Frontex director says fundamental rights 'core' to border-guarding
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The EU's external border and coast guard agency is regularly challenged by human rights groups for not doing enough to save lives at sea.
In a conversation with Euronews, the agency's chief discussed why safeguarding fundamental rights in key in Frontex's mission, and how to deal with EU member states violating these rights.
This episode also takes you to Poland, where the Three Seas Initiative Summit is starting, bringing together the leaders of 13 EU member states situated between the Adriatic, Baltic and Black Seas. Finally, research shows that European leaders may be overestimating citizens' trust in new technologies.
Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Lauren Walker. Audio editing by David Brodheim. Music by Alexandre Jas.
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Euronews
an hour ago
- Euronews
Top defence CEO touts need for €100 billion euro EU defence fund
EU countries pooling tens of billions of their defence spending into a joint EU fund could help finance necessary flagship projects and close capability gaps faster, the incoming head of Europe's largest defence industry association told Euronews, recognising it would however require political leadership. Micael Johansson, the CEO of Swedish defence and security company Saab, said on Wednesday that steps taken by the European Commission to turbocharge defence spending in the EU go in the right direction but that more needs to be done to facilitate countries and companies developing and acquiring new systems together. The EU executive's 'Readiness 2030' plan for defence, unveiled in March, relies on two main financial pillars: the relaxation of fiscal rules for defence spending which the Commission estimated could see €650 billion poured into the sector over the coming four years; and a €150 billion loan instrument called SAFE. Johansson, who will from 15 June take the helm of the Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) which represents some 4,000 companies, said that these financing options remain primarily in the hands of each government and based on their own immediate needs. "Maybe it's wishful thinking, but if countries actually would be prepared to spend portions of their defence budget into a fund (...) that would create a common fund which could be worked upon in terms of launching flagship projects," he told Euronews on the sidelines of a European Defence and Security Summit in Brussels. He suggested that the European Defence Industrial Programme (EDIP), a regulation first tabled in early 2024 that is still making its way through the EU lawmaking process, could be the right place for this fund. The regulation currently plans for €1.5 billion from the EU budget to be spent on strengthening the European defence industrial base over the 2025-2027 period, but Johansson said that in order to finance big projects, "a hundred billion euros" might be more appropriate. He acknowledged however that this "is a big step". "I don't really know how to accomplish that. It's political decisions, of course". Defence is a hugely sensitive topic that falls under national competencies in the EU, with member states fiercely protective of their homegrown champions in the sector. But this has led to a deeply fragmented market, suboptimal interoperability between the different systems and an industry less agile to respond to crises. The EU and its member states, 23 of which are also NATO allies, are currently scrambling to plug holes in the bloc's defences and have identified seven priority capability areas including ammunition, drone and anti-drone systems, air defence, military mobility, and electronic warfare among others. European companies will be able to meet most of the continents' needs, Johansson said, but lag behind their US counterparts in some key areas such as integrated air missile systems, long-range strike capabilities, and autonomous systems like sophisticated, high-end drones. With Washington increasingly sending mixed messages over its long-term commitment to Europe's defence as it seeks to pivot some of its resources in the Indo-Pacific region, these "flagship" projects could benefit from a more European approach and joint financing, Johnasson said. This could be through member states or companies creating so-called coalitions of the willing to develop common systems. "But this is not easy because there is a trade-off between national sovereignty and creating interdependencies," he told Euronews. The Commission's defence proposal plans for more collaboration between member states with several of them required to pool their orders together in order to access financing through the SAFE instrument. The EU executive is meanwhile set to unveil a new proposal next week for the defence sector aimed at slashing red tape.
Euronews
3 hours ago
- Euronews
Merz, Frederiksen discuss Ukraine, security, migration, global trade
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at the Federal Chancellery in Berlin on Thursday. Topping the agenda for the two leaders was Russia's invasion of Ukraine, immigration bilateral ties and global trade and politics. Commenting on recent Russian attacks on Ukraine, Merz stressed that anyone with a reasonably clear view must recognise that 'Russia is a threat to the security' of the entire NATO alliance. As the NATO leaders' summit in the Hague nears, the German chancellor emphasised that 'Russia is a risk to security on both sides of the Atlantic.' Merz noted that the allies are set to discuss a 'historic' increase in defence spending at the summit in light of the threat the Kremlin poses to Europe. 'We will strengthen the European pillar of NATO together,' said Merz. Frederiksen echoed a similar sentiment, as she highlighted the need to bolster the continent's defences as quickly as possible. 'We have to rebuild our European Defence Industry and of course the German Industry is key for us,' said the Danish leader. 'Rearm Europe, do it fast,' added Frederiksen. The two leaders also discussed immigration, where they expressed similar views regarding the need to impose stricter policies. 'We cannot accept everyone who wants to come to Europe, it has to be a democratic decision who can enter our democratic societies', said Frederikse. Chancellor Merz praised the migration policy of Denmark, saying 'What Denmark has achieved in recent years is truly exemplary and together we are also moving towards new and stricter asylum rules in the European Union.' Regarding the repatriation of migrants, Merz said noted that, if necessary, 'there will also be corresponding changes to the legal basis'. Merz and Frederiksen also spoke about the highly volatile and unstable global trade environment, exacerbated by US President Donald Trump's global tariffs, which have spiralled stock markets internationally. The German leader welcomed the announcement of a new US-China trade deal, after the two nations agreed on a framework of a new deal to ease tensions and resolve trade disputes. 'I therefore welcome the fact that there has been such an agreement between America and China, and I very much hope that we will succeed in reaching similar agreements with America, for example regarding tariffs, in the near future,' said Merz. The pair also discussed the ongoing threat to Greenland, after Trump renewed his interest in 'taking ownership' of the arctic island; an overseas territory of Denmark. "The principle of the inviolability of borders is enshrined in international law and is not up for discussion,' said Merz. 'We stand closely by our Danish friends on these issues and will continue to do so.' Frederiksen once again shot down Trump's remarks, insisting that Greenland is not for sale and its sovereignty is non-negotiable. "Sovereignty of states, the territorial integrity, and by the way the future of Greenland can only be decided in Greenland by the Greenlandic people." She added that she thought Trump was "serious" when it comes to Greenland "and I have to say that so are we." VivaTech opened its doors this Wednesday in Paris, marking the start of Europe's most important tech and startup annual event. With more than 165,000 expected visitors and nearly 14,000 startups from over 50 countries, the ninth edition of the event is set to be the biggest yet. Just like last year, artificial intelligence (AI) is the star of the show. But this time, some of the most attention-grabbing innovations are those applying AI and tech to health care and mental well-being. 'Artificial intelligence is moving from science fiction to real-life application. And visitors will discover with the more than 13,000 start-ups what it is going to mean for business, for our everyday lives and our democracies," said François Bitouzet, Director General of VivaTech. There is a geopolitical context that is incredible in which tech and AI play a role, and we will analyse this during the next four days," he told Euronews. In a year marked by increasing geopolitical tensions and debates around technological sovereignty, Europe is looking to assert itself as a key player in AI innovation. But the tech fair also serves as a platform to explore how this technology can help address deeply human challenges. One such example is Emobot, a French startup developing an AI-powered tool that helps monitor mood disorders through a patient's facial expressions and voice. 'It's an app that is installed on the phone and on the computer. We analyse facial expressions every second while the patient uses their phone throughout the day," explained Antony Perzo, co-founder and CTO of Emobot. "We also analyse their voice. Then, we aggregate this data to monitor for symptoms of depression. All this data, we put it together and then make a dashboard for the doctor that allows them to follow the evolution of the mood disorder symptoms," he told Euronews. All this information is combined to generate a dashboard for doctors, allowing them to track the evolution of symptoms remotely. 'Psychiatry is one of the few disciplines where we can't visualise disorders. In other areas of medicine, we have MRIs or imaging tools. We wanted to create the first device capable of tracking and visualising mood symptoms over time. Think of it as a sort of thermometer for mental health', he said. Another mental health startup, AMOI, blends neuroscience with perfume to shift a person's mood in just minutes. Whether you're looking for focus, calm, energy or joy, AMOI claims its neuro-fragrances can deliver results within five minutes. With more than one in four people reporting feeling mentally unwell, AMOI's founder Pascale Fontaine, says her project is about offering accessible and enjoyable tools for emotional well-being. VivaTech runs until 14 June at the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre in Paris.
France 24
7 hours ago
- France 24
Italy forges on with world's largest suspension bridge
The 13.5-billion-euro ($15.3-billion) project would carry trains and six lanes of traffic, allowing cars to cross the Strait of Messina in 15 minutes. Giorgia Meloni's hard-right government hopes to boost the economy of the impoverished region, although critics say there are better ways to do this -- and many believe that after decades of false starts, the bridge will never actually happen. The choppy waters between the eastern tip of Sicily and the western edge of the region of Calabria are legendary as the place where monsters Scylla and Charybdis terrified sailors in Homer's epic poem "The Odyssey". These days the challenges are more prosaic, from winds of more than 100 kilometres an hour (62 mph) to the real risk of earthquakes in a region that lies across two tectonic plates. The government says the bridge will be at the cutting edge of engineering, with the section suspended between its two pillars stretching 3.3 kilometres, the longest in the world. But critics point to a long history of public works announced, financed and never completed in Italy, whether due to corruption or political instability, resulting in enormous losses for taxpayers. "The public does not trust this political class and these projects that become endless construction sites," said Luigi Storniolo, a member of protest group No Ponte (No Bridge). Infrastructure Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, one of the main champions of the project, insists it will be a game-changer for the local economy. "The bridge will be a catalyst for development," he said on a recent visit to Reggio di Calabria, the city where the bridge will begin. 'A senseless project' The government hopes to boost trade in Sicily, which currently suffers from an "insularity cost" of around 6.5 billion euros a year, according to regional authorities. Meloni's ministers are expected to give their final approval to the project -- which Rome will fund -- later this month, and Salvini insists construction will begin this summer. But work had already been announced for the summer of 2024, before being postponed -- a common theme in the history of the bridge, the idea of which dates back to the unification of Italy at the end of the 19th century. The first law for the project was passed in 1971. Since then, successive governments have either revived it or cancelled it. In 2012, the idea appeared to be definitely abandoned amid the eurozone debt crisis, only for Meloni's government, which took office in 2022, to return to it once again. Salvini has repeatedly stated that the bridge would create 120,000 jobs in Calabria and Sicily, which have the fourth and the 13th highest unemployment rates respectively in the EU for young people under 29. However, the left-wing CGIL trade union estimates around 2,300 workers a year will be hired during the project, and critics say the jobs created will be offset by long-term losses from the closure of ferries. Mafia risk The project has sparked local protests, with critics warning of the impact on a protected marine zone and an important bird migratory route. Storniolo told AFP it was a "senseless project" which used up valuable funds when "our regions already suffer from many problems... healthcare, schools, and infrastructure." The Italian Court of Auditors has also criticised the extent of the debt-laden Italian state's investment in this one project in its assessment of the 2024 budget. "They want to make an entire territory believe that its only hope is this bridge -- but then the bridge never arrives," protester Storniolo added. There is also the question of mafia infiltration. The attorney general of Messina recently warned of the risk that organised crime would benefit from the project, noting that "the power of the mafia is hidden... behind public contracts". The government has proposed placing companies relating to the project under control of an anti-mafia structure reporting to the interior ministry. But Italian President Sergio Mattarella blocked this, saying it should only be used for one-off events such as earthquakes or the Olympics. Salvini argued that the bridge can help tackle the mafia, saying: "You do not fight the mafia... with conferences and protests, but by creating jobs and giving hope to young people."
