Morning opening: The marking course of
Jakub Krupa
The European Union is about to disclose its rankings for candidate international locations later at the moment, assessing the progress they’re making on the trail to turn out to be the union’s members sooner or later.
We’ll hear from the EU’s overseas coverage chief, Kaja Kallas, and the enlargement commissioner, Marta Kos, early afternoon.
A number of potential strains to look out for there, as we are going to get the fee’s evaluation of the worsening scenario in Georgia, the makes an attempt to reform Ukraine regardless of the on-going Russian aggression, and their have a look at the western Balkan international locations, together with Serbia, which sees continued protests in opposition to Aleksandar Vučić’s rule.
Individually, I’ll keep watch over the EU defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius’s assembly with Nato’s secretary basic Mark Rutte in Brussels on rearming Europe.
There may be additionally extra information from the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Germany, and others.
Tons for us to undergo.
It’s Tuesday, 4 November 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa right here, and that is Europe Dwell.
Good morning.
Key occasions
Can Spanish PM survive corruption circumstances in opposition to household and allies?
Sam Jones
in Madrid
Regardless of spending the previous 18 months variously defending his spouse, his brother, his social gathering, his lawyer basic and his authorities in opposition to a relentless slew of corruption allegations, Spain’s socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has not completely misplaced his sense of humour.
Three weeks in the past, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the chief of the opposition conservative Individuals’s social gathering (PP), rattled off the acquainted litany of accusations and concluded by suggesting the person sitting reverse him in congress was neither “a good or worthy prime minister” however slightly a seasoned enabler of corruption. After the giddy applause that greeted Feijóo’s speech from the PP benches had died down, Sánchez rose to his ft and uttered two phrases.
“Ánimo, Alberto,” he stated. “Chin up, Alberto.”
The prime minister’s retort would seem to have been fastidiously chosen to remind Feijóo’s social gathering of its personal issues.
Seven years in the past, Sánchez grew to become prime minister by utilizing a vote of no confidence to topple the PP authorities of one among Feijóo’s predecessors, Mariano Rajoy. By then, the conservative social gathering was so mired in scandals that Sánchez accused it of turning Spanish politics right into a “corruption thriller”.
In a collection of leaked textual content messages, Rajoy advised his shut ally, the previous PP treasurer Luis Bárcenas, to “be sturdy” and to maintain his chin up as the online closed round him – therefore the “Ánimo, Alberto” dig.
In Could 2018, Bárcenas was jailed for 33 years for fraud and money laundering, and the PP itself was discovered to have profited from an unlawful kickbacks-for-contracts scheme. Per week later, the PP was out of presidency and Sánchez was Spain’s new prime minister.
Given what occurred to Rajoy and his authorities, some might even see Sánchez’s taunt as tempting destiny.
However the prime minister has insisted he has labored to deal with corruption and is adamant the circumstances in opposition to his household are politically motivated vendettas waged by his proper and far-right opponents and their media supporters.
Extra controversially, he has additionally forged doubts on the independence of some members of the Spanish judiciary, claiming in an interview originally of September “there’s little doubt that there are judges doing politics and there are politicians making an attempt to do justice”.
Learn extra about Sánchez’s issues right here:
Outrage in Paris as Shein prepares to open its first everlasting retailer
Angelique Chrisafis
in Paris
The web fast-fashion retailer Shein will open its first everlasting bricks-and-mortar retailer on this planet in Paris this week amid political outrage, fury from staff and warnings from metropolis corridor that it’ll harm the French capital’s progressive picture.
The Singapore-based clothes firm, which was based in China, has constructed a massive online business regardless of criticism over its manufacturing unit working situations and the environmental impression of low-cost, throwaway vogue.
Shein, which has beforehand trialled momentary pop-up shops, will on Wednesday open a everlasting store on the sixth ground of Paris’s prestigious BHV division retailer, a historic constructing that has stood reverse Paris’s metropolis corridor since 1856. There are about 23 million Shein prospects in France, one among its largest European markets.
However with huge banners for Shein draped throughout the constructing, the model’s arrival has sparked outrage over the promotion of quick vogue.
The workplace of the French minister for small companies stated Shein’s Paris presence despatched “a foul sign that must be averted”. A number of main unbiased French vogue manufacturers have pulled their merchandise from the BHV retailer in protest.
“There could be no sense being bought in the identical store as Shein,” Guillaume Alcan, a co-founder of the French moral footwear model Odaje, advised Le Monde.
The corporate has additionally individually pledged to cooperate with French prosecutors who’ve opened an investigation into the sale of childlike intercourse dolls on its platform.
Dutch coalition forming course of to get below approach at the moment
In the meantime over in the Netherlands, the coalition forming course of is about to start out this afternoon as leaders of the primary events meet to debate subsequent steps and appoint a “scout” to see what’s doable.
The assembly is scheduled for 4pm native time at the moment, and will probably be hosted by the parliament speaker, Martin Bosma.
The ultimate forecast by the Dutch information company ANP final evening urged that each the centrist D66 social gathering, led by charismatic Rob Jetten, and the far-right VPP social gathering by Geert Wilders could have 26 seats every within the new parliament.
After counting the abroad vote, the centrists seemed to be firmly on the right track to win probably the most votes by just below 30,000 votes over Wilders’s social gathering, however they’re unlikely to get the extra, twenty seventh seat as hoped.
This complicates the coalition forming course of a bit, as a possible various coalition state of affairs with VVD, the Christian Democrats in CDA, and JA21 would now not have the required majority within the new parliament.
A broader coalition involving the centre-left GL-PvdA social gathering stays the default state of affairs, however persuading the conservative-liberal VVD social gathering to hitch a left-wing social gathering within the authorities is prone to show to be tough.
Jetten – broadly anticipated to be the following prime minister, the youngest within the Dutch historical past and the nation’s first out homosexual to guide the federal government – hopes to have the brand new authorities as quickly as doable, however the outgoing caretaker, Dick Schoof, has indicated he nonetheless expects to be in place at Christmas.
Employee dies after being rescued from partially collapsed medieval tower in Rome
Angela Giuffrida
in Rome
Individually, a Romanian employee who was trapped for hours below rubble in Rome after the partial collapse of a medieval tower has died in hospital, simply a short while after he was pulled free by emergency companies.
“I specific deep sorrow and condolences, on behalf of myself and the federal government, for the tragic lack of Octay Stroici, the employee who was killed within the collapse of the Torre dei Conti in Rome,” Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni stated in a press release after midnight. “We’re near his household and colleagues right now of unspeakable struggling.”
Two part of the 29-metre (95ft) Torre dei Conti, close to the Colosseum, crashed to the bottom, movies posted on social media confirmed. The primary collapse came about at about 10.30am UK time, the second about 90 minutes later.
Clouds of mud billowed out of the home windows, together with the sound of collapsing masonry. The second collapse occurred whereas firefighters labored on the construction with aerial ladders. Not one of the firefighters have been injured.
Authorities stated he was aware through the prolonged rescue operation earlier than he was hospitalised in essential situation. He died shortly after he arrived on the hospital.
Czechs mourn demise of Catholic chief Duka
In different information, Czechs are mourning the Catholic archbishop emeritus of Prague, Dominik Duka, who has died in a single day on the age of 82.
Cardinal Duka – whose father flew within the British RAF through the second world struggle – was one of the vital influential non secular leaders within the Czech Republic, serving as a dissident priest below communism who ultimately acquired imprisoned alongside playwright turned president Václav Havel.
After 1989, he performed a pivotal function as the church sought to reinstate itself within the Czech public life, changing into the archbishop of Prague in 2012, and main the church by a troublesome debate concerning the restitution of property confiscated below communism.
However in recent times he additionally confronted rising criticism over his more and more outspoken positions on public points, together with Russia, and Muslim immigration, with the Radio Prague’s Worldwide service calling him a “a divisive but defining church chief.”
AFP additionally famous that Duka repeatedly got here below hearth throughout his time as archbishop of Prague from 2010 till 2022, together with for allegedly defending paedophile clergymen.
Outgoing prime minister, Petr Fiala, said he “revered his braveness and exercise through the time of totalitarianism,” and “appreciated his vital function within the renewal of the church within the democratic society.”
Incoming Czech billionaire turned prime minister, Andrej Babiš, additionally paid tribute to Duka’s service which “for a few years helped form the religious and social lifetime of our nation.”
Duka’s funeral is deliberate for 15 November.
EU’s rule of regulation studies ‘even much less complete’ this 12 months, dangers ‘backsliding’, campaigners warn
Talking of the marking course of, the civil rights group Liberties has additionally simply printed its evaluation of the EU commission’s separate annual rule of law report, which seems on the union’s member states and their work on this space.
In a scathing abstract, the evaluation discovered that the EU’s evaluation “in key areas was even much less complete, with key points uncared for and no penalties for non-compliance with suggestions,” with some elements of the report actually “repeated verbatim, whatever the degree of progress, the seriousness of the violation, or the implications of continued inaction” from earlier years.
It stated that “Hungary stands out as an outlier, holding the best variety of suggestions with persistent ‘no progress’ standing, underscoring deep-rooted governance points and resistance to EU-level oversight.”
However “different international locations displaying notable stagnation embrace Italy, Bulgaria, Eire, and Germany, every with 5 – 6 suggestions that stay unaddressed since 2022.”
In complete, “the share of suggestions absolutely applied fell from 11% in 2023 to six% in each 2024 and 2025,” it stated.
“This means that the Annual Rule of Regulation Report dangers changing into a symbolic monitoring train slightly than an actual device to guard the rule of regulation and elementary rights. The principle suggestion to deal with persistent non-compliance is to strengthen enforcement mechanisms, together with infringement proceedings and price range conditionality, guaranteeing that they’re utilized in an everyday and well timed method,” Liberties stated.
The group warned that “with out speedy motion, we worry the backsliding will escalate and adjustments will turn out to be very troublesome to reverse.”
The report is here.
Morning opening: The marking course of
Jakub Krupa
The European Union is about to disclose its rankings for candidate international locations later at the moment, assessing the progress they’re making on the trail to turn out to be the union’s members sooner or later.
We’ll hear from the EU’s overseas coverage chief, Kaja Kallas, and the enlargement commissioner, Marta Kos, early afternoon.
A number of potential strains to look out for there, as we are going to get the fee’s evaluation of the worsening scenario in Georgia, the makes an attempt to reform Ukraine regardless of the on-going Russian aggression, and their have a look at the western Balkan international locations, together with Serbia, which sees continued protests in opposition to Aleksandar Vučić’s rule.
Individually, I’ll keep watch over the EU defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius’s assembly with Nato’s secretary basic Mark Rutte in Brussels on rearming Europe.
There may be additionally extra information from the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Germany, and others.
Tons for us to undergo.
It’s Tuesday, 4 November 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa right here, and that is Europe Dwell.
Good morning.
