Europäische Union

Remarks by Makis Keravnos, acting President of the Eurogroup, following the Eurogroup meeting of 11 December 2025 on the euro area’s resilience, fiscal coordination and budgetary plans for 2026, the selection process for the next ECB Vice President, and election of Kyriakos Pierrakakis as the new Eurogroup President starting 12 December 2025.

The Council has adopted an implementing decision authorising the sixth regular payment from the Ukraine Facility under the Ukraine Plan.

The Council and the Parliament reach a deal on end-of-life vehicle rules, boosting circularity, setting plastic recycling targets and banning non-roadworthy used car exports.

BMZ (Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development or Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung) is consulting on how to implement a material reduction in its Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget. In this paper, we review where remaining funds would have the greatest impact, and propose a series of reforms accordingly. We recommend:

Focussed thematic allocation: Germany’s development projects have been substantially diluted over the last decade. We find that BMZ projects have progressively targeted a broader range of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The number of projects that target more than four goals, for example has risen almost nine-fold from 72 to over 600 in the last ten years. Evidence suggests that less complex measures would have been more efficient and effective.We suggest focussing on 4–5 SDGs that align with the Government’s priorities and BMZ’s expertise render overall ODA allocation more effective.

Strategic country allocations: BMZ currently funds projects in a 110 of the 141 ODA-eligible countries in total. It seems clear this will need to be reduced. Providing development finance makes the biggest difference to those in greatest need, so we undertake an analysis to ascertain the level of ODA that each of these recipients receives from other countries, expressed in terms of ODA per person in extreme poverty. We identify 31 BMZ partner countries that are under-prioritised—of which 13 are significantly under-prioritised. In contrast, we find 48 countries that are over-prioritised by other providers. We urge BMZ to fully protect budgets in the 31 under-prioritised countries, and concentrate reductions in the 48 over-prioritised. This enhances the impact of BMZ funding overall and enables German funding to represent a larger and more influential share of recipients’ economies.

Sharpening instruments: Over the last five years, funding for the “Multilateral and European development cooperation” federal budget instrument has been cut by 34 percent, while there has been 20 percent cuts in bilateral efforts. Germany is below average in the share of its international finance that is allocated multilaterally. We argue this split should be reversed. First, multilateral organisations are assessed as highly effective by independent assessments, and surveys of the German public also suggest they garner a high level of trust. But there is an additional compelling geopolitical case for allocating funding multilaterally. Following the abrupt withdrawal of the United States from a number of organisations, the international system is more vulnerable than ever. It is difficult envisage a future where Germany is secure and prosperous if the multilateral system fails to endure. We urge the German government to shield its multilateral contributions in from these cuts, refocus earmarked multilateral spend towards core funding, and increase its core multilateral share to at least 40 percent in the next two years. Regarding the remaining bilateral share, we propose that Germany reconsider its current approach to the volume and tendering of technical assistance.

La Croatie a franchi une nouvelle étape dans la modernisation de ses forces armées en signant l'achat de 18 obusiers automoteurs Caesar MK2 et de 44 chars Leopard. Un choix stratégique qui renforce sa coopération militaire avec la France et l'Allemagne.

- Le fil de l'Info / Une - Diaporama, Courrier des Balkans, Croatie, Défense, police et justice

Early on Friday morning, Parliament and Council reached a provisional agreement on new EU circularity rules to cover the entire vehicle lifecycle, from design to final end-of-life treatment.
Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Le week-end arrive enfin, attendu comme une bouffée d’oxygène pour souffler, revoir ses priorités ou simplement profiter d’un moment de calme. Pourtant, la météo risque […]

L’article Week-end en Algérie : que prévoit la météo pour ce vendredi 12 décembre ? est apparu en premier sur .

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Under Taliban restrictions, women’s movement and work have become increasingly constrained across Afghanistan. Credit: Learning Together.

By External Source
KABUL, Dec 11 2025 (IPS)

Shabnam, a 26-year-old law graduate, manages her life and work by disguising herself as a boy.  In the middle of a crowded market with the clatter of street sellers and the smell of nearby restaurants, a small, nondescript shop blends into the chaos. Inside, rusty shelves line the walls, empty soda cans hanging on the wall add a touch of color, and an old table covered with a worn-out cloth sits in the corner. To most passersby, the shopkeeper looks like a young man.

Few realize that behind this disguise, a young woman is breathing between fear and hope.

“I never had a childhood”, says the 26-year-old Shabnam. “While other children played in the streets, I was opening the shop”.

“From the age of ten”, Shabnam continues, “I worked part-time alongside my father, and continued working part-time as I pursued my studies with his guidance”.

Her father, though, is now elderly and partially paralyzed, and she is the family’s only source of income. Her greatest wish, she says, is for her younger brother to grow and succeed.

 

A shopkeeper who presents as a boy tends to customers, one of the few ways she can safely earn a living under current restrictions. Credit: Learning Together.

A secret held by only a few

Residents from the surrounding neighborhoods know her only as a polite young boy.

Every day, municipal officers collect taxes from shopkeepers, demanding payment whether they have made sales or not. This time, they even handed her a formal warning after the visit.

“Hey boy, pay your taxes!”, the tax collector shouted. “Grow your business. Get a small cart and sell in the street”.

Whose shop is this, by the way?”, he demands. Scared stiff, the frightened young “man” timidly replies, “It’s my father’s. He’s paralyzed and stays at home.”

“Rent out your shop and pay your taxes from the rent”, thunders the tax collector one more time. “Every shop pays taxes. How much have you sold so far?”

“I’ve earned 75 Afghanis (0.93 Euros)”, says Shabnam.

“Come on, that’s not enough. Go get a small cart and work harder, sell vegetables and fruits! Do you understand?”

Two neighboring shopkeepers, close friends of the young woman’s father, are very impressed by the girl’s resilience and determination.

“If this girl didn’t exist, her family would starve,” one says. “But if the Taliban discover that she is a woman disguised as a man, it would put her in danger. Unfortunately, her youngest brother is too small to run a shop”.

This secret is part of the daily life of this poor young woman. Since she dresses in boys’ clothing, fortunately, no one in our neighborhood, who are mostly tenants, recognizes her in the streets. Even her relatives do not come to propose marriage suitors for her, in accordance with Afghan custom, if they knew her real identity. Neighbours gossip around, proclaiming that, “May God never make our family like theirs, a young woman running a shop? No one in our tribe has ever been that shameless.”

 

A constant cloud of fear

Every morning, when she opens the shop door, a heavy fear sits on her chest.

“I have never started a day without dread. When the Taliban pass by the shop, my heart races. I wonder if this will be my last day in the shop”, she says.

Still, she has no choice. If she does not work, her family will not eat. They wait at home every evening for dinner until the shop closes.

“When my mother sees me, her eyes fill with tears. She kisses me and says: ‘You are a brave, strong girl—and a lawyer’! ’Shabnam says.

“My mother wanted to work; she wanted to wash clothes for others, but I didn’t let her. Recently, when I came home, I saw her sewing quilts and mattresses for people. I realized it was my turn to proclaim her brave and strong woman.”

The little income her mother earns helps cover the costs of her father’s blood pressure medication. The family of five includes two sisters and one brother.

“We often go to bed hungry if we earn less than 100 Afghanis a day. My brother cries himself to sleep, but I try to put on a smiling face even though I cry inside”.

Her words reflect the reality of thousands of Afghan women across Afghanistan.

 

A small dream that feels out of reach

Despite the risks, Shabnam holds onto a modest dream. “One day, I want enough capital to run a women’s business in this shop,” she says with a faint smile.  Instead of burnt chips and fizzy drinks that upset the stomachs of all the shopkeepers, I would sell fresh bolani” – a traditional Afghan flatbread, usually stuffed with potatoes, spinach, pumpkin or leeks.

But she has neither the capital nor the security needed to request a loan to purchase the equipment.

The neighbors closely follow Shabnam’s life. They have seen her cry behind the shop shelves and understand the fatigue that is wearing her down and know that there is no option. “This girl is like my own daughter,” says one of the neighbours”, I always admire her courage. She would not even accept any free offer from me”.

 

Daily life in Kabul, where commerce and routine persist despite mounting pressures on the population. Credit: Learning Together.

A society of silenced women

According to the United Nations, more than 80% of Afghan women have lost their jobs since the Taliban returned to power. Women who once supported their families are now confined to their homes. In this context, a young woman who still dares to keep her shop open is a symbol of quiet defiance. Yet this resistance could end at any moment with a single threat.

Her worst fear is the arrival of the tax collectors. She quietly pays whatever she can afford. There is no way out.

Economic experts warn that removing women from the workforce has pushed countless families into extreme poverty. Shabnam’s story is one small example of a much larger social crisis.

 

The shop is a shelter of hope

For Shabnam, the shop is more than a workplace. It is a refuge where she feels alive. Every soda can she hangs for decoration is a sign of hope. She tries to bring color to the shop even in the midst of poverty and threats.

“A secret of my success is the little disguise that makes everyone think I am a sixteen-year-old boy,” she says. “But these days, I wake up mostly in fear because of taxes. Will I be able to open the shop today? What if the municipal officers come, take everything from me in one moment, and dump it in the street? What if I am unable to buy a small tray or give up my shop for rent? What will they do to me?”

“My story could be the story of thousands of other women, who still fight for bread, for life, and for their dignity”, she reflects

Despite the enormous challenges, Shabnam still harbors the ambition of completing her law studies and becoming the lawyer that she once set out to be.

 

Excerpt:

The author is an Afghanistan-based female journalist, trained with Finnish support before the Taliban take-over. Her identity is withheld for security reasons

The Eurogroup elected Kyriakos Pierrakakis, Minister of Economy and Finance of Greece, as President of the Eurogroup, in line with Protocol 14 of the EU treaties.

Eurogroup issued a statement on the draft budgetary plans for 2026 highlighting that the euro area economy grew more than expected in 2025 and is set for moderate growth in 2026, but faces risks from global uncertainty, while public deficits and debt are rising slightly. The Eurogroup also welcomed most countries' 2026 budget plans as compliant with EU fiscal rules.

Council and Parliament reached a deal to reinforce EU foreign investment screening, improving coordination and safeguarding key technologies and infrastructure.

Investment simplification: Council agrees position on the ‘Invest EU’ regulation to boost EU competitiveness.

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Spokespersons for Parliament and for the political groups will hold a briefing on the 15 - 18 December plenary session, on Friday at 11.00 in Parliament’s Anna Politkovskaya press room.

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

BERICHT über militärische Mobilität
Ausschuss für Sicherheit und Verteidigung
Ausschuss für Verkehr und Tourismus
Roberts Zīle, Petras Auštrevičius

Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2025 - EP

On Thursday, MEPs and the Council reached a provisional agreement updating EU rules on the screening of foreign investments to prevent security risks.
Committee on International Trade

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

An update of the EU asylum law to include an EU list of safe countries of origin and speed up asylum claim processing has been endorsed by the Civil Liberties Committee.
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Dauer des Videos : 150'

Haftungsausschluss : Die Verdolmetschung der Debatten soll die Kommunikation erleichtern, sie stellt jedoch keine authentische Aufzeichnung der Debatten dar. Authentisch sind nur die Originalfassungen der Reden bzw. ihre überprüften schriftlichen Übersetzungen.
Quelle : © Europäische Union, 2025 - EP

Bei einer Auseinandersetzung in Kreuzlingen wurden am Mittwochabend drei Personen verletzt, darunter ein Polizist. Die Kantonspolizei Thurgau hat mehrere Personen festgenommen.