Christian Science Monitor European News
Germans once again have to decide what they should do with Nazi-era relics after a fire destroyed the Bavarian guest house linked to Adolf Hitler. 
The Eagle’s Nest, a Nazi icon, just burned. Should Germany rebuild it? Read...
 
Demonstrations rocked many European cities Saturday, from Milan to Madrid. The protests encompass a broad range of issues, from education to housing.
First Look: Police and protesters clash in Paris as demonstrations break out across Europe Read...
 
Faced with dwindling job opportunities, high property prices, and student debt, young people are looking at alternative ways of making a living.
Side hustles change the way young people in UK see work and careers Read...
 
Serbia goes to the polls this weekend, as a student-led protest movement tries to oust the illiberal ruling party that’s widely regarded as corrupt.
For Serbia’s students, years of protest come down to this weekend’s elections Read...
 
Protests like those in France show the distrust between voters and governments. Experts say without trust, hard decisions are tough to make.
Across Europe, voters are calling out failing government. But they play a role, too. Read...
 
After hundreds of thousands took to the streets to protest this weekend, rioters followed with destruction and looting that have left France reeling.
After violent weekend, France reckons with its frustrated, fractured public Read...
 
Clashes broke out near the prime minister’s office in Albania as riots gripped the capital, Tirana.
First Look: Riots in Albanian capital enter a fifth day as anti-government protests escalate Read...
 
With Presidents Trump and Zelenskyy publicly feuding over U.S. support for Ukraine, Russia is wondering whether the opportunity has finally arrived for it to reset its relationship with the West.
With US and Ukraine at odds, Russia cautiously tries to take advantage Read...
 
The U.S.-Russia agreement is leading to deepening worries for Europe about the long-term future of its partnership with America.
Essays: Adding fuel to the fire: Trump’s diesel deal stokes European concerns Read...
 
When U.S. warnings and Starlink support shut off this week, Ukraine was left exposed to Russian drones. Kyiv has few alternatives available.
US intel pause, Starlink outages leave Ukraine vulnerable to Russian attack Read...
 
As more nations look to the Arctic for resources, Iceland becomes increasingly vital as a strategic base. But it relies wholly on allies like the U.S. for its security.
From the Magazine: How does a country defend itself without a military? Read...
 
Demonstrations about the country’s education system are drawing parallels with the country’s pivotal May 1968 student revolution.
In France, student protests bring echoes of the past Read...
 
Under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Hungary hollowed out many public media outlets. Journalists are now rebuilding to restore scrutiny of government.
Out of Orbán’s shadow, Hungary tries to reset how the public gets its news Read...
 
Would you rather pay more to fill your tank, or wait an hour or more to buy gas? Russia has opted for the latter, a throwback to Soviet-era ways.
Why Russian gas isn’t getting pricier, but is becoming harder to buy Read...
 
Fans of puppet shows are trying to save the traditional art of marionette-making in the United Kingdom before the skills are lost.
From the Magazine: In England, efforts to save a vanishing heritage – 9 strings at a time Read...
 
As war in Ukraine continues into its fifth year, some children have only known war. The Monitor revisits three young families striving to live full lives amid Russia’s military invasion.
From the Magazine: In Ukraine, holding on to childhood in a time of war Read...
 
The eviction of one particularly vulnerable woman, Maricarmen, has set off street protests in Madrid over predatory landlords and soaring rental costs.
Why an octogenarian’s eviction has sent Spaniards into the streets Read...
 
The Spanish enclave of Ceuta saw an unprecedented wave of migration this summer that has since put Spain's immigration policy under the spotlight.
From the Magazine: After historic migration wave, Ceuta works to rebuild a better sense of unity Read...
 
The former prime minister spent years stripping wealth – and guardrails – from Hungary. Now, the new government is restoring them as best it can.
From the Magazine: In Hungary, scaffolding rises for a democratic repair job Read...
 
While President Donald Trump breaks through American political guardrails, Europe has generally stuck to its standards or rebounded from extremism.
From the Magazine: As US drifts, Europe doubles down on its political values Read...
 
The White House may be pushing for talks between Russia and Ukraine, but the Kremlin remains committed to “my way or the highway” negotiation tactics.
The US wants a Ukraine peace deal. Here’s why Russia isn’t biting. Read...
 
Can Europe’s values-first approach to AI face up to the economic challenge posed by the progress- and profit-centric models favored in the U.S. and China?
As China and US race ahead on AI, Europe opts for safe and steady Read...
 
The United States, Denmark, and Greenland finally came to terms on a deal that all sides are calling a victory toward their ends.
Greenland deal: What did the US and Denmark actually agree to? Read...
 
The popularity in France of a two-part biopic about Charles de Gaulle is highlighting public frustration with the country’s present-day politicians.
After a biopic’s success, the French ask: Where’s our modern de Gaulle? Read...
 
Upcoming elections appear set to be more stage-managed than usual. But they still provide insight into public and Kremlin attitudes.
From the Magazine: As Russia votes, the Kremlin offers the public few options – or incentives Read...
 
The European Union has given Prime Minister Mark Carney a warm welcome, but whether it goes big with its offer of associate membership for Canada is unclear.
Canada wants the EU to step up as a global power. Does Europe? Read...
 
Armenia and Georgia are each rewriting their foreign relations – and squelching domestic opposition. But their trajectories couldn’t be further apart.
One nation reaches for Europe. The other, for Russia. Both use the same tactics. Read...
 
The geography and climate of Iceland have prevented mosquitoes from establishing a foothold. But recent discoveries in the wilds have made locals wary.
Mosquito sightings put Iceland on alert against buggy invaders Read...
 
Authorities in the Spanish exclave of Ceuta are figuring out what to do with hundreds of recently arrived migrant children who just want to go to school.
In Ceuta, Spain debates: Educate migrant kids or send them home? Read...
 
One of the last countries to allow whaling is taking steps that could lead to a ban, following a shift in public opinion.
One of the last three whaling countries takes steps toward a ban Read...
 
After the success of the far-right AfD in Saxony-Anhalt, Germans are asking whether the party is a threat to democracy or deserves a chance to lead.
After landslide far-right victory, Germany asks: What just happened? Read...
 
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz faces intense pressure after the far-right AfD party's strong showing in a regional election in Saxony-Anhalt.
First LookLandslide victory for Germany's far-right AfD piles pressure on Chancellor Merz Read...
 
With the very real possibility of a far-right party winning state elections, Germany’s anti-fascist political system is suddenly looking very rickety.
Why one state election could rattle modern Germany Read...
 
The Bayeux Tapestry returns to England after from France almost a thousand years. It tells the story of the last successful invasion of England. 
Bayeux Tapestry: Early threads of English history go on display in London Read...
 
Germany has been wary of calling out Russian hybrid warfare, but the discovery of two drones in Leipzig last month proved the last straw for Berlin.
This week, Germany stopped putting up with Russia’s hybrid war Read...
 
Crimea has been targeted this summer by a Ukrainian drone and missile offensive meant to isolate the Russian-occupied peninsula. While all sides are feeling the economic impact and loss of tourism, some are heartened and others resentful.
In Russia-occupied Crimea, Ukrainian attacks land differently for divided residents Read...
 
Russia is no longer making major battlefield gains. If anything, it’s been Ukraine, aided by its technological prowess, taking back small pieces of territory. After a punishing winter, Ukraine is in a surprisingly encouraging place.
As Russia pushes spring offensive, shift on battlefield buoys Ukrainians Read...
 
A U.S.-mediated ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine appeared under serious strain on Sunday, with both sides trading blame for weekend attacks.
Ukraine-Russia ceasefire strained as both sides report weekend attacks Read...
 
Thursday’s U.K. election results showed voters’ frustration with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as they voted out Labour officials and rewarded Reform UK.
In ‘referendum on Starmer,’ Labour loses big across British regional elections Read...
 
Shomrim North West London, a volunteer neighborhood patrol, is helping British Jews respond to antisemitic attacks like the one last week in Golders Green.
As antisemitism rises in UK, Shomrim volunteers help protect Jewish communities Read...
 
President Donald Trump’s attempts to punish criticism, like that from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, seem to be delivering diminishing returns in Europe.
Trump threatens to pull troops from Germany. Why Europe isn’t panicking. Read...
 
The “Antares” Pavlohrad search-and-rescue canine unit in Ukraine finds people, but its work also helps team members deal with the war’s tribulations.
This Ukrainian canine unit is finding the war’s victims – and a way through hardship Read...
 
Ukraine’s cultural institutions are targets of the Kremlin’s war. That has made the security of the country’s cultural cache a priority among museums.
For Ukraine’s museums, Russia’s war gives ‘preservation’ new meaning Read...
 
Keir Starmer became British prime minister in 2024, promising to bring stability to the U.K. Now he is under pressure to resign, accused of misleading the public.
Why the British prime minister is fighting to keep his job Read...
 
With the costs of the war in Ukraine growing, the Kremlin has been raising taxes on and rolling back exemptions for Russian small businesses.
To protest rising taxes, Russia’s small businesses take their ‘flash mobs’ online Read...
 
Péter Magyar is set to take Hungary’s reins with a supermajority’s powers – and experts say he’ll need it to undo Viktor Orbán’s 16-year rule.
Péter Magyar’s goal now is to reform Orbán’s Hungary. EU funds are at stake. Read...
 
Viktor Orbán’s defeat in Hungary Sunday night showed that elections still matter – and democracies are more resilient than they may seem right now.
Hungary elections: A wake-up call to the resilience of democracy? Read...
 
Hungarians showed they were tired of Viktor Orbán’s rule, as Peter Magyar ousted the prime minister behind unexpectedly high turnout and support.
Hungary election results echo worldwide after Viktor Orbán ousted Read...
 
Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party have held office in Hungary for 16 years. A reform-minded lawyer, backed by young voters, might soon end that.
On eve of election, Hungary takes a hard look at Orbán’s ‘illiberal democracy’ Read...
 
On the border with Hungary, Ukraine’s Zakarpattia region sits at the center of tensions between Kyiv and Budapest over language and cultural rights.
Orbán says Ukraine is mistreating its Hungarian minority. It’s not that simple. Read...
 
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is turning to a familiar boogeyman on the campaign trail: the war in Ukraine, and the danger he claims it poses.
In Hungary’s elections, the war in Ukraine looms large Read...
 
The war in Iran is showing that Europe has more leverage over the United States than its leaders had thought. But can they use it?
Despite White House rhetoric, Iran campaign reveals US dependency on Europe Read...
 
French President Emmanuel Macron has laid out a new policy on nuclear deterrence that extends beyond the borders of France.
For security at home and across Europe, France offers nuclear deterrence Read...
 
The Kremlin seems to be moving to shut online messaging services out of Russia in favor of one super-app – potentially upending many Russians’ lives.
Undeliverable? Why the Kremlin might be set to silence online messaging apps in Russia. Read...
 
Germany was supposed to have learned how to protect itself from energy shocks after the Ukraine war. But the Iran war has shown that gaps still exist.
Europe’s energy policy was reshaped by Ukraine. It’s being tested by the Iran war. Read...
 
Iran has shown they can do a lot of damage to United States and Israeli assets – and regional allies in the Gulf – via missile and drone attacks. Ukraine can help stop it.
Iran strikes neighbors with missiles and drones. Ukraine shows how to fight back. Read...
 
Now that the Syrian civil war is over, Sweden wants Syrian expats to go home. For those who’ve built a new life in Sweden, that’s not a small request.
Syrian refugees have made a home in Sweden. Now Sweden wants them to leave. Read...
 
Britain’s Labour Party seems to be alienating its traditional leftist base – and opening the door for the Green Party to potentially supplant it.
As UK’s Labour Party tacks right, Greens scoop up its spurned voters Read...
 
The United States and Europe have responded to a wave of migration with tighter border policies. Spain is taking a different approach. 
For Spain, granting migrants residency is about economics as much as ethics Read...
 
The U.S.-Israeli war against Iran is crystallizing Russian perspectives on President Trump, and may reshape how the Kremlin deals with the White House.
In Russia, distrust toward Trump grows as war on its ally Iran rages Read...
 
Europe followed the United States into war in Iraq in 2003, but today that defensive lockstep is broken, as it draws lines against the war in Iran.
As US presses Iran war, Europe holds off, remembering Iraq Read...
 
Mexican diplomatic support to Cuba has long boosted the communist island. It also helps Mexico assert independence from the United States.   
How the US is forcing Mexico’s hand on Cuba Read...
 
The investigation into the former Prince Andrew has put the British monarchy under a harsh glare. But the institution’s evolution is already underway.
Will scrutiny of Andrew generate a new kind of British monarchy? Read...
 
During visits to the now-ruined and occupied Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, a Monitor reporter fell in love with its roses, for the hope and inspiration they provided the city’s warm and welcoming residents in time of war.
Letter to Pokrovsk, Ukrainian city of roses: Your beautiful spirit isn’t lost Read...
 
Four years on, Russia has now been engaged in war in Ukraine longer than the Soviet Union fought in World War II, and the cost is starting to wear.
Committed, but weary? Russia stays the course after four years of war in Ukraine. Read...
 
For the Ukrainian public, the idea of giving up territory for peace is anathema – unless security against future Russian aggression is guaranteed.
With Russia grinding closer, Ukrainians weigh the cost of land for peace Read...
 
The stark difference between how the Epstein files have been received in the United States versus in the United Kingdom may come down to public mood.
When it comes to Epstein files, British politicians are finding no place to hide Read...
 
The last arms control treaty between the United States and Russia has expired, but no one really wants an end to arms control. They want it to change.
Russia is finding post-START arms control a harder, multipolar project Read...
 
The release of the Epstein files has ended careers, particularly in Europe. In contrast, only a handful of Epstein associates have lost their jobs in the U.S.
Epstein fallout in Europe contrasts muted reaction in US Read...
 
Russia and Ukraine might be negotiating elsewhere. But along the battlefront in Zaporizhzhia in eastern Ukraine, where Russian forces have been advancing under cover of drones and glide bombs, peace talks seem far away.
In eastern Ukraine’s bitter cold, troops try to halt relentless Russian advance Read...
 
The immigration crackdown in Minnesota is hastening the erosion of Europeans’ esteem for their long-time ally under President Donald Trump.
US immigration crackdown has Europeans rethinking ‘America’ Read...
 
Ukraine is investigating hundreds of thousands of cases of Russian war crimes and crimes against humanity – despite a backdrop of growing impunity in the international arena.
Ukrainians want justice for Russian abuses. But they sense an era of impunity. Read...
 
Five Central Asian nations once bickered over the water from regional glaciers. Now, with climate change looming, they appear set to share use.
Their glaciers shrinking, Central Asian nations find a way to share water wealth Read...
 
Europe is at a crossroads. The tools it has to dissuade Donald Trump from acquiring Greenland are strong, slow to roll out, and potentially self-damaging.
To keep Trump out of Greenland, Europe asks itself: ‘How far can we really go?’ Read...
 
Two high-speed trains collided in Spain, killing at least 40 people and shaking a nation at the forefront of rail transport.
Investigation begins in Spain after fatal high-speed rail crash Read...
 
Russian attacks are hitting Ukrainian energy infrastructure hard, leaving residents without power and heat in one of the coldest winters of the war to date.
Their power grid under attack, Ukrainians struggle with a long, cold winter Read...
 
A brutal Iranian crackdown has appeared to quash most protests, and officials are seeking to portray a sense of “national solidarity.” But images and eyewitness accounts of shocking “atrocities” are accumulating that paint a different picture.
In Iran, witness accounts of atrocities counter regime claims of calm Read...
 
AI chatbot Grok’s generation of provocative “deepfake” images of women and children has highlighted how differently Europe and the U.S. view online regulation.
Musk reins in Grok from making provocative images. Is it a victory for Europe? Read...
 
The United States has long worked with Denmark on Greenland’s security – so much so that it’s dubious that direct control would be better for U.S. defense.
Does the US need to own Greenland to be secure? History suggests not. Read...
 
Since the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine, travel from Moscow to Europe has become a frustration – as the Monitor’s Moscow correspondent well knows.
Letter from Moscow: For travelers in Russia, road to Europe is longer than ever Read...
 
The rising popularity and success of women’s sports in England is shattering chauvinist conventions around what professional athletics should look like.
Women’s sports are winning big in England, on and off the field Read...
 
Donald Trump’s desire to acquire Greenland is challenging Europe’s understanding of its relationship with the U.S., and its response to the president’s demands.
As Trump turns back to Greenland, Europe asks: Can we stop this? Read...
 
French first lady Brigitte Macron may have won her case against those who lied about her gender in France. But she faces a steeper challenge in the U.S.
Brigitte Macron won her defamation case in France. Can she repeat in the US? Read...
 
Russia is ramping up efforts to take advantage of the opening Arctic, both through military and economic means, and through international cooperation.
Russia sees opportunity in thawing Arctic. But it’s looking for partners, too. Read...