Higher oil prices triggered by the war in Iran have boosted Russia’s finances. But now Russia is banning gasoline exports until late July, as Ukrainian strikes make fuel scarcer domestically – while murmurs in the EU suggest energy pain may drive them back to Russia. The question is: how long Kyiv’s allies will support a strategy that could also keep EU energy prices high?

https://euobserver.com/210178/ukraine-torches-putins-iran-war-windfall-as-eu-allies-sweat-over-high-energy-prices/

European digital assets have a habit of not staying European. A 'Buy European' label is not a sovereignty guarantee unless it embraces licensing as a tool and helps to safeguard the supply chains the software depends on.

https://euobserver.com/210047/when-it-comes-to-techs-software-dependency-what-does-buy-european-even-mean/

This podcast episode explores taxing the "windfall profits" of oil and gas companies to offset skyrocketing energy prices. While five EU nations urge a new tax mechanism, previous attempts collected only €28m — far below the €190bn spent on subsidies. Ultimately, do taxes serve as a vital political signal for fairness?

https://euobserver.com/210166/listen-could-the-eu-tax-windfall-profits-made-by-oil-and-gas-companies/

Every euro spent by national governments is treated by commission as generating just €0.60 of economic activity no matter where it goes. Grid investment, education, tax cuts for the wealthy: all are logged as a net loss.

https://euobserver.com/210119/eu-fiscal-models-degrade-strong-case-for-clean-energy/

"I'm here to help him [Orbán] in this election cycle … Viktor Orbán is going to win this election," said Vance.

https://euobserver.com/210114/red-carpet-for-vance-as-orban-hopes-voters-prefer-maga-to-eu/

The suspicious death of a Belgrade student has intensified tensions in Serbia. The government is using the tragedy to blame university leaders for being in favour of students' anti-government protests, and justify raids. Critics and academics view these actions as a "shameless" attempt to dismantle university autonomy and silence the ongoing anti-government student movement.

https://euobserver.com/209844/how-the-serbian-government-is-exploiting-a-tragedy-against-universities-and-protesting-students/

In the last week of March, Russia lost almost $1bn (€0.9bn) in oil revenues as a result of Ukrainian attacks.

https://euobserver.com/210070/ukrainians-hit-oil-facility-in-third-russian-port-also-damaged-a-frigate-ukraine-battlefield-update-day-1503/

In less than three months’ time, Nato delegations will be packing for the alliance’s summit in Ankara. The agenda is empty, and the attendance of the most important guest, US president Donald Trump, is unclear. European allies will have time aplenty to ponder their alarmingly short list of security options, writes Edward Lucas.

https://euobserver.com/210026/europes-future-after-trump-leaves-nato/

When Meta announced its Libra/Diem project in 2019, central banks worldwide were confronted with an uncomfortable question: could a private technology corporation issue money at global scale and thereby erode their monopoly over monetary control?

The response was swift. What began as a defensive reflex had become a genuine policy agenda.

https://euobserver.com/209614/dollar-stablecoins-versus-a-retail-digital-euro-they-are-different-not-rivals/

European prisons are overcrowded, yet violent crime is actually falling. While France builds more facilities and countries like Denmark "rent" cells abroad, experts blame punitive policies and long sentences. Alternative movements now advocate for restorative justice and small, community-based detention houses to prioritise rehabilitation over incarceration.

https://euobserver.com/209975/listen-how-to-improve-the-prison-system-in-europe/