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Polish EU presidency to focus on energy, defence and economic security

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Polish EU presidency to focus on energy, defence and economic security

With Trump’s arrival in the US White House, a new EU Commission and the ongoing war in Ukraine, security in all its possible dimensions will be the main priority of the next rotating EU presidency, said Poland’s Ambassador Agnieszka Bartol.

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Energy, defence and economic security will top the EU’s agenda during the upcoming six-month rotating presidency of the Council, representing member states, which starts in January 2025, Poland’s Ambassador Agnieszka Bartol said on Monday.   

Bartol presented a “very ambitious” agenda to bring some stability in times of great change and challenges, with Trump’s arrival in the US White House, a new EU Commission and the ongoing war in Ukraine.   

“What do people want? What do people look for? They look for security, and that will be the biggest motive of the presidency, security in all its possible dimensions,” the Polish ambassador told the audience at an event organised by the Brussels-based think-tank European Policy Centre (EPC).    

Warsaw’s presidency aims to work on seven different dimensions of security, ranging from external and internal security to competitiveness, food quality, critical medicines and affordable energy prices.  

With regard to the latter, the Polish presidency intends to analyse how to reduce costs for businesses and citizens, with a clear focus on ensuring security of supply and energy diversification and independence.   

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On internal and external security, the Council is expected to make progress on protecting Europe’s borders, on cybersecurity, on combating foreign interference and disinformation, and on boosting the bloc’s defence industry.  

Mario Draghi’s landmark report on competitiveness estimated that the EU needs to mobilise an extra €500bn for defence over the next decade to keep pace with competitors such as the US and China.  

European defence spending reached a record €279bn in 2023, but estimates show that more money will be needed to plug funding gaps and invest in new projects such as the European air defence shield after years of underinvestment.   

“The mindset (at EU level) has been fundamentally changed,” Bartol said, adding that now “we are talking about new financing for defence, which was taboo a few years ago, and we are talking about innovative (financing) instruments, which was also taboo”.  

The Polish ambassador did not mention any specific financing instruments, as discussions on whether to issue joint debt for defence purposes – so-called Eurobonds – remain a sensitive issue for member states such as Germany and the Netherlands. 

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But the EU will need to explore new funding avenues outside the common budget, Bartol said, ideally based on the forthcoming White Paper on Defence, to be presented during Commissioner Kubilius’ first three months in office.   

The funds earmarked for defence in the 2021-27 EU budget amount to around €10 billion, and the next long-term EU budget, known as the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), will not kick in until 2028, with payments starting a year later at best.   

Bartol argued that the EU budget, despite its crucial importance, cannot be the main tool for boosting Europe’s defence capabilities.    

“Putin will not wait for the MFF and the world will not wait for the MFF,” she concluded. 

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Baby among 3 dead in holiday horror as Easter egg hunt turns deadly

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Baby among 3 dead in holiday horror as Easter egg hunt turns deadly

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Three people were killed, including a 10-month-old girl, after high winds toppled a tree in Germany during an Easter egg hunt on Sunday morning, according to authorities.

Around 50 people from a nearby residential facility for new mothers, pregnant women and children were attending the egg hunt in a wooded area near the town of Satrupholm at about 11 a.m. when a 100-foot tree fell on top of them, police said in a statement.

Four people became pinned under the tree, police said.

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A fallen tree lies in a wooded area south-east of Flensburg, Germany, on Sunday, April 5, 2026. (Daniel Reinhardt/picture alliance via Getty Images)

First responders arrived at the scene and first began treating a 21-year-old woman and a 16-year-old girl, but both died at the scene.

The woman’s 10-month-old daughter also later died at the hospital.

An 18-year-old woman sustained serious injuries and was rushed to the hospital in a helicopter.

The residential facility is part of the state-funded child welfare system, supporting pregnant women and new mothers who need help, according to its website.

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Police officers stand next to a fallen tree in a wooded area south-east of Flensburg, Germany, on Sunday, April 5, 2026. (Benjamin Nolte/dpa via AP)

Grief counselors were sent to the scene after the fatal incident on Sunday.

Pictures from the scene showed several Easter eggs scattered on the ground as two of the victims were seen covered in white sheets.

The German weather service had put the area under a high winds warning.

ONE DEAD AND DOZENS INJURED DURING PREGAME EVENT AT PERU SOCCER STADIUM

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Rescue workers are on the scene after an accident in a wooded area south-east of Flensburg, Germany, on Sunday, April 5, 2026. (Benjamin Nolte/dpa via AP)

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Officials from the Schleswig-Holstein region, where the facility is located, said they were “deeply shaken” by the Easter tragedy.

“Our thoughts are with the family members of the dead, with the injured, and with everyone who had to experience this terrible occurrence,” regional Governor Daniel Günther, Interior Minister Magdalena Finke, and Youth and Families Minister Aminata Touré said in a joint statement to the dpa news agency.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Jet fuel crisis: Rationing triggered at four airports in Italy

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Four northern Italian airports introduce restrictions on jet fuel due to the energy crisis, with priority given to long-haul and medical flights. Meanwhile, Ryanair has warned that if the Iran war continues, summer flights are at risk across Europe.

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Surging UK Green Party pushes church-state split, critics warn of break from Britain’s Christian roots

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Surging UK Green Party pushes church-state split, critics warn of break from Britain’s Christian roots

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LONDON: The left-wing British Green Party has said it wants to separate the Church of England from the state if it wins the next general election, which must be held before August 2029.

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The Church of England has been the “established” church since the 16th-century Reformation, with the British monarch serving as its supreme governor. For traditionalists, this link is not merely ceremonial but is the foundational bedrock of British identity.

The Greens have come under fire for seeking to remove centuries of British history and tradition by separating the church from British politics, with critics characterizing it as the latest move against Christianity in the U.K.

GB News reported last month that the Green Party policy document stated: “No person shall hold office in the state, or be excluded from any such office, by virtue of their or their spouse’s membership or non-membership of any religion or denomination of religion.”

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King Charles ascended the throne in September 2022 following his mother’s death, and his coronation was in May 2023. (Richard Pohle – WPA Pool/Getty Images)

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Michael McManus, the director of research at the Henry Jackson Society, a U.K. think tank, told Fox News Digital, “Britain is a tolerant society but with clear Christian origins and culture. Aiming to disestablish the Church of England could be seen as an attempt to reject that ethical foundation without being clear what would replace it instead.”

High-profile figures have also weighed in on the debate, with actor and comedian John Cleese responding to a comment about the Greens’ proposal by stating on X: “The UK has always been based at the deepest level on Christian values, regardless of dogma. Despite the many mistakes made by churches, for centuries British people have been influenced by Christ’s teaching. If these values are replaced by Islamic ones, this will not be Britain anymore.”

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The Greens are a growing political force, placing second behind Reform UK in a recent YouGov poll. Another YouGov poll linked the Greens’ rise in popularity with younger voters in the country, finding a majority of those between 18 and 24 supported them, while also doing well with women and other groups.

UK Green Party leader Zack Polanski. (Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images)

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A spokesperson for the Green Party told Fox News Digital, “We will be setting out our detailed plans for government at the time of the next General Election, just as we did at the last General Election. As always, our members will be shaping our priorities. These will again address the real and immediate needs of people and the planet, such as tackling the climate crisis, bringing down the cost of living and rebuilding our public services, including the NHS. Our focus is on the issues that impact ordinary people most.”

CHURCHILL, SHAKESPEARE AND THE UK FLAG ALL UNDER SIEGE IN MODERN BRITAIN, COMMENTATORS SAY

Green Party leader Zack Polanski has defended a secular state. He has also drawn criticism for his support of legalizing drugs such as heroin and cocaine, his climate policies and anti-Israel positioning.

A view of Christmas morning Eucharist service at Canterbury Cathedral, Canterbury, United Kingdom, on Dec. 25, 2022. (Stuart Brock/Anadolu Agency)

The timing of the Green Party’s push is particularly sensitive as it comes on the heels of the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act 2026, which passed last month, removing the last hereditary aristocrats from Parliament. With the hereditary principle gone, the presence of the “Lords Spiritual” has become the next logical target for constitutional reformers. There are currently 26 seats reserved for Church of England archbishops and bishops in the House of Lords.

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As the U.K. heads toward a local 2026 election cycle, the “Church and State” debate looks set to become a wedge issue. For the Greens, it represents their commitment to a “diverse and inclusive” Britain. For their detractors, it is a dangerous move that risks “de-Christianizing” the country at a moment of profound social uncertainty.

Whether the proposal will mobilize a new “religious vote” or simply fade behind the urgency of other issues remains to be seen. What is clear, commentators say, is that the image of the established Church is increasingly being viewed through the lens of a much sharper and more polarized political fight.

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