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A 4-Member delegation of the Committee on Security and Defence travelled to Bosnia and Herzegovina to visit the EU’s EUFOR Althea operation. This was already the second visit of the SEDE Committee within two years (the last one as the Subcommittee in 2023) showing the keen interest of this committee to monitor the evolving security situation in a key country of the Western Balkans.
Location : Bosnia and Herzegovina
SEDE mission report including the programme
Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

A 6-Member delegation of the Committee on Security and Defence (SEDE) travelled from 5 to 8 February 2025 to Israel and Palestine. This was the first mission of SEDE as a fully-fledged Committee, reflecting SEDE’s strong interest and commitment to supporting the scaling-up of EU support to the region, in particular through the two CSDP missions.
Location : Israel and Palestine
SEDE report including the programme
Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

A 6-Member delegation of the Committee on Security and Defence (SEDE) travelled from 5 to 8 February 2025 to Israel and Palestine. This was the first mission of SEDE as a fully-fledged Committee, reflecting SEDE’s strong interest and commitment to supporting the scaling-up of EU support to the region, in particular through the two CSDP missions.
Location : Israel and Palestine
SEDE report including the programme
Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

The latest deal proposes is said to include an initial 60-day truce, a partial hostage release, the freeing of some Palestinian prisoners and provisions allowing for the entry of aid

The parliamentary election set for spring 2026 is shaping up Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's toughest challenge to date

The church is one of 23 cultural buildings relocated to the new Kiruna town centre to make way for the expansion of Europe's biggest underground mine

Die Diskussionen drehten sich vor allem um mögliche Vorbereitungen für einen Dreier-Gipfel zwischen Russland, der Ukraine – und vielleicht Trump – sowie um Sicherheitsgarantien.

Le président de la Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, a perdu son mandat après une décision de justice définitive. Contestant cette révocation, il a annoncé un référendum d'ici fin septembre, tandis que le Premier ministre de l'entité serbe a présenté sa démission.

- Le fil de l'Info / Courrier des Balkans, RS sécession, Bosnie-Herzégovine, Politique

Die Asiatische Hornisse terrorisiert seit mehr als zwei Jahrzehnten Europas Honigbienen – und deren Halter. Doch Wissenschaftler könnten nun einen Weg gefunden haben, ihre Ausbreitung zu stoppen.

European leaders left Washington relieved but empty-handed – for now

Macron said Switzerland would be an ideal “neutral country” for a Putin-Zelenskyy summit, while warning that recognising land grabs by force would “open a Pandora’s box"

Une vierge jurée, son père et la petite-fille de celui-ci. Avec L'Homme de la maison, présenté ce mardi au Festival de Sarajevo, le réalisateur Andamion Murataj percute les schémas ancestraux avec les réalités de l'Albanie contemporaine. Entretien.

- Articles / Albanie, Courrier des Balkans, Culture et éducation

La répression policière s'intensifie. À la télévision, Vučić et les clabaudeurs du régime agitent le spectre de la guerre civile. Pendant ce temps, l'économie plonge et les manifestants continuent de réclamer des élections. L'automne s'annonce orageux.

- Articles / Société, Economie, Courrier des Balkans, Vucic, Serbie, Politique

The European Parliament is in recess over the summer from 28 July to 22 August 2025.

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

A single hornet can kill up to 50 bees per day

Voltaire Cousteau’s rules may have been written as parody in 1973, but their relevance today is deadly serious. The waters of geopolitics are infested

"I think that the European nations are going to take a lot of the burden and we’re going to help them" the US President said

Motivation: In recent years, foreign aid donors have tried to becomemore transparent, often by sharing information digitally. However,the politicization of individual aid projects has resulted in biasedreporting, raising doubts about the legitimacy of aid in general. Wetherefore examine whether increased transparency leads to greatergovernment effectiveness and public trust. Purpose: Government agencies typically assume that greatertransparency in public administration improves understanding ofbureaucratic actions, thereby fostering trust in the government. Inforeign aid, openness is believed to enhance public confidence andimprove the effectiveness of governments. However, recent publicand political reactions to the disclosure of aid information cast doubton these optimistic assumptions. Approach and methods: Using our sender-mediator-receiver modelof a “fragile transparency loop,” we analyse how communicationbreaks down in German foreign aid. First, we focus on Germany as adonor that shares information through a digital transparency portal,examining the sender side. Second, we investigate the mediator sideby conducting a qualitative content analysis of German online mediaarticles. Third, we examine the receiver side by disaggregating theGerman public into several subgroups. Findings: Our empirical findings suggest that, while donors assumea virtuous transparency loop, the reality can resemble a fragiletransparency loop that is easily disrupted. The government maywithhold information; mediators may spread misinformation; and thepublic may not receive information neutrally. These dynamics explainwhy, despite increasing transparency, donors may not achieve theintended increases in government effectiveness and public trust. Policy implications: Donors should find a balanced approach toforeign aid transparency that upholds democratic accountabilitywhile avoiding information overload. Aid bureaucracies should tailortheir disclosure to serve different audiences, including professionalswith development expertise and the wider public, who may havepreconceptions or be uninformed about foreign aid.

Motivation: In recent years, foreign aid donors have tried to becomemore transparent, often by sharing information digitally. However,the politicization of individual aid projects has resulted in biasedreporting, raising doubts about the legitimacy of aid in general. Wetherefore examine whether increased transparency leads to greatergovernment effectiveness and public trust. Purpose: Government agencies typically assume that greatertransparency in public administration improves understanding ofbureaucratic actions, thereby fostering trust in the government. Inforeign aid, openness is believed to enhance public confidence andimprove the effectiveness of governments. However, recent publicand political reactions to the disclosure of aid information cast doubton these optimistic assumptions. Approach and methods: Using our sender-mediator-receiver modelof a “fragile transparency loop,” we analyse how communicationbreaks down in German foreign aid. First, we focus on Germany as adonor that shares information through a digital transparency portal,examining the sender side. Second, we investigate the mediator sideby conducting a qualitative content analysis of German online mediaarticles. Third, we examine the receiver side by disaggregating theGerman public into several subgroups. Findings: Our empirical findings suggest that, while donors assumea virtuous transparency loop, the reality can resemble a fragiletransparency loop that is easily disrupted. The government maywithhold information; mediators may spread misinformation; and thepublic may not receive information neutrally. These dynamics explainwhy, despite increasing transparency, donors may not achieve theintended increases in government effectiveness and public trust. Policy implications: Donors should find a balanced approach toforeign aid transparency that upholds democratic accountabilitywhile avoiding information overload. Aid bureaucracies should tailortheir disclosure to serve different audiences, including professionalswith development expertise and the wider public, who may havepreconceptions or be uninformed about foreign aid.

Motivation: In recent years, foreign aid donors have tried to becomemore transparent, often by sharing information digitally. However,the politicization of individual aid projects has resulted in biasedreporting, raising doubts about the legitimacy of aid in general. Wetherefore examine whether increased transparency leads to greatergovernment effectiveness and public trust. Purpose: Government agencies typically assume that greatertransparency in public administration improves understanding ofbureaucratic actions, thereby fostering trust in the government. Inforeign aid, openness is believed to enhance public confidence andimprove the effectiveness of governments. However, recent publicand political reactions to the disclosure of aid information cast doubton these optimistic assumptions. Approach and methods: Using our sender-mediator-receiver modelof a “fragile transparency loop,” we analyse how communicationbreaks down in German foreign aid. First, we focus on Germany as adonor that shares information through a digital transparency portal,examining the sender side. Second, we investigate the mediator sideby conducting a qualitative content analysis of German online mediaarticles. Third, we examine the receiver side by disaggregating theGerman public into several subgroups. Findings: Our empirical findings suggest that, while donors assumea virtuous transparency loop, the reality can resemble a fragiletransparency loop that is easily disrupted. The government maywithhold information; mediators may spread misinformation; and thepublic may not receive information neutrally. These dynamics explainwhy, despite increasing transparency, donors may not achieve theintended increases in government effectiveness and public trust. Policy implications: Donors should find a balanced approach toforeign aid transparency that upholds democratic accountabilitywhile avoiding information overload. Aid bureaucracies should tailortheir disclosure to serve different audiences, including professionalswith development expertise and the wider public, who may havepreconceptions or be uninformed about foreign aid.