Europe Today: EU defence ministers meet amid increased Russia threats as French election campaign gathers pace

Name: Europe Today: EU defence ministers meet amid increased Russia threats as French election campaign gathers pace
Uploaded: 2026-09-01T06:50:22+00:00
Duration: 19 min 22 s
Channel: euronews (in English)

00:13Good morning, I'm Maeve MacMahon and this is Europe Today, your morning dose of European

00:20news and analysis live here on Euronews. Coming up, EU Defence Ministers flock to

00:27Ireland today for high-stake talks on the security of the continent. The EU is on high

00:33alert after the CIA chief made a surprise trip to Moscow recently to warn Russia not

00:40to attack the Baltics. We'll be crossing live to Dublin to speak to our correspondent Shona

00:45Murray. This as President Donald Trump, whose approval rating has slumped to its lowest level

00:51yet, has threatened to hit Iran hard after the two sides exchanged fire for the first

00:57time in weeks. Iran says it's not seeking war, but it will not remain passive in the face

01:03of this aggression. Meanwhile, the French President Emmanuel Macron has rocked up a trip to Sweden,

01:10where he sealed a 4.3 billion euro deal for the country to buy four French frigates. But

01:17back home in France, as politicians get back to work, the presidential election campaign

01:22is already in full swing. We'll be crossing live to Paris to our correspondent. And Hungary says it's

01:29met the conditions to unlock billions in EU funding. On hold for years due to democratic backsliding

01:36by the previous administration, around 10 billion euros could now soon be released. The EU Council

01:43President Antonio Costa will travel to Budapest tomorrow. But first to Ireland, where EU defence

01:49ministers are meeting today amid an escalation of hybrid war attacks across the continent.

01:54Ministers are due to discuss increased threat levels on the continent, links to Russia's war in Ukraine,

02:00and their talks come just as a massive Russian missile and drone attack struck Kyiv last night,

02:05killing four and wounding dozens. Our correspondent Shona Murray is in Dublin and joins me now. Shona,

02:11good morning. Look, the last few weeks have seen an upsurge in these attacks. Just tell us more.

02:18That's right, Maeve. That's certainly the backdrop of this meeting here in Ireland this week. We saw

02:23a few weeks ago a US intelligence assessment saying that the Kremlin may plan to attack NATO territory in

02:31a limited way in order to test NATO resolve. Then, as you mentioned there, we had John Radcliffe,

02:36the head of the CIA visiting Moscow last week, which is emerging as he told the Kremlin and Putin

02:42not to attack NATO territory. Donald Trump in the last few hours has tried to play this down,

02:47saying this is a routine visit. It is not a routine visit for the head of the CIA to visit

02:51the Kremlin. The last time that actually happened was under Biden when they tried to persuade Putin

02:56not to attack Ukraine in the full-scale invasion. Then, in addition to that, of course, Maeve,

03:01we've seen a major surge, a significant surge in hybrid activity, non-kinetic normally all across

03:06Europe. Over the past year, and in particular the last few months, mainly drone incursions into

03:11places like Romania and other parts of the Baltics. But just a few weeks ago at the start of August,

03:16German authorities intercepted an explosive-laden drone in Leipzig airport. Now,

03:21this was military-grade explosives. There was three drones in total. The German Chancellor,

03:26Friedrich Mertz, in the last few days, has said that he will formally attribute this to the Kremlin.

03:31That's the first time that's ever happened, because these attacks normally tend to be sort of

03:35below the radar and grey area, sort of a grey zone, so it's hard to apply attribution. But we're

03:40expecting over the next few days for Friedrich Mertz to do that. That will be a real topic of

03:44conversation here in Ireland today and over the next few days. So I caught up with the Swedish Foreign

03:49Affairs Minister, Maria Malmer-Stanegard, and I asked her about this.

03:53I really don't like the term hybrid threat because it sounds like an environmentally friendly car

04:01when it's something completely different. This is extremely serious. We are in the most

04:06serious security situation since the Second World War. We take the drone incidents in Leipzig

04:13extremely serious, and we are in close contact with our German friends.

04:18So what are the implications of attributing this to Russia? Because we know these types of attacks,

04:24they're sort of the grey area. It's very hard to be 100% concrete about attribution,

04:29which is why the likes of Russia and China can get away with this.

04:32Well, we're not there yet. Like I said, we are in close contact with our German colleagues,

04:37and we take these incidents extremely serious. But we will have to see what comes out. And I cannot

04:46disclose any information that has been handed to us.

04:49Okay. Just want to ask you about the unfreezing of Russian frozen state assets and using them

04:58to pay for Ukraine, Ukraine's defense reconstruction. That's back on the table now. Is that

05:03something that we'll be hearing about over the next few days? And do you hope that the

05:07Belgians might change their mind on this?

05:09Yes. So Sweden, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain have taken the initiative to take this back to the

05:16table. Because what we see is that Ukraine needs more support. And to be honest, we are not providing

05:23enough support bilaterally and through the EU. And then what is left is the frozen assets. And I take

05:31Belgium's concerns very seriously. But I think it is also basically what my colleague Prevost said,

05:41that we have to make sure that we share the risks and that Belgium is not left alone with the

05:47risks.

05:48But Belgium was looking for full guarantees for any unintended consequences if things go wrong

05:55with this risk. Do you think the EU is willing to do that? Or are we in the same position

05:59we were

06:00in before Christmas? In my opinion, we cannot stay in the same position as we were before Christmas.

06:05We have to move on because this is what is fair to Ukraine. It's what is fair to the taxpayers.

06:15So Maeve, the issue of frozen Russian state assets back on the table this week, from what I've heard

06:21from the Belgian authorities, they haven't moved in their position. And of course, as you heard,

06:25there are an increasingly more hostile security situation all across Europe. So it's a wild

06:30way to get back into September. Maeve?

06:34Okay, Shona Murray, thank you so much for that live broadcast there from just outside Dublin Castle

06:38in Ireland. But now moving on, it's back to school today for students in France. But for politicians,

06:44the summer break ended much earlier. With presidential elections scheduled for next April,

06:49the political campaign is already gathering pace. For the mood in the capital, we can cross now to

06:54Paris, where correspondent Estelle Nielsen-Julien is standing by for us this morning. Good morning,

06:59Estelle. Just give us an idea of where things stand today and why this is set to be such a

07:04monumental

07:05year for France.

07:08Well, good morning, Maeve. As you say, it's set to be an absolutely monumental year for France. In less than

07:14eight months, voters across the country will decide who next, what next after a decade of French

07:19President Emmanuel Macron being in power. It's too early to say confidently what the polls mean. But

07:26at present, they are saying that there is a front runner. That is the national rally parties, Marine Le

07:31Pen, followed by Jean-Luc Mélenchon from the far left of France unbowed party. Between them,

07:38there's somewhat of a political vacuum. The question is, how will this be filled? Will parties

07:44form alliances? How will they organise themselves? Will they strike deals or not? Last week,

07:51seven key candidates participated in a debate organised by the MEDEF, France's most powerful

07:57business lobby. And they were grilled on questions about the economy, public debt and pensions.

08:03Mélenchon and Le Pen were of course there, but also MEDEF, Raphael Glucksmann and two of

08:08Macron's former prime ministers. That's Edouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal. But these may be some of

08:15these key contentors, but don't be mistaken. Candidacies are still rolling in over the weekend. We heard

08:22former prime minister Dominique de Villepin say that he wanted to be a candidate. And former president

08:28François Hollande is still maintaining the mystery around whether he will run or not. But of course,

08:35candidacies will thin in time as primaries occur and unions take place across different blocks.

08:45Just to remind our viewers that to be an official candidate, a politician needs the backing of 500

08:52elected officials in France. And just briefly, Estelle, this election is huge as well for Europe.

09:00Yes, Maeve, it's certainly a huge election for Europe. And the candidates have very divergent policies

09:07when it comes to Europe. Le Pen, who once advocated for Frexit, this time around is calling

09:13for a drop in France's contributions to the bloc. And she's also calling for many of the EU's norms to

09:20be scrapped. Mélenchon has said that he wants to get rid of EU laws that don't suit French citizens.

09:25And he also peddled a very controversial proposal to scrap a large chunk of France's public debt

09:32held by the Bank of France on behalf of the European Central Bank. But there are, of course,

09:38pro-European candidates such as Raphael Glucksmann, who believes that it's at the European issue that

09:44issues, European level, sorry, that issues such as Chinese competition and regulating big tech

09:51companies should happen. But for a fully accurate picture, what we're waiting for is the party

09:58manifestos to be able to break down the finer details of candidates' policies.

10:03OK, Estelle Nelson, Julianne, thank you so much for that primer on what's set to be a very interesting

10:07eight months. But now, moving on, the EU institutions are bruised after Iceland rejected to kickstart

10:14negotiations to join the Club of 27 in a tight referendum last weekend. It's a huge blow to

10:20Brussels' hopes that geopolitics and security fears could lure rich countries to the bloc.

10:25For reactions now, I'm joined by Terri Reinke, German MEP and co-president of the Greens. Good morning,

10:30Terri, lovely to have you with us. Good morning.

10:32This is a big, it's a bad story for Europe. It's a huge blow. Is the EU just not attractive

10:38anymore?

10:40First of all, I'm, of course, unhappy about the outcome of the referendum. I would have wished for

10:45another result. I would have loved Iceland to become part of the European Union. However, I would not

10:51make this a big question about whether the European Union is an attractive bloc, because we can see that

10:57there are a lot of countries that want to join the European Union. When we look at the Western Balkans,

11:01when we look at Ukraine, Moldova or Georgia, for example, and I think that the specific situation

11:08in Iceland, we have to look at, they're already member of the European economic area. And so they're

11:13already applying, for example, a single market legislation. And I think the question of fisheries

11:18played a very important role in the discussion in Iceland before the referendum. And I think maybe

11:24the lesson learned that we should take, which I think was also what we learned from the Brexit referendum,

11:29is that European politicians should maybe have been more active in the debate and taken part in it,

11:36and also advocating for joining the European Union to make it. Was that a mistake not to get more

11:41involved? I think looking back now, maybe we should have taken a bigger part in this discussion,

11:47because I think at the end of the day, we also have to go into other countries and advocate for

11:53what is

11:54good about being part of the European Union. Iceland is already having some of the positive outcomes. But

11:59from a geopolitical, from a security point of view, I think it would have been good to start further

12:04negotiations. And is the Commission President too weak? I mean, her response was so muted.

12:07In reaction to this referendum outcome, we got a three line outcome, a three line statement.

12:13For me, the lesson learned of this, again, is that we should take a more active role in debates like

12:20this. We

12:20should not just, you know, highlight them as domestic discussions. Whether Iceland is joining the European Union or

12:27not is something that has an impact on the full European Union. So I think for future moments like this,

12:32whether there will be a

12:33debate in Norway or wherever else, European politicians should take a role in the debate and

12:38also be bold enough to say, we have an opinion about this, and we are happy to discuss with you.

12:43And we just heard about the French elections. We have big elections as well with state elections

12:47in Eastern Germany this week, where the AFT could win.

12:49Yes, we have a very critical election happening in Sachsen-Anhalt this Sunday, and it will be tight. And whether

12:59the

12:59Greens are going to join the parliament in the end, we are tied to the threshold, will probably define

13:05whether the AFT, so a fascist far-right party in Germany, can win an absolute majority in Sachsen-Anhalt.

13:11So we are putting everything into a strong campaign so that the democratic forces will prevail in this election.

13:17Okay, a story we'll be keeping a very close eye on here in your news.

13:19Terry Renke, thank you so much for joining us here on Europe today.

13:23But now, moving on, in a sign that the passport-free area Schengen is under major stress,

13:29Italy and Spain have extended border controls for another 15 days due to the mass irregular

13:35migration crisis in the Spanish city of Ceuta just one month ago. For the view from a Spanish

13:41socialist MEP, I'm now joined by Juan Fernando López Aguiar, who's been following the migration

13:46debate closely for more than a decade here as an MEP in the European Parliament. Juan Fernando López Aguiar,

13:50welcome to Europe today. Good to have you with us on the programme. Thank you for having me.

13:54You're a member, of course, of Pedro Sánchez's political family.

13:58Is he being too defensive on this story? What could he have done better?

14:03Well, certainly it's a critical situation, not only migratory, it's humanitarian,

14:09and most importantly, national security. We are facing a hybrid situation, yes, but the government

14:16is responding, and certainly it's facing difficulties, which are only obvious.

14:21But they're responding too little too late. No, no, no, I can't agree, I can't agree. Ceuta,

14:26to begin with, is the only, with Melilla, terrestrial border of the European Union with

14:31the African continent, the most unequal terrestrial border on earth. Second, there's a particular

14:38situation in which we have seen the population, the size of a population of Ceuta, over the external

14:48border, but swimming by the sea over the harbor, with the ground of a ruling of the Supreme Court,

14:58which says that those people entering by sea cannot be returned to the country of transit of origin.

15:05They have to be handled as migrants or asylum seekers. So it's a situation that we've got to face,

15:10and we've got to do it according to law. Who is to blame for the situation? Because

15:14we're seeing last night, Pedro Sánchez said it's disinformation fueled from Russia and Israel

15:19that's also created so much. It should be thorough investigated, that's for sure. And it's only obvious

15:24that it couldn't happen without some overlooking of Moroccan authorities. That is only obvious. And

15:31common sense says so. But the thing is that the government has to act based on facts and evidence.

15:39But most importantly, it has to combine rule of law, the implementation of the EU laws to begin with,

15:46and, of course, ensuring national security, because we're facing a national security issue here.

15:52And that's why you've called on Frontex for help. That's also a bit of an admission of defeat.

15:57Absolutely. It's the response of European institutions offer of increasing their presence in that particular,

16:07very special terrestrial external border of the EU with Africa, of Spain with Morocco. But having said

16:15this, I must add that it's also obvious that the response has to involve European authorities. There

16:22are a number of contradictions which are obvious to human eye. One contradiction is that Spain has to

16:30combine its response with Morocco with cooperation with Morocco. You need Morocco to handle the situation.

16:40And second, you also need the European Union to scale up. Because if you want to reassess the bilateral relation

16:47of the EU with Morocco, it takes the whole of the European Union, because we have a strategic association with

16:52Morocco.

16:53Are you too reliant on Morocco, perhaps?

16:56Well, it's impossible to ignore a neighbour. And you have a neighbour in Morocco. Spain has, and the whole of

17:04the European Union has.

17:05That is why the European Union has linked itself with Morocco through an association which it calls strategic.

17:12But the thing is that if we are to keep up that strategic association with Morocco, we need to ask

17:18for Morocco to behave.

17:20But for our viewers watching that chaos unfold some month ago with almost 80,000 irregular migrants landing in Ceuta,

17:29where is the migration pact that we've been discussing and implementing?

17:33Precisely. It's miserable that after all the bother, all the energy, all the work that we put into the

17:40adoption of the migration as an impact based on two principles, shared responsibility and binding solidarity,

17:47we have seen that in this situation, solidarity has been missing. It's only regrettable. Because Spain has

17:54paid solidarity with the Baltics facing Russia, with Poland facing Russia in Kaliningrad, with Finland facing Russia.

18:02Some of them also facing Belarus, Lukashenko. We have paid solidarity with Italy in Lampedusa.

18:08So it's absolutely intolerable that we have seen no solidarity from Italian government in a situation as such.

18:15Well, precisely on the contrary, the Italian government is using this for political gains. And as we see, Schengen is

18:21fizzling out, perhaps.

18:22The thing is that Schengen is bound by rules. Schengen is not a convention, as we call it. Schengen is

18:28EU law.

18:29There is a Schengen governance code, which says that Schengen, which is free movement, can only be suspended on the

18:35grounds of

18:35necessity, proportionality, communicated to the European Commission and under the oversight of the European Commission.

18:42So it's bound by law. And it's also certain that certain cannot be suspended by a member state to another

18:51member state.

18:53Okay, Juan Fernando López Aguiar, thank you so much for coming into this morning here on Europe Today.

18:57For more on that story, of course, you can take a look at Euronews.com. And any comments for us,

19:02reach out.

19:03Europe Today at Euronews.com. That is our email address. But once again, thank you so much for tuning in.

19:08Take care and see you soon here on Euronews.

Europe Today: EU defence ministers meet amid increased Russia threats as French election campaign gathers pace

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