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Year in review: Ten defining moments for Europe in 2023

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Year in review: Ten defining moments for Europe in 2023

As the year draws to a close, Euronews breaks down ten pivotal moments that shaped Europe in 2023.

1. One year of war in Ukraine

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy marked one year since the outbreak of Russia’s war in Ukraine with a whirlwind tour of London, Paris and Brussels. He called on allies to step up their support for the war-torn country, and in Brussels pitched for Ukraine’s speedy accession to the European Union.

“This is our Europe. These are our rules. This is our way of life. And for Ukraine, it’s a way home,” Zelenskyy told a full house of the European Parliament in Brussels.

2. Finland joins NATO

Finland became NATO’s 31st member on April 4, doubling the alliance’s border with Russia.

The invasion of Ukraine prompted Finland and Sweden to abandon their decades-long policy of military non-alignment, with both countries applying for NATO membership in May 2022.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stalled Sweden’s accession over concerns the country was harbouring Kurdish militants. He dropped his veto in July and the Turkish parliament gave its consent in December, paving the way for Sweden’s accession in early 2024.

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3. The Adriana migrant boat disaster

An overloaded fishing boat carrying up to 750 migrants capsized off the coast of Pylos, Greece on 14 June, in one of the deadliest shipwrecks in the Mediterranean.

A search and rescue operation by Greece’s Hellenic Coast Guard (HCG) and the military rescued 104 men and recovered 82 bodies. Still, officials later confirmed over 500 were presumed to have lost their lives.

Conflicting testimonies raised questions as to whether an HCG rescue boat had caused the boat to sway and capsize. The EU’s border agency Frontex also faced mounting scrutiny over its part in the response operation.

4. EU’s Nature Restoration Law survives knife-edge vote

A new bill aiming to rehabilitate at least 20% of EU land and seas by 2030 survived a knife-edge vote in the European Parliament in July. 

Right-wing parties, particularly the European People’s Party (EPP), had led a bitter campaign in a bid to entirely reject the legislation, citing a threat to the livelihood of farmers and fishers. The vote was seen as a victory for progressives, environmentalists and conservationists, who held out against fierce backlash in a bid to protect Europe’s biodiversity.

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The law passed its next hurdle in November when lawmakers struck an agreement with the bloc’s member states.

5. Greece fights largest wildfire on record in EU

The largest wildfire ever recorded in the EU raged in north-eastern Greece in August, as the EU mobilised half of its aerial firefighting fleet to contain the blaze.

The most recent data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) suggests that over 463,000 hectares of land burned across the EU’s 27 member states this year alone, with Spain’s canary islands, the Greek islands of Rhodes and Corfu, Portugal’s southern Algarve region and the Italian island of Sicily all experiencing intense summer blazes.

6. War erupts between Israel and Hamas

Hamas militants’ deadly rampage in Israel on October 7 left more than 1,100 dead and around 250 hostages. It marked the beginning of a devastating war that has since raged relentlessly, with just one six-day respite in fighting in late November. More than 20,000 Palestinians are estimated to have lost their lives in the conflict.

The humanitarian crisis engulfing the Gaza Strip prompted mixed reactions from Europe. While some nations called for a humanitarian ceasefire from the outset, others resisted, citing Israel’s right to self-defence and the need to eradicate Hamas through military means.

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By early December, a majority of the EU’s member states backed a United Nations resolution calling for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire.”

7. Pro-EU opposition takes power in Poland

Opposition parties secured enough votes to oust the ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) in Poland’s October election, paving the way for former European Council president Donald Tusk to become the new prime minister.

Although PiS was the largest party at 35% of the vote, Tusk was able to form a coalition government after his Civic Coalition party struck an agreement with two other pro-EU parties, the Third Way Party and the New Left.

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Tusk has since taken the first steps to change policies related to the rule of law, launching the process to join the European public prosecutor’s office and sacking the bosses of state TV and radio, which had been under the tight grip of his populist predecessors.

8. Amnesty deal sparks protests in Spain

July’s inconclusive general election left no clear road to government for the right- or left-wing coalitions in Spain. But Pedro Sánchez’s socialists struck a deal with Catalan separatists to form a government in exchange for a controversial amnesty for those who participated in the failed attempt at secession from Spain in 2017.

The deal sparked weeks of violent protests in Spain’s capital Madrid, and invited scrutiny by officials in Brussels, amid concerns about potential rule of law breaches.

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9. Geert Wilders wins Dutch election

The Dutch snap election delivered a shock result in November, as the Eurosceptic, anti-Islam Party for Freedom (PVV) snatched victory after a last-minute surge in the polls.

PVV leader Geert Wilders has since vowed to tame his hardline policies, after previously calling for a ban on mosques and Islamic headscarves, and a referendum on the Netherlands’ exit from the EU.

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But with centre-right parties hesitant to join forces with Wilders, he could fail to piece together a 76-seat majority in the ongoing coalition talks.

10. Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia inch closer to EU membership

In a historic move, EU nations approved opening formal talks on Ukraine and Moldova’s EU membership in December, following the European Commission’s recommendation.

Viktor Orbán abstained from the vote in a choreographed political move, as he left the room momentarily to allow the remaining 26 leaders to take a unanimous decision. Georgia was also made an official candidate for EU accession.

Russia’s war in Ukraine has injected a new sense of urgency into the EU’s enlargement, as the bloc looks to integrate its eastern flank, including war-torn Ukraine.

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Brussels had also hoped to approve a €50-billion long-term fund for Ukraine in a December summit but faced resistance from Orbán.

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The decision has been postponed to February when leaders could be forced to piece together a makeshift fund outside the core EU budget if Orbán continues to dig in his heels.

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Minneapolis on edge after fatal shooting of woman by ICE officer

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Minneapolis on edge after fatal shooting of woman by ICE officer

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minneapolis was on edge Thursday following the fatal shooting of a woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer taking part in the Trump administration’s latest immigration crackdown, with the governor calling for people to remain calm and schools canceling classes and activities as a safety precaution.

State and local officials demanded ICE leave the state after 37-year-old Renee Nicole Macklin Good was shot in the head. But Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said agents are not going anywhere.

The Department of Homeland Security has deployed more than 2,000 officers to the area in what it says is its largest immigration enforcement operation ever. Noem said more than 1,500 people have been arrested.

Macklin Good’s killing Wednesday morning in a residential neighborhood south of downtown was recorded on video by witnesses, and by the evening hundreds of people came out for a vigil to mourn her and urge the public to resist immigration enforcement. Some then chanted as they marched through the city, but there was no violence.

“I would love for ICE to leave our city and for more community members to come to see it happens,” said Sander Kolodziej, a painter who came to the vigil to support the community.

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The videos of the shooting show an officer approaching an SUV stopped across the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle. The Honda Pilot begins to pull forward, and a different ICE officer standing in front of it pulls his weapon and immediately fires at least two shots at close range, jumping back as the vehicle moves toward him.

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It is not clear from the videos if the vehicle makes contact with the officer, and there is no indication of whether the woman had interactions with ICE agents earlier. After the shooting the SUV speeds into two cars parked on a curb before crashing to a stop.

In another recording made afterward, a woman who identifies Macklin Good as her spouse is seen crying near the vehicle. The woman, who is not identified, says the couple recently arrived in Minnesota and they had a child.

Noem called the incident an “act of domestic terrorism” against ICE officers, saying the driver “attempted to run them over and rammed them with her vehicle. An officer of ours acted quickly and defensively, shot, to protect himself and the people around him.”

President Donald Trump made similar accusations on social media and defended ICE’s work.

Noem alleged that the woman was part of a “mob of agitators” and said the officer followed his training. She said the FBI would investigate.

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But Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called Noem’s version of events “garbage.”

“They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense,” Frey said. “Having seen the video myself, I wanna tell everybody directly, that is bullshit.”

He also criticized the federal deployment and said the agents should leave.

The shooting marked a dramatic escalation of the latest in a series of immigration enforcement operations in major cities under the Trump administration. Wednesday’s is at least the fifth death linked to the crackdowns.

The Twin Cities have been on edge since DHS announced the operation’s launch Tuesday, at least partly tied to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents.

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A crowd of protesters gathered at the scene after the shooting to vent their anger at local and federal officers.

In a scene that hearkened back to crackdowns in Los Angeles and Chicago, people chanted “ICE out of Minnesota” and blew whistles that have become ubiquitous during the operations.

Gov. Tim Walz said he was prepared to deploy the National Guard if necessary. He expressed outrage over the shooting but called on people to keep protests peaceful.

“They want a show,” Walz said. “We can’t give it to them.”

There were calls on social media to prosecute the officer who shot Macklin Good.

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Commissioner Bob Jacobson of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety said state authorities would investigate the shooting with federal authorities.

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Dell’Orto reported from St. Paul, Minnesota. Associated Press reporters Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis, Ed White in Detroit, Valerie Gonzalez in Brownsville, Texas, Mark Vancleave in Las Vegas, Michael Biesecker In Washington, Jim Mustian in New York and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed.

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‘Irregular’ armed guards aboard Russian shadow tankers alarm Nordic-Baltic governments

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‘Irregular’ armed guards aboard Russian shadow tankers alarm Nordic-Baltic governments

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The seizure of a Russian-linked oil tanker in the North Atlantic has highlighted “worry” among NATO and Nordic-Baltic governments over dark fleet vessels and the type of crews onboard, according to a maritime intelligence analyst.

U.S. military and Coast Guard personnel boarded the Marinera between Iceland and the U.K. Wednesday as it operated under deceptive shipping practices, including flying a false flag and violating sanctions.

According to Reuters, Russian authorities demanded the humane treatment and repatriation of the crew members.

Windward maritime intelligence analyst Michelle Wiese Bockmann claimed the Marinera’s ownership had just been transferred to Burevestmarin LLC, a Russian company.

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TREASURY TARGETS OIL TRADERS, TANKERS ACCUSED OF HELPING MADURO EVADE U.S. SANCTIONS

U.S. forces seized the Russian-flagged Marinera oil tanker in the North Atlantic Sea Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, according to the U.S. military. (US European Command)

“We do not know the status of these sailors and seafarers, who are Russian nationals,” Wiese Bockmann told Fox News Digital. “That lack of clarity is common with dark fleet tankers.

“The Marinera did have its ownership transferred to a newly formed Russian company, with the registered owner, ship manager and commercial manager being Burevestmarin LLC.”

She also suggested NATO and the Nordic-Baltic 8+ group of governments have been “worried” about sanctioned oil tankers with unauthorized personnel onboard, including “armed guards.”

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WORLD’S BIGGEST OIL RESERVE HOLDER FACES US CHOKEHOLD AS TRUMP TARGETS VENEZUELA’S SHADOW TANKER FLEET

U.S. forces seized the Russian-flagged Marinera oil tanker in the North Atlantic Sea Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, according to the U.S. military. (US European Command)

“Increasingly, and I know the Nordic Baltic 8+ governments are worried about the fact that you are having unauthorized people also on board, also known as armed guards,” Wiese Bockmann said. “But it is highly irregular.

“Armed guards are rarely seen and typically used on ships that are transiting the Gulf of Aden or the Red Sea and are therefore assessed as at risk from attack by Houthis or pirates,” she added.

After the seizure, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt rejected Russian demands for special treatment of the Marinera’s crew during her regular briefing Wednesday.

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“This was a Venezuelan shadow fleet vessel that had transported sanctioned oil,” Leavitt said.

“The vessel was deemed stateless after flying a false flag, and it had a judicial seizure order. And that’s why the crew will be subject to prosecution.”

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it was “closely following” the situation, according to the state-run TASS news agency.

US COAST GUARD PURSUES THIRD ‘DARK FLEET’ OIL TANKER AS TRUMP TARGETS VENEZUELAN SANCTIONS EVASION NETWORK

A crude oil tanker waits its turn to be loaded with crude oil at Lake Maracaibo in Maracaibo, Zulia State, Venezuela, May 9, 2025.  (Federico Parra/AFP/Getty Images)

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Wiese Bockmann noted that dark fleet crews are often multinational, typically involving a Russian master with Chinese, Indian or Filipino crew members.

“There is a blurring of commercial and military shipping around the dark fleet,” she said. “What we’re seeing now is something that has really only emerged in the last six or seven months.”

European authorities have also begun holding crews accountable, particularly when captains are “facilitating dangerous deceptive shipping practices, such as spoofing and going dark,” she explained.

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“The EU recently sanctioned the captain of a tanker who refused orders from the Estonian navy (Jaguar) to be stopped for inspection last May. And the French charged a captain over his refusal to comply with orders and failure to justify a flag’s nationality after authorities intercepted a dark fleet tanker in the Atlantic last October,” Wiese Bockmann added.

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As previously reported by Fox News Digital, a second vessel, the M. Sophia, was also boarded in international waters near the Caribbean while en route to Venezuela.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.

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Saudi-led coalition says STC’s al-Zubaidi fled to UAE via Somaliland

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Saudi-led coalition says STC’s al-Zubaidi fled to UAE via Somaliland

DEVELOPING STORY,

Secessionist leader took a boat to Berbera and then boarded a plane that flew to Abu Dhabi via Mogadishu, coalition says.

The Saudi Arabia-led coalition in Yemen has announced that the leader of the secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC) has fled to the United Arab Emirates via Somaliland after skipping planned peace talks in Riyadh.

In a statement on Thursday, the coalition said Aidarous al-Zubaidi “escaped in the dead of night” on Wednesday on board a vessel that departed Aden in Yemen for the port of Berbera in Somaliland.

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Al-Zubaidi then boarded a plane along with UAE officers and flew to Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu. “The plane turned off its identification systems over the Gulf of Oman, then turned it back on 10 minutes prior to arrival at Al Reef military airport in Abu Dhabi,” the statement said.

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There was no immediate comment from the STC or the UAE.

If confirmed, the move could deepen the feud between Saudi Arabia and the UAE that came to light after the Abu Dhabi-backed STC launched an offensive against the Riyadh-backed Yemeni government troops in December.

The STC – which initially supported Yemen’s internationally recognised government against the Houthi rebels in northern Yemen – is seeking an independent state in southern Yemen. It seized the provinces of Hadramout and Mahra, which border Saudi Arabia, in a campaign that Riyadh described as a red line for its national security.

The Saudi-led coalition responded with air strikes on the Yemeni port of Mukalla on December 30, targeting what it called a UAE-linked weapons shipment, and backed a call by Yemen’s internationally recognised government for Emirati forces to withdraw from the country.

For its part, Abu Dhabi denied that the shipment contained weapons and expressed a commitment to ensure Riyadh’s security. On the same day, it announced an end to what it called its “counterterrorism mission” in Yemen.

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Yemeni government troops, backed by Saudi Arabian air attacks, went on to reclaim Hadramout and Mahra, and the STC said on Saturday that it would attend peace talks hosted by Saudi Arabia.

But the coalition said al-Zubaidi was not on board the Yemeni Air flight that took the STC delegation to Riyadh on Wednesday.

It launched strikes on al-Zubaidi’s forces in Yemen’s Dhale governorate, while Yemeni government’s ground forces moved on the STC controlled Aden and seized the presidential palace in the city.

The head of the internationally recognised government’s Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, has meanwhile announced that al-Zubaidi has been removed from the council for “committing high treason”.

Al-Alimi said he has asked the country’s attorney general to launch an investigation against al-Zubaidi and take legal action.

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