and responsible journalism but require truth over feeling nice.
Prefer original source.
Content should stimulate discussion but no outrage porn, by extension no news on minor crime.
Frogs can be posted on Wednesdays.

Subject to mod taste:

No self promo of anything that can give monetary gain, other promo permissible within reason as long as it’s from an established user and hosted on an open network.
No excessive trolling, no clowning.
No low quality or low effort content. Memes allowed if original content of high quality. Applicable to posts more than comments.
No vulgar content - no porn, no gore.
Arbitrary bans will be awarded for making my life harder.

Moderation style:

Mods are people. Mods will make mistakes and sometimes not own to it for some time.
Mods are not responsible for the way you browse this community, I assume everyone read the rules before engaging.
Mods sleep. Content not being taken fast enough doesn’t mean it’s permitted. Might leave stuff up not to stop people from discussing.
Hope to lead by an example rather than with force. Can’t say if this is not an aspirational speech yet.
I’m rather ill and have no succession plan. If you want to join in you’re welcome but I can be a bit of a tyrant.

Bias disclaimer:

I was trigger happy on Reddit. This should be more lax but some things can still merit outright ban without warning.
I’m mostly concerned with economic violence rather than culture wars. This will affect things subject to mod taste but not the general rules.
I’m a member of Razem, a left wing political party. This will not affect taste decisions but please hold me accountable where this party affiliation specifically made me biased. This community is not intended to be affiliated with Razem.
I refrained from modding not to end up on !yepowertrippingbastards but now I intend to because this community is going to be curated according to the rules above. Cheers.

founded 2 weeks ago

MODERATORS

misk@sopuli.xyz

nisk@sopuli.xyz

EU brandishes ‘strong plan’ to retaliate against US tariffs (www.ft.com)

submitted 2 weeks ago by misk@sopuli.xyz to c/europe@sopuli.xyz

0 comments fedilink

Archive: https://archive.is/2025.04.01-101737/https://www.ft.com/content/19ee5f60-106c-4dd9-a55d-f7e4d36861b5

Ursula von der Leyen told the European parliament on Tuesday that the bloc was prepared to hit services exports including those from Big Tech companies if US President Donald Trump imposed “reciprocal tariffs” on all imports into the US.

Brussels would negotiate “from a position of strength”, she said. “Europe holds a lot of cards. From trade to technology to the size of our market. But this strength is also built on our readiness to take firm countermeasures. All instruments are on the table,” she said.

The EU has the ability to hit services exports, where the US has a surplus. That could include suspending some intellectual property rights and excluding companies from public procurement contracts under its Enforcement Regulation.

A further escalation would be to use the “anti-coercion” instrument for the first time. This allows even tougher action on intellectual property and public procurement. The bloc could reduce access by US financial services companies to its market.

Iceland volcano erupts after Blue Lagoon evacuated (www.bbc.com)

submitted 2 weeks ago by misk@sopuli.xyz to c/europe@sopuli.xyz

0 comments fedilink

Poland signs $2bn air defence deal with US (notesfrompoland.com)

submitted 2 weeks ago by misk@sopuli.xyz to c/europe@sopuli.xyz

0 comments fedilink

Poland has signed an intergovernmental agreement with the United States, worth almost $2 billion (7.7 billion zloty), that will see the US provide logistical support and training for the Patriot air defence systems protecting Polish skies.

“Poland is a model NATO ally and a leader in advanced air and missile defense,” said US chargé d’affaires Daniel Lawton at a signing ceremony in the military base in Sochaczewo, attended by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

“We are proud to celebrate another step in US-Polish defense cooperation – strengthening NATO’s eastern flank and deepening our strategic partnership,” added Lawton.

Could Ukraine be about to hold an election? (www.bbc.com)

submitted 2 weeks ago by misk@sopuli.xyz to c/europe@sopuli.xyz

0 comments fedilink

As Ukrainian cities are bombed almost nightly by Russia, the idea of holding elections here might seem fanciful.

But in the streets and offices of the capital, Kyiv, the prospect of the country going to the polls is once again being discussed.

Election rumours have come and gone in the three long years of Russia's full-scale war.

Each time they have been dismissed by government, opposition and public alike, arguing unity of effort against the Russian invader must come first.

Le Pen Verdict Fuels Claims That Europe’s Elites Are Colluding Against Populists (www.wsj.com)

submitted 2 weeks ago by misk@sopuli.xyz to c/europe@sopuli.xyz

0 comments fedilink

Archive: https://archive.is/2025.04.01-032202/https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/le-pen-verdict-fuels-claims-that-europes-elites-are-colluding-against-populists-c08493e2

The case of Le Pen still raises thorny questions for democracies: Should the rule of law apply always, or only most of the time? And when it comes to politicians, how can we trust the law is being applied without political considerations?

For many, the debate boils down to whether one trusts the democratic institutions such as courts and regulators taking those decisions. In many cases, they are trustworthy; in other cases, they might be less reliable.

The disqualification of Le Pen risks deepening the polarization of France’s electorate, divided between urbanites who are broadly supportive of institutions such the judiciary and rural, working-class voters who see Le Pen as a change agent.

Those voters mistrust institutions. That narrative gathered steam after last summer’s snap parliamentary elections, when disparate parties—ranging from President Emmanuel Macron’s pro-business ranks to the far-left France Unbowed—cooperated to keep Le Pen’s candidates from winning seats by withdrawing underperforming candidates from individual races so that voters could coalesce behind a single candidate opposed to Le Pen.