US President Donald Trump announced steep tariffs on generic medicines from 2028, despite the products being exempt under the EU’s trade deal with Washington.

Early Wednesday, Trump posted on his Truth Social account that generics imported into the US could be subject to 100% tariffs from 1 August 2028, rising to 200% a year later.

“This is done in order to RESHORE Generic Pharmaceutical Production into America, with a penalty to those Companies that decide not to build Plant and Equipment within the stated period of time given to them,” he wrote.  

The move comes despite the EU and US agreeing clear exemptions for cheaper, off-patent generic drugs under the trade deal struck in April, keeping them at the current 0% tariff rate. Innovative branded pharmaceuticals, meanwhile, are capped at 15%.

“We expect the US will continue to uphold this commitment,” an EU spokesperson told Euractiv.

Trump’s post does not mention countries that have already struck deals with Washington, such as Switzerland, the EU and the UK. 

Medicines for Europe, a trade group representing the generics and biosimilar sector, said that off-patent medicines should remain exempt from tariffs “under all circumstances” as committed to in the agreement between Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in order to maintain affordability. 

“For almost 700 active pharmaceutical ingredients approved in the US, Europe is the sole supplier, underlining the importance of maintaining open trade in medicines and pharmaceutical ingredients,” the group said. 

Bernd Lange, the European Parliament’s lead socialist negotiator on the EU-US trade deal, told Euractiv that the announcement still amounted only to a threat. But if Trump were to defy the agreement by imposing tariffs on EU generics, “it would in my opinion clearly violate the EU-US Joint Statement,” he said.

Trump appears to be using the threat as leverage to bring more generic drug manufacturing to the US, which, like Europe, is heavily dependent on China and India for active pharmaceutical ingredients.

“The US President is currently throwing tariff threats around with alarming frequency,” added Lange.

Sandoz, a major Swiss generics manufacturer, said “it is too early to assess the potential implications” of the announcement.

The office of the US Trade Representative is yet to issue an official statement on the potential tariffs. 

Hungary's Prosecutor General, Gábor Bálint Nagy, has resigned amid mounting political pressure as Prime Minister Péter Magyar seeks to replace Orbán-era officials. The move follows allegations of political bias by lawyers for detained Ukrainian cash couriers in a cross-border cash seizure case.

Poland has joined a European Union project developing a secure satellite internet service that would provide an alternative to networks such as Elon Musk’s Starlink.

Hungary's former ruling Fidesz party said prosecutors "showed up unannounced" and raided its data servers on Tuesday. The claim comes as Prime Minister Peter Magyar presses ahead with anti-corruption reforms following his landslide election victory over Orban in April.

The White House has repeatedly condemned EU rules that govern online platforms as censorship. Now they want the world to put the critique into writing.

By Catherine Ashton:

Across Western democracies, a false narrative has crept into our foreign policy. It suggests that defence, diplomacy and development – the three “Ds” that make up our international relations – are interchangeable.

Governments are slashing aid budgets in favour of defence and leaving diplomacy languishing without direction or resources, in the name of greater security. In reality they make themselves less secure, less able to cope with crises, and risk bringing problems closer to home.  

The interconnectivity between these three “Ds” is fundamental to solving problems – the bigger the crisis the more important they become. Not long ago the scourge of world economies was piracy off the coast of Somalia. Pirates grew bolder over time, becoming more capable at boarding and capturing ships, demanding huge ransoms for the crew and cargo they held hostage.

The EU military mission Atalanta successfully created a “corridor” that ships could safely travel through, developed ways to deter pirates and supported prosecutions of those responsible for attacks. It was a major achievement.  

Yet when I visited the Operation HQ in Northolt, near London, the Admiral in charge was clear that the solution to piracy lay not at sea, but on the land. Many pirates were teenage boys lured by the offer of thousands of dollars for a successful attack. Their alternative, in a country ravaged for two decades by civil war was a dollar a day if they could find work at all. However many we caught, he pointed out, there was a ready supply to take their place. They wanted to see development programmes in place to help these young people find real alternatives, along with diplomatic efforts to support Somalia as it tried to recover from its terrible past.   

I heard the same message many times in different circumstances and from different angles. The support for the people of Haiti after the devastating earthquakes that destroyed much of their capital was a combination of military hardware able to move rubble and debris and military hospital ships able to look after the injured brought to them by civilian teams of firefighters and earthquake specialists. Diplomats worked together to get the right aid and support not just in the initial phases but for months afterwards. Interwoven responses that gave the best chance of success.  

More lately, concern has grown across Europe about refugee flows and illegal migration. In reality, most refugees are internally displaced within their own country, but without work, food or shelter. Others flee to nearby countries to seek support in the hope of returning home when the crisis is over.

In the current horrors of the war in Sudan, hundreds of thousands have fled to next door Chad – a poor landlocked country that is suffering more than most from the effects of climate change. It relies on international support to offer those running from conflict, shelter and food. If that support declines, where will the people go? Some will risk everything in their desperation to find safety, making them prey to unscrupulous people smugglers in their hope to reach richer nations across Europe.  

If we want to solve these issues, we need to use all the available tools in our toolkit. Only by recognising that providing aid, supporting countries through development, offering diplomatic solutions to intractable problems, and using our military to offer the protection we need both at home and elsewhere, will we make ourselves safe and secure.

These long-term challenges need long-term responses, integrated through collaboration with our partners. Our forgotten hard power needs to be urgently back in action.  

The Rt Hon. the Baroness Catherine Ashton of Upholland LG GCMG, RUSI Europe Advisory Board Member, first EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and author of the book “And Then What?” 

Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on Sunday that he would ask Judit Polgar, widely regarded as the greatest female chess player of all ​time, to take up the largely ceremonial role of Hungary's ‌next President.

A. Shrinikheathan is breaking from his family's tradition of studying in the United States, opting instead for a master's degree in Germany.

The 22-year-old Chennai engineering graduate is learning German and taking a language proficiency test as ​he applies for courses, drawn by the low cost of studying in Germany and its traditionally strong industry links.

His decision reflects young Indians' growing interest in European universities as the India-EU trade ‌deal's mobility provisions and tighter U.S. immigration rules prompt many to rethink the American Dream, a dozen students and education consultants said.

"The world is becoming more multi-polar. Earlier, the U.S. was all that everyone was talking about," Shrinikheathan said, adding he was happy to have study choices beyond the "wildly more expensive" United States and Canada.

If sustained, the shift could reshape global student flows, with Europe emerging as a viable alternative to North America for Indian students as the EU seeks young talent to offset labour shortages from an ageing population.

European tuition fees ​are typically 50% to 80% less than the U.S., according to education consultant KC Overseas, with lower living costs also reducing the bill.

"The European Union has become a leading destination for Indian students," an EU ​official said in a statement to Reuters. "Indian students bring entrepreneurial spirit, cultural richness, and research excellence."

He added: "(Indian students enrich) European campuses while deepening EU-India ties in innovation, ⁠trade, and diplomacy ... this trend will continue to grow, benefiting Europe's talent pool and India's globally competitive workforce."

India's overseas student outflow fell to about 626,000 in 2025 from more than 908,000 in 2023, government data showed, with students ​wary of tougher visa rules and rising costs in the U.S. and other popular study destinations such as Australia and the UK. Last week, Washington moved to tighten the duration of visas for foreign students as part of a wide-ranging immigration ​crackdown that began after Donald Trump took office in January 2025.

WANTED: INDIAN TALENT AT SCALE

Indians' interest in Europe has risen since the January trade deal, which aims to make it easier for students and skilled workers to move to Europe through easier visa pathways, clearer post-study work routes and improved recognition of Indian qualifications.

"The EU-India mobility framework is part of a broader set of initiatives aiming to make the EU a global magnet for attracting and retaining talent, including for Indian students and talent," the EU official said.

"For ​the first time, a major economic bloc is saying, 'We want Indian talent at scale'," said Arnav Kumar, co-founder of study-abroad platform Leap.

India and the EU will work over five years on social security pacts with member states, initially setting up ​a tech-focused office to guide Indian students and professionals.

"Indian students have been growing in Europe without any overarching framework. Now, we have structured pathways from education to employment," Kumar said, forecasting a 60% to 70% jump in student and worker flows over ‌three to ⁠five years.

Consultants say students are increasingly matching destinations to career goals and lifestyle, choosing Germany for engineering, the Netherlands for work-life balance, Portugal for affordable postgraduate research and France for management.

The prospect of greater mobility across the EU and a growing number of English-language postgraduate programmes are also attracting Indian students and professionals to Europe.

Education consultancy Europe Study Centre has seen enquiries jump 25% to 30% since the trade deal, with director Sivaraman Pandian calling Europe the "red-hot destination" for families put off by rising costs and tougher visa rules elsewhere.

More than 121,000 Indians study in the EU, about half the U.S. total, but the bloc has steadily grown in popularity, emerging as a leading destination alongside the U.S., ​Canada and Australia, government data showed.

CHALLENGES APLENTY TOO

Challenges remain, ​however.

"If somebody says you will get a job in ⁠this country, don't blindly believe it. Just because you studied in that country, it does not entitle you to get a job," said Pandian.

"You study, and you develop a skill-set; your doors are open."

Several students pointed to language barriers, housing shortages in major cities such as Amsterdam, intense competition for jobs, and the need for specialised skills.

Some ​others also acknowledged concerns about the rise in far-right political parties and hardening attitudes towards foreigners in parts of Europe, according to Reuters interviews and social media posts.

EARLY ​DATA SIGNALS EUROPE SHIFT

Still, Indian enrolment ⁠in the Netherlands climbed to about 3,700 in 2025/26 from 2,630 in 2018/19, making Indians the third-largest non-EU student group, Statistics Netherlands said.

Eindhoven University of Technology reported about 2,140 pre-enrolments from India for the coming academic year, up from roughly 1,390 a year earlier.

Leiden University's Indian intake in regular master's programmes, which are less demanding than its master's by research courses, jumped to 120 this year from 70 in 2021.

Italy's Padua University said partner agencies in India were reporting rising interest in ⁠Europe, including from ​regions that traditionally sent students to the United States.

However, whether the surge in interest translates into sustained enrolments will depend on how smoothly ​the agreement is implemented.

Chennai-based engineer T Suthir, who is exploring colleges in the Czech Republic and Italy, said perceptions were already shifting.

"Earlier, before the deal was finalised, my family was saying Europe is not good," he said. "Now, they are saying it's good."

The European Commission’s decision last week to force Google to allow AI rivals to operate on Android devices could be a make-or-break moment for Big Tech’s AI ambitions in Europe.

Last Thursday, the bloc used the Digital Markets Act (DMA) – a flagship law aimed at the market power of giants like Google, Apple and Meta since 2024 – to issue a legal order requiring the company to allow other AIs to operate on Google-certified Android phones. Currently, Gemini is pre-installed on these Android phones, giving it preferential access.  

The EU’s interoperability order requires Google to allow rivals to plug into Android features deemed critical to proper integration. The step means AI tools such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, or even Mistral’s Vibe can expect a level playing field to attract users via Google’s mobile platform from next July.

The order is part of a broader effort by the bloc to intervene in fast-developing AI markets – in a bid to stop the usual tech giants from dominating another important domain. 

The case is an important one to watch, says Fiona Scott Morton, a professor at Yale School of Management, who told Euractiv the AI assistant issue is crucial for the EU.

”It is very important they get it right and that they require adherence,” she said.

Early intervention key

“Once the monopolist is entrenched, there are big network effects, data effects,” Scott Morton warned. “It’s very difficult to dislodge that monopolist, so it’s far easier to prevent [them] from existing in the first place.” 

In other words, an intervention now means the Commission saving itself “an awful lot of work later,” she added.

Last month, under an ongoing competition probe of Meta, the Commission reached for a rarely used regulatory tool to force another tech giant to open its platform to rival AIs. 

The flex on Meta’s WhatsApp lent a little of the DMA’s upfront energy to the painstaking business of enforcing classic EU competition rules.

In both cases, the intent is clear. The bloc wants to prevent Big Tech from using its market power to roll up the emerging AI assistance space. 

Messaging app WhatsApp is widely used in the EU with circa 50 million monthly active users, while Android accounts for a majority (about 60%) of the regional mobile market.

The Commission doesn’t want a situation where “AI is only an extension of the existing ecosystems that we see in the tech world”, Zach Meyers of European think tank CERRE told Euractiv.

By intervening early, market watchers hope the DMA will boost consumer choice and allow AI innovators to compete more effectively.

Max von Thun, director at Open Markets Institute Europe, sees the law enabling a fresh crop of competitors, such as AI search engines. But von Thun says success is not guaranteed, suggesting regulatory delays make it “a race against the clock”.

Beware the pushback

One potential spanner in the works is pushback from the tech giants themselves as they turn their PR firepower on interoperability, claiming it threatens Europeans’ privacy and security.

Back in June, Apple even announced that it wouldn’t roll out an AI overhaul of Siri in the EU, directly blaming the DMA. 

While privacy and security concerns are legitimate, they shouldn’t be wielded “as an excuse to keep systems more closed than they need to be”, said Meyers.

Delivering competitive AI markets will also depend on the bloc’s ability to stick with it and follow through. 

The Commission must ensure “real enforcement” of the DMA, stressed Scott Morton, adding that future success might then be measured by the presence of many AI rivals. 

“It would be a fun fact to recite when people say there is no innovation in Europe or that AI is being regulated away,” she added.

Controversial hypermasculinity influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate were arrested by U.S. Marshals in Miami on Saturday, as UK officials announced a series of 38 new charges against the brothers.

Elon Musk has criticized the continued imprisonment of former spokesman of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn, Ilias Kasidiaris, after reposting a message claiming his detention undermines freedom of political expression.

At the 2026 Connecting EU Seminar in Sofia, journalist Dave Keating delivered a powerful keynote speech outlining a path toward a sovereign Europe. Keating argued that true strategic autonomy requires the continent to break free from its multi-layered reliance on global superpowers, specifically addressing American, Russian, and Chinese spheres of influence. While European leaders frequently address the threats posed by Russia and China, Keating warned that the deep cultural, economic, and technological dependence on the United States is uniquely risky and often overlooked. He explained that decades of foreign influence have created a psychological barrier, leaving Europeans blind to their own vulnerabilities. To counter these systemic challenges, Keating championed radical reform, pointing to European federalism as the only viable solution. By completing the single market and establishing a unified EU army, an integrated federation can finally protect European interests.

Quebec and Europe should deepen economic ties and seek to bolster their collective supply chain resilience, the Canadian province’s international affairs minister has said, citing mounting tensions with Washington and Beijing.

Christopher Skeete told Euractiv that America’s tariffs and China’s export controls on strategically critical minerals have led Quebec to “double down” on its relationship with Europe, a continent with which it shares deep historical, social, and cultural bonds.

The only Francophone-majority jurisdiction in North America, Quebec shares “common values, common views of the world, [and] a common fate” with Europe, Skeete said.

“We’re doubling down on that right now, hoping to go further and do more. We believe in a deeper relationship with Europe as a way of mitigating some of the risks of having a single client, which historically has been the US.”

The comments come amid warming ties between Canada and Europe over the past year, as Donald Trump’s sweeping levies, ambivalence toward NATO, and threats to annex Canada and Greenland spur efforts to boost economic and defence cooperation.

Quebec’s manufacturing-heavy economy has been hit especially hard by this geopolitical upheaval. Trump’s duties have hammered the province’s export-dependent industries, particularly its aluminium smelters. More than 70% of Quebec’s exports go to the US.

The province – which shares competence for its economic affairs with Canada’s federal government – is also highly susceptible to disruptions in the supply of critical minerals, which are used in numerous modern technologies and whose production is dominated by China.

However, the mineral-rich territory is increasingly producing lithium, graphite, and many other elements deemed strategically critical by Brussels. “We can help Europe be more sovereign, but also reduce its dependency on Asian supply chains,” Skeete said, adding that the province is seeking to boost both its mining and refining capacity.

Asked whether breaking Beijing’s chokehold on the world’s critical mineral supply will be difficult, Skeete replied: “It’s not a question about whether or not it’s difficult. I think it’s a moral imperative. I think we have no choice.”

Skeete also touted Quebec’s ability to bolster Europe’s defence sector, noting that a Montreal-based company is the only Canadian firm so far to land a contract under the EU’s €150 billion ‘SAFE’ loan scheme.

“We definitely want a second SAFE programme,” he said. “If we don’t right now use this opportunity of a changing world to deeply integrate our economies, I think we’re missing out on a huge opportunity.”