World
Brussels goofiest gifts: the weird world of EU Parliament gifts
A corruption scandal involving Chinese tech giant Huawei reignited discussions earlier this year around gifts and donations received by EU lawmakers.
While MEPs often find themselves on the receiving end of such tokens of appreciation, the whole gifting affair remains a delicate matter in Brussels and Strasbourg
According to the European Parliament’s code of conduct, MEPs must steer clear of gifts worth more than €150.
If a gift crosses that line, it lands in the hands of Parliament President Roberta Metsola, who then acts as judge, jury, and occasional reluctant gift recipient.
All these treasures (and some definite oddities) are logged in a public register and tucked away safely behind a locked door in Brussels, accessible only when an MEP asks to visit the collection.
We took a peek behind the door of this cabinet of curiosities and were left scratching our heads.
A dagger from far beyond
Among the stranger entries: a traditional Indonesian dagger called ‘Keris Luk 7 Pandawa’ – and no, it’s not part of the EU plan to boost defence investments in Europe.
The dagger made quite a journey: gifted during a parliamentary mission to Indonesia, passed to the vice-chair of the development committee, who later handed it over to the chair in a committee meeting.
The ceremonial blade now quietly sits in Brussels, just in case.
A flag from farther beyond
The European Space Agency reached for the stars when it gifted Metsola an EU flag that had been to the International Space Station.
That’s right, among the pens and plaques no one really wants, there’s a piece of space history.
Eurovision wannabes
In what might be the most optimistic pitch of all time, Italian singer Stefano Picchi sent Metsola a CD – yes, in 2023 – with 11 songs and even a chord booklet, in case the Maltese president felt like jamming.
One track was a tribute to late President David Sassoli, which Picchi hoped could be performed at the Eurovision Song Contest that year. A slight snag: Picchi was never chosen to perform in Eurovision – despite being listed in the Parliament’s archives as a 2022 Eurovision song contest participant.
Among the songs, there was also one Picchi claimed to have written with Pope Francis by quoting from some of the pontiff’s speeches, a type of divine telepathic coproduction
Modern art
Representing the “modern art” category: a reproduction of a nude female figure from Cyprus, gifted by Annita Demetriou, the President of the Cypriot parliament.
ADVERTISEMENTIt’s modelled after an ancient idol housed in the Pierides Museum. Cultural, sure – but maybe not what you’d expect to unwrap at the office.
Radio days are so back
European Commissioner Hadja Lahbib recently caused a stir by showing off a 72-hour emergency kit featuring, among other things, a portable radio.
Critics called her alarmist – until a blackout hit the Iberian Peninsula last week and everyone realised a little old-school tech isn’t such a bad idea after all.
Portable radios earlier made their way to Irish MEPs as gifts from Irish music rights organisations. So yes, vinyl might be trendy, but radios are still practical.
ADVERTISEMENTSports memorabilia
Roberta Metsola was also gifted a signed jersey from Spain’s national women’s football team – the year before they won the World Cup. Call it a lucky charm.
She also received a signed Dinamo Kyiv shirt, and the European Parliament’s own rugby team made the list with commemorative gear from their historic Parliamentary World Cup debut.
Booze, books, and bric-a-brac
Some things never go out of style. Alcohol is still a go-to gift, with MEPs receiving everything from Scotch whisky to Bordeaux wines and French champagne. When in doubt in life, as at the European Parliament, bring a bottle.
Also scattered throughout the archives: traditional musical instruments like the viola braguesa from Portugal, a Moldovan kaval, and a Moroccan Arabic lyra.
ADVERTISEMENTBut for every gem, there’s a handful of touristy trinkets: keychains, pins, mini-monuments, and enough paperweights to sink a filing cabinet.
Basically, a Brussels-style flea market behind locked doors.
The United States and China will discuss guardrails on artificial intelligence, including establishing a protocol for keeping powerful A.I. models out of the hands of nonstate actors, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday.
Mr. Bessent, who was speaking from Beijing in an interview with CNBC, did not give more details, including when these discussions would take place. But Xi Jinping, China’s leader, and President Trump had been expected to discuss A.I. during their summit in the Chinese capital.
If these talks happen, it would be the first time the two countries formally take up the issue during Mr. Trump’s second term. The capabilities and usage of A.I. have grown rapidly, and so have concerns that this technology could be weaponized by hackers and terrorists, or spiral out of human control.
“The two A.I. superpowers are going to start talking,” Mr. Bessent said. “We’re going to set up a protocol in terms of, how do we go forward with best practices for A.I. to make sure nonstate actors don’t get ahold of these models.”
Still, Mr. Bessent made clear that the fierce competition between the United States and China for supremacy in A.I. — which has been a major hurdle to cooperation on safety — remained front of mind for U.S. policymakers. Officials and experts in both countries have argued that they cannot slow technological development and risk losing out to their rivals.
Mr. Bessent said that the United States was willing to cooperate with China on A.I. safety because “the Chinese are substantially behind us” in terms of the technology’s development.
“I do not think we would be having the same discussions if they were this far ahead of us. So we’re going to put in U.S. best practices, U.S. values, on this, and then roll those out to the world,” Mr. Bessent said.
Experts have suggested that China’s A.I. models may be a few months behind the leading U.S. models.
Another hurdle to the United States and China working together on A.I. safety is that they have generally focused on different potential threats.
American experts have generally highlighted existential risks, such as the possibility of artificial general intelligence, or super-intelligence that exceeds that of humans. Chinese researchers and officials have more often highlighted risks related to social stability and information control, such as the possibility of chatbots producing content that challenges China’s leadership and policies.
Still, researchers in both countries have highlighted some shared risks, such as the possibility of A.I. being used to develop new biological weapons.
Ship SEIZED near UAE coast, UK military says
Iranian forces seized a vessel 38 nautical miles off the UAE coast early Thursday, a brazen provocation occurring just as President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping met in Beijing discussing key issues like the Strait of Hormuz.
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A ship was seized off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday morning, the British military reported.
The ship was boarded and “taken by unauthorized personnel” while it was roughly 38 nautical miles northeast of the United Arab Emirates’ oil export terminal Fujairah, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported Thursday.
UKMTO spotted the ship heading toward Iranian territorial waters after the seizure, it reported Thursday.
British authorities did not release information on who the ship belonged to or who seized it. Despite the lack of official corroboration, the BBC reported that the Honduras-flagged Hui Chuan was seized in the Strait on Thursday.
CARGO SHIP ATTACKED BY SMALL CRAFT NEAR STRAIT OF HORMUZ, UK MARITIME AGENCY SAYS
Ships are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on May 4. A report on May 15 said a ship was seized off the coast of the United Arab Emirates and is being brought toward Iranian waters. (Amirhossein Khorgooei/ISNA/AFP)
Citing the risk-management company Vanguard, the BBC reported that the ship’s operators told Vanguard that the Hui Chuan was operating as a “floating armory” for ships in the Strait to defend themselves from pirates.
A container ship sits at anchor in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, as a motorboat passes in the foreground on May 2, 2026. (Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)
At least two other ships have already been seized in the Strait of Hormuz since February.
IRAN SAYS ITS SMALL SUBS DEPLOYED TO STRAIT OF HORMUZ AS EXPERT EXPLAINS THREAT: ‘VULNERABLE TO DETECTION’
A cargo ship sails in the Persian Gulf toward the Strait of Hormuz on April 22, 2026. (AP Photo)
In April, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized the Panamanian-flagged MSC Francesca and the Epaminondes ships in the Strait.
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Fox News Digital contacted UKMTO and Vanguard for further information but did not immediately receive a response.
Al Jazeera’s Manuel Rapalo reports from Washington, where the first of two days of US-mediated ambassador-level talks between Israel and Lebanon concluded on Thursday. A ceasefire between them expires on Sunday, though Israel has killed 512 Lebanese since its implementation on April 17.
Published On 15 May 2026
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