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Europe Today: Ribera e De Croo a Euronews, Francia e Regno Unito guidano vertice su Hormuz
Segui Europe Today, il programma di punta del mattino di Euronews, alle 8, ora di Bruxelles. In soli 20 minuti ti aggiorniamo sulle notizie principali della giornata.
ALTRE INFORMAZIONI : http://it.euronews.com/2026/04/17/europe-today-la-vicepresidente-ue-ribera-e-lex-premier-belga-de-croo-parlano-a-euronews
Abbonati, euronews è disponibile in 12 lingue.
Segui Europe Today, il programma di punta del mattino di Euronews, alle 8, ora di Bruxelles. In soli 20 minuti ti aggiorniamo sulle notizie principali della giornata.
ALTRE INFORMAZIONI : http://it.euronews.com/2026/04/17/europe-today-la-vicepresidente-ue-ribera-e-lex-premier-belga-de-croo-parlano-a-euronews
Abbonati, euronews è disponibile in 12 lingue.
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00:14Buongiorno, it's Friday the 17th of April. I'm Mariette Gwynne and you're watching Europe Today,
00:20your morning fix of news and analysis live here from Brussels.
00:25Coming up today, France and the UK will later co-chair a meeting with allies on restoring
00:31navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. The critical waterway has remained effectively closed since
00:37the war on Iran began. We'll have the details. In other news this morning, a 10-day ceasefire
00:44in Israel's war on Hezbollah has come into effect overnight after what have been described as
00:49historic US-mediated talks between Lebanon and Israel. It comes as President Trump says he's
00:56very close to a deal with Iran. And an EU delegation is expected in Budapest later today for talks with
01:04the incoming Peter Maja-led government. They're expected to discuss the release of EU funds for
01:10Hungary that were frozen under Orbán. We'll bring you the details. And the Spanish Prime Minister,
01:15Pedro Sánchez, hosts left-wing global leaders in Barcelona today for Summit of World Progressives.
01:21We have an exclusive interview with the European Commission Vice President Teresa Rivera.
01:27But first, our top story this morning. A French and British-led coalition of around 40 mainly NATO
01:35countries is meeting today and is expected to announce a solution aimed at securing the Strait of
01:40Hormuz. Military planners have been working on the plans for weeks. To explain more, our NATO
01:46correspondent, Shauna Murray joins me here in the studio. Good to have you back, Shauna.
01:50Tell us first, these talks happening today in Paris and online, what can we expect?
01:55Well, the expectation is that this coalition will deliver a broad shape of an outline to reopen the Strait
02:00of Hormuz when the conflict ends. Now, they're saying that this is very much going to be a defensive
02:05operation. They will not be party to the conflict. But the idea is that they will send vessels,
02:10frigates, demining operations, personnel, radars, intelligence to the region to be ready to then
02:17kickstart the reopening of the Strait when the hostilities come to a cease. Now, there's obviously
02:22huge risks in that because we don't know when this war is going to end. But the reason why this
02:27plan
02:27needs to happen today, or at least the outline needs to be in place, is because Donald Trump has been
02:32putting huge pressure on NATO allies, saying that they never came to his aid. And he's obviously
02:37threatened the alliance. And even this week, he went on US TV saying the Strait of Hormuz is already
02:42open. Ships are coming back and forth. We're doing it, which is not really the case. But anyway,
02:46he says our country should not be paying trillions of dollars to NATO once again, threatening the future
02:52of the alliance. So this is a very important day. And Shauna, we also saw reports overnight that the US
02:57has told
02:58its European allies to expect delays in the delivery of weapons, weapons that were previously approved
03:03by the US. And tell us more.
03:06This is something that allies have feared since the very beginning of this war, and the fact that this war
03:10is now dragging out. NATO allies have purchased equipment, such as interceptors and so on, from the United
03:17States to be used in Ukraine through the prioritized Ukraine requirements list at NATO. Now they're hearing that
03:24that that equipment won't get to Ukraine. So that's hugely problematic for Europe's defense,
03:29for the NATO defense, and of course, for the Ukrainians. And it was something that actually
03:33has been expected. But we know that Ursula von der Leyen had a meeting with Mark Rutte,
03:37the Secretary General of NATO this week, as well as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander for Europe,
03:41Alexis Grinkovic. And they relayed this to her and said that Europe needs to once again step
03:47up its defense industrial base even more than before. And I spoke to a NATO source last night who said
03:51to me,
03:52look, there's only so much equipment to go around. That's why the defense industrial base is so
03:56important. So this is a very tricky situation now for Europe, not just from an economic perspective,
04:01but now for the defense of the continent, all right?
04:03Indeed, Shauna, thank you so much for that very comprehensive update. We'll keep an eye on your
04:07reporting, of course, throughout the day. Now, the UN Development Programme says ongoing
04:12military escalation in the Middle East could push 30 million people into poverty worldwide.
04:18Our reporter, Lauren Walker, spoke to the agency's administrator, Alexander de Croix,
04:24who, of course, was formerly the Prime Minister of Belgium. She started by asking him about the
04:29global spillover effects of the conflict.
04:32The impact goes way beyond the region. For example, Sub-Saharan Africa is severely impacted by what is
04:40going on in the region. Small island states, for example, in the Pacific, you start to have a few
04:47islands that just don't have enough fuel anymore. So the impact of the war and the blockade that is
04:54linked to it has a deep impact. And it shows that war is development in reverse. It takes decades to
05:04lift people out of poverty. It takes six weeks of war to push them back into poverty.
05:09Are you confident that a diplomatic solution can be found between the US and Iran?
05:14Am I confident? I have no crystal ball. Am I hopeful? Yes. And that, of course,
05:21is the first measure is to stop the war or at least come to some type of normalization of the
05:28shipping
05:29lanes in the Strait of Hormuz. But even if the war would stop today, you will need economic interventions
05:38to avoid that whole countries and whole populations are being pushed back in poverty in a structural way.
05:44Yeah, it's macroeconomic interventions that international financial institutions can do
05:50on, for example, providing targeted and time limited cash outs to populations who are impacted
05:58or providing free access to fuel, cooking gas and so on. If you don't do these targeted, timely
06:10macroeconomic interventions, you will have many more ripple effects. And we have not talked about the
06:16ripple effects of poverty, of food insecurity. That could lead to additional conflicts. That could lead to
06:26more displacement and migration flows that could lead to other types of extremism.
06:31And you're obviously part of the UN, an institution which has been heavily criticized recently
06:37by the US President, for example. There are fears that his Board of Peace could replace it.
06:43What does the UN bring to the table in this geopolitical context that we're facing now?
06:49We have multiple UN organizations that despite the criticism, and I'm not deaf for the criticism,
06:57are very, very much appreciated by the populations with whom we work. Now, the key element for us is to
07:07have access. For example, in Gaza, which is a really desolate place these days, more than 85% of people
07:16have
07:16lost their homes and are living in the middle of the rubble in tents that are not even worth the
07:21name of
07:22being a tent, we can help many more people. We can provide way more assistance, but we're not getting the
07:29access.
07:29My attitude would be game on, let us show what we're capable of, but then also give us room to
07:36do so.
07:37For the moment, there's no access for UN organizations, but no one else is doing it.
07:44And I'm open to work together with the Board of Peace. I think the Board of Peace is based on
07:48a Security
07:49Council resolution. It has helped in bringing a ceasefire or the diminishment of fire in Gaza. These are good
07:58things. I mean, these are realizations of the U.S. administration. But now we need to move into
08:04the next phase and moving into that next phase really is urgent in helping people to reconstruct their lives.
08:14Lauren Walker speaking to Alexander the Crow there. Moving on now, because an EU delegation is expected
08:20in Budapest later today to meet with the team of the incoming Prime Minister, Peter Magyar. For more,
08:26we can cross over now to Budapest and bring in our correspondent, Sultan Shiboshegi, who is standing
08:33by for us there. Good morning, Sultan. Great to have you on the show. Can you first run us through
08:38what we're expecting from these technical talks between Brussels and Magyar's team today?
08:44Good morning, Europe today. Thank you for having me. Yeah, today, finally, it's going to happen because
08:49originally this delegation was planned for yesterday, but they postponed it. It's going to be a really
08:54important one because Peter's Magyar key campaign pledge was to restore Hungary's ties with the EU
08:59and unblock billions in funding that had been withheld over rule of law and corruption concerns.
09:05The recovery funds question is particularly urgent. Hungary stands to lose nearly 10 billion euros if
09:12payments are not disbursed before the end of August. On Monday, Magyar outlined the four-step plan to meet the
09:19conditions for accessing the funds, including join the European public persecutor's office,
09:24restoring judicial independence and safeguarding economic freedom. Peter Magyar has already spoken
09:30twice with the European Commissioner President Ursula von der Leyen, who pleasures support. But this is not
09:36just the only item what will appear on Friday agenda. Hungary is currently withholding the EU's 90
09:42billion euros aid package to Ukraine after believing PM Viktor Orban blocked the previously agreed decision
09:49at the March EU summit. For sure, the delegation will try to convince Peter Magyar, even though we had it
09:58opt out.
09:59OK, Sultan, thank you so much for that update. And we'll keep an eye, of course, on those talks happening
10:04in Budapest today.
10:05Moving on now to Barcelona, where the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is hosting a raft of left-wing
10:13world leaders, including the presidents of Brazil, Colombia and South Africa. Our EU editor Maria Taveo
10:20is there for us and just before the show sent us this update. Well, good morning indeed, Marit. We are
10:27in
10:27Barcelona, where the Spanish government is hosting a convention today and tomorrow, bringing together
10:33heads of states, intellectuals and activists of what it calls is the progressive social democratic world. In a way,
10:41you could argue this is the opposite, the complete opposite of the CPAC convention led in multiple occasions by
10:48President Trump. And of course, it's not a secret that the Spanish Prime Minister and President Trump have clashed on
10:54pretty much every subject, including the war in Iran, which this country, Spain says, is completely illegal and will set
11:01the
11:01region on fire. Now, in terms of today, I spoke with Teresa Rivera. She is the Executive Vice President
11:08of the European Commission, also a former minister in the Spanish government. And I began by asking her
11:14in our interview, why is it that the world needs progressive ideas, but also has the European left lost
11:21the working class because of a disconnect between their vision and their needs? Let's take a look.
11:29My conviction is that we need to think on how to solve the problems. So it is not against anyone,
11:35but to be fair and solid on the type of responses that we are proposing and that we are playing
11:40and
11:41walking the path. So I would not say. Obviously, there is a political view that is pretty different from
11:49those political views being supported by the most conservative voices. But the main intention is to
11:58say what we want. That probably provides a different view of the things that others do want.
12:05But since you talk about the idea of progressive Europe, some would say the left has lost the European
12:11working class because it doesn't have the right priorities, because it has put forward an energy.
12:17I wonder, is this also a moment where the left needs to do a form of soul searching to?
12:22On the contrary, I have the impression that climate action is providing opportunities to people
12:29that could feel the harm, the penalties of not taking climate action. Energy transition means counting
12:39on sources of energy that do not create additional problems and that allow people to have lower bills.
12:44So it is part of the discussion that has been distorted in purpose to prevent action in those
12:51areas that could help people to do things and to count on the high quality of life.
12:57Over the weekend, there was a very important election in Hungary in which the Hungarians
13:01voted for change. Prime Minister Viktor Orban will be leaving office
13:05after 16 years. He was obviously a big ally of President Trump in Europe.
13:10I wonder, what does that election, that result, that call for change say to you when it comes
13:16to Europe at this stage?
13:21We've seen that Hungarians, they decided that they wanted to be Europeans, that they wanted to
13:27fight for their rights, that they thought that this was important in terms of democracy. And they decided
13:33to vote massively, massively. It was not a tight election. It was very clear.
13:39So I think that this shows to what extent this narrative against Europe, against working together,
13:46against being united, against the defense of the civil rights and the integration,
13:51is not something that can win in the middle and long run. On the contrary, it probably exposes
13:57the limitations and the harm that people could feel in the absence of these
14:03joint forces, joint efforts of the European nations to develop the European program.
14:10Just a final point on this. There's been reports now that the Commission, and obviously this now
14:14touches the core of your portfolio, this is a massive job that you have when it comes to the
14:18competition laws in the EU. And these reports suggest that there is now a plan to massively dilute some
14:26of the regulation to allow for mergers to create major European champions. Is that the case? Are you
14:32preparing for this? We are entering into the last phase to adopt an updated version of our merger
14:39guidelines. So we have already a very sound draft. After having hurt everybody, we know that we need to
14:45update our reality to today's economy. But that doesn't mean forgetting the core bulk of our mission,
14:54which is protecting consumers from abuses of dominance. So this means that we may take into
15:00consideration innovation, long-term sustainability, resilience. This means that we need to be ready to
15:08understand the global context and the impact in the national and the domestic economy. But this doesn't
15:14mean forgetting about the importance of keeping the level playing field.
15:18So you're not, just as a final question on this, because it's important, so you're not preparing
15:24major deregulation to allow companies to come together? Of course not. That is not in the pipeline?
15:27No, no, no, of course not. And I say this because you have said in the past that too much
15:30simplification
15:31at times has made things confusing. So your fundamentals is still to say deregulation would be bad for the EU.
15:37This is not a product to deregulate. This is a product to modernize and to be transparent of the criteria
15:48that we will be using to assess when the emergency is pro-competitive and provides positive effects to
15:55the economy and when it is a real risk and it is not proven that the operation does not comply
16:03with
16:04what it is being said, either if it is innovation or sustainability. So I think that it allows much
16:10more innovation and much more security for all. But at the very same time, it is quite clear that we
16:16will remain defending the interests of the consumers and not accepting whatever as a blank check.
16:24That was Maria Tadeo speaking to the European Commission Vice President Teresa Ribeira.
16:29Now, there's another major election coming up in Europe this weekend. On Sunday, Bulgarians will
16:36head to the polls once again after a series of elections that have failed to break a persisting
16:42political deadlock. Our Jakob Yanis explains what's at stake.
16:49Bulgaria heads to the polls this Sunday for its eighth parliamentary election in five years.
16:54The country is the poorest in the European Union and the electorate is exhausted by a
16:59prolonged political crisis. And on paper, Bulgaria is a recent European success story,
17:04having finally adopted the Euro on the 1st of January and joined Schengen. But there is a big Euro
17:10hangover. On the ground, citizens feel impoverished and ignored by the political class. So who is stepping
17:17in to fill the void? This profound frustration has set the stage for a bitter showdown between two major
17:25figures. One side is Borko Borisov. He's the veteran center-right leader of the GERB party. While
17:32firmly pro-European, his decade in power was plagued by scandals, making him the symbol of the entrenched
17:39establishment. Facing him is Ruman Radev, the left-leaning former president, who sensationally resigned in
17:46January to run for prime minister. And Radev is riding a wave of populist anger, campaigning to dismantle
17:53the oligarchy. But his vocal opposition to military aid for Ukraine and softer stance on Moscow have left
18:00western allies alarmed. And although polls show Radev leading Borisov 31 to 21 percent, neither is close to
18:09a majority, leaving the winner to inevitably cobble together a complicated coalition. And the battle
18:16for control is fierce. Just weeks before the vote, authorities detained over 200 people for electoral
18:23coercion. And the tactics are shocking. Some local officials tricked individuals into believing their
18:30state-funded winter heating and hot lunches were personal gifts from politicians. So Sunday is about
18:37much more than electing a government. It will determine whether the country can finally address
18:42these deep structural problems and rebuild public trust in the political system.
18:52Jakob Janis there. And of course, we'll bring you the analysis on the outcome of those elections on
18:58our show on Monday. But that's it for us for today and for this week. Thank you so much for
19:03your company.
19:04Remember, if you have story ideas, tips or questions for us, you can get in touch by emailing us at
19:10europetoday at euronews.com. We love to hear from you. You can also stay up to date on our reporting
19:17on
19:17Euronews and euronews.com. We'll see you on Monday. In the meantime, have a great weekend.
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19:57Grazie a tutti.
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