European Union

Der Bund verstärkt den Kampf gegen häusliche Gewalt. Zwei Departemente spannen dafür zusammen. Ziel: Prävention und Schutz im ganzen Land verbessern.

Am Grenzübergang Gondo stoppt der Zoll fünf Zwergspitz-Welpen mit gefälschten Pässen. Sie stammen aus Serbien, nicht Griechenland. Die Schmugglerinnen wurden angezeigt, die Hunde in Quarantäne gebracht. Weitere Funde zeigen: Schmuggel an der Grenze ist kein Einzelfall.

In Roggliswil ist es am Mittwochabend zu einem Selbstunfall gekommen. Ein 20-jähriger Autofahrer verletzte sich dabei schwer.

In Yverdon-les-Bains wurde am Donnerstag ein Mann tot im Thièle-Kanal gefunden. Die Polizei vermutet, dass er von seinem Boot stürzte und ertrank. Ermittlungen laufen.

Written by Harriet Kennedy.

Amidst increasing political pressure to adopt a stricter approach to migration, certain EU Member States have begun calling for reform of the protections available to migrants under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The calls have centred around Article 3 and Article 8 of the ECHR.

Article 3 prohibits torture and inhuman and degrading treatment. It blocks states from deporting individuals to places where they would be at risk of such treatment. It is absolute and cannot be restricted in any circumstances. Article 8 protects the right to respect for private and family life. It is a qualified right, meaning that it can be subject to limitations: it must be in accordance with the law, in pursuit of a legitimate aim and proportionate to the aim pursued.

Since June 2025 in particular, calls for reform have intensified, culminating in an agreement between Council of Europe states to adopt a political declaration on issues related to migration and the ECHR. The declaration is expected in May 2026. As yet, there is no consensus on the changes which should be made, or whether changes should be made at all. Nonetheless, support for reform seems to be growing amongst EU Member States.

Read the complete briefing on ‘Migration and the European Convention on Human Rights: Legal requirements and proposals for reform‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Today marks the expiry of the New Start nuclear weapons treaty which was concluded between the US and Russia in 2010 to limit the number of strategic nuclear weapons in their possession. At the time, both sides agreed on a maximum limit of 1,550 warheads and 800 delivery vehicles. In September, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to extend the treaty for another year, but US President Trump didn't accept the proposal.

The Labour government and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are under pressure. Following the release of further Epstein files, Peter Mandelson is suspected of having passed on confidential government information to Jeffrey Epstein, who was already a convicted sex offender, during his time as Secretary of State for Business and Trade. Starmer is now facing accusations of having knowledge of Mandelson's ties to Epstein when he appointed Mandelson as US ambassador in 2024.

Italian MEP and former general Roberto Vannacci has announced he is withdrawing from the right-wing populist Lega and launching a new far-right party called Futuro Nazionale. Vannacci was deputy leader of Lega, which is led by Matteo Salvini and forms part of Italy's coalition government together with Giorgia Meloni's Fratelli d'Italia and Forza Italia. What is his goal?

At least 15 people were killed and 25 injured, including two Coast Guard officers, when a speedboat carrying migrants collided with a Hellenic Coast Guard vessel off the Greek island of Chios on Tuesday. As in the case of a similar accident in December, the authorities are claiming that the camera on board the Coast Guard vessel was not in operation.