Tag: Iceland

Germany Slams U.S. National Security Strategy

Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul speaks during a press conference | File Photo: Britta Pedersen/dpa

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has dismissed the Trump administration’s new National Security Strategy, which portrays freedom of expression in Europe as eroding. Speaking in Berlin, he said Germany needs no advice on free speech protections and defended the country’s constitutional safeguards and free media.

EU clears €150B SAFE fund for defence loans

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, participates in the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France on 11 March, 2025 | Photo: Christophe Licoppe/EC - Audiovisual Service/European Union

The €150 billion SAFE fund will come into force on May 29, offering loans to EU states for defence procurement, that will require 65 percent of all purchases to be of European origin, with contractors required to fully control design to avoid new dependencies.