Afrique

MEPs encourage the Ukrainian government to maintain its pace on implementing EU-related reforms while reaffirming the EU’s commitment to a just and lasting peace.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

MEPs encourage the Ukrainian government to maintain its pace on implementing EU-related reforms while reaffirming the EU’s commitment to a just and lasting peace.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Les États-Unis veulent obtenir des droits sur les minerais de la République démocratique du Congo, mais une mine essentielle est toujours aux mains des rebelles.

Parliament’s co-rapporteurs for the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) will brief journalists on the expectations for the next EU budget ahead of the Commission’s proposal.
Committee on Budgets

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Parliament’s co-rapporteurs for the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) will brief journalists on the expectations for the next EU budget ahead of the Commission’s proposal.
Committee on Budgets

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Committees

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

On Thursday, Parliament adopted three emergency resolutions, on Dubai, the Central African Republic, and Syria.
Subcommittee on Human Rights

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

In a resolution adopted on Thursday, Parliament set out its concerns about Chinese export restrictions on critical raw materials.

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

With 175 votes in favour, 360 against, and 18 abstentions, the European Parliament rejected a motion of censure against the Commission on Thursday.

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

On 14 and 15 July, Parliament will host the 107th Rose-Roth Seminar in partnership with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA).
Committee on Security and Defence

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Thursday, 10 July

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Selon des experts, le Mali, le Burkina Faso et le Niger pourraient rationaliser les bénéfices des ressources minières, augmenter leurs budgets et développer leur pays avec la nationalisation.

On Wednesday, MEPs stressed that cohesion and agriculture policies must remain strong and distinct in the EU’s long-term budget (MFF), ahead of next week’s Commission proposal.
Committee on Budgets

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Three reports adopted on Wednesday highlight the urgent need for EU-related reforms, effective use of the Growth Plan and a decisive stance against foreign interference.
Committee on Foreign Affairs

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

In a resolution, MEPs strongly condemn Russia’s ongoing war crimes in Ukraine, expressing firm support for the investigations of the International Criminal Court.

Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Event Video 
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IPI, together with the Permanent Missions of the Republic of Korea, Denmark, and Pakistan to the United Nations, cohosted a policy forum on the “Ten-Year Review of the High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (HIPPO) Report” on July 8th.

The purpose of this event was to revisit the findings and recommendations of the 2015 HIPPO report in light of current policy discussions. The event also served to launch an IPI publication on the ten-year review of the High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations Report written by Jenna Russo, IPI Director of Research and Head of the Brian Urquhart Center for Peace Operations; Bitania Tadesse, IPI Policy Specialist for Africa; and Ilianna Kotini, IPI intern at the Brian Urquhart Center for Peace Operations.

This event and publication are part of IPI’s workstream on the HIPPO report funded by the Republic of Korea.

Opening Remarks:
H.E. Hyunwoo Cho, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations
H.E. Sandra Jensen Landi, Deputy Permanent Representative of Denmark to the United Nations

Speakers:
Jenna Russo, Director of Research and Head of the Brian Urquhart Center for Peace Operations, International Peace Institute
Youssef Mahmoud, Senior Adviser Emeritus, International Peace Institute, and former HIPPO panel member (VTC)
Ian Martin, former HIPPO panel member and former Special Representative of the Secretary-General (VTC)
Eugene Chen, Senior Fellow, New York University’s Center on International Cooperation
Dirk Druet, Non-resident Fellow, International Peace Institute

Moderator:
Bitania Tadesse, Policy Specialist for Africa, International Peace Institute

Closing Remarks:
H.E. Muhammad Usman Iqbal Jadoon, Deputy Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations

The post Ten-Year Review of the High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations Report appeared first on International Peace Institute.

Ten years after the High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (HIPPO) released its landmark report “Uniting Our Strengths for Peace,” UN peace operations face new challenges that test the UN’s capacity to adapt to an evolving global landscape. As the UN examines the future of peace operations, it is timely to review the recommendations of the HIPPO report, many of which remain pertinent to today’s policy discussions.

This report reassesses the findings of the HIPPO report in light of today’s peace operations contexts, analyzes where there has and has not been progress, and considers how the HIPPO report can be useful to current discussions. Overall, today’s peace operations operate in a more challenging environment than in 2015, facing a more divided Security Council, severe financial constraints, and questions about the UN’s legitimacy. Nonetheless, the report concludes that many of HIPPO’s core insights remain relevant, and the findings and recommendations of the HIPPO report can help inform current policy discussions on the future of peace operations:

• UN80 Initiative: The secretary-general should articulate a clear vision guided by the New Agenda for Peace and Pact for the Future, ensuring cuts do not compromise the UN’s readiness to deploy peace operations or institutional memory.
• Review on the Future of Peace Operations: The Secretariat should use this review to identify what forms of peace operations the UN is best positioned to support and the capacities needed to backstop these efforts effectively.
• Modular Approaches: The Secretariat should develop frameworks for implementing modular mission designs while ensuring critical areas of work like the protection of civilians, gender, and human rights remain prioritized in streamlined mandates.
• Peacebuilding and Prevention: All member states should develop national prevention strategies as called for in the Pact for the Future, and the UN should consider pooling early-warning resources with regional organizations.
• Political Primacy: The secretary-general should clarify what the primacy of politics means in contexts without viable peace processes, encompassing politics beyond the signing of a formal agreement at the national level.
• Advancing Partnerships: The UN should embrace more ambitious partnerships that leverage its normative independence while drawing on regional organizations’ proximity to crises, focusing on prevention and mediation alongside peace enforcement.

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The post Ten Years after HIPPO: Assessing Progress and Charting the Future of UN Peace Operations appeared first on International Peace Institute.

Less than two months since his appointment as EDA Chief Executive, André Denk has begun touring Member States to discuss their respective defence priorities and EDA’s pivotal role in serving Member States’ interests, leveraging defence and capability development cooperation in the European Union.   

Earlier this week, Chief Executive Denk visited Sweden and Italy – where he met with the Ministers of Defence of both countries, as well as top national defence authorities.   

Sweden

In Stockholm, he met with Minister of Defence Pål Jonson and with the Chief of Defence, General Michael Claesson. Denk also visited the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI), the Swedish Defence Material Administration (FMV), and the Swedish Armed Forces. Discussions revolved around Sweden’s ongoing priorities and EDA’s concrete support to Member States in innovation, capability development, and joint procurement. 

Italy

In Rome, he met with Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto, National Armaments Director Admiral Giacinto Ottaviani, Chief of Defence General Luciano Portolano, and Deputy Chief of Defence General Del Bene. Discussions focused on reinforcing cooperation in defence, aligning industrial and technological priorities, and advancing European strategic autonomy.  

During his trip to Rome, Denk also presented the results of the first-ever Operational Experimentation (OPEX) campaign dedicated to unmanned systems – i.e. UAVs and UGVs - for cross-domain logistics at the Italian Army's multifunctional experimentation centre, CEPOLISPE. 

EDA's Chief Executive will travel to other Member States in the coming weeks.

General Michael Claesson, Sweden's Chief of Defence

General Carl-Johan Edström, Sweden's Chief of the Defence Staff

Guido Crosetto, Italian Minister of Defence - and his delegation

 

Admiral Giacinto Ottaviani, Italy's National Armaments Director

Main photo: Guido Crosetto, Italy's Defence Minister; Pål Jonson, Sweden's Defence Minister

EDA’s broader role 

Founded in 2004, the Agency helps foster defence cooperation across Europe. It serves as the central hub for EU countries aiming to develop their defence capabilities together. EDA’s activities span from harmonising requirements and developing operational capabilities to research, technology, innovation, training, and supporting Common Security and Defence Policy operations. The agency also works closely with the European defence industry to strengthen Europe’s technological and industrial base.

On 3 July 2025, six European defence companies gathered near Rome to demonstrate unmanned aerial and ground systems as part of the European Defence Agency’s (EDA) first-ever European Defence Innovation Operational Experimentation (OPEX) campaign. The live demonstration took place under the umbrella of the Hub for EU Defence Innovation (HEDI), at the Italian Army’s Multifunctional Experimentation Centre (CEPOLISPE) in Montelibretti, Italy.

Crucially, this marks the first operational experimentation coordinated at EU level. While similar initiatives have taken place nationally, OPEX introduces a new model of cross-border collaboration among Member States.

"Security, warfare, and technology are changing at an accelerating pace. The war in Ukraine reshaped our understanding of defence innovation, compressing years of development into weeks through rapid prototyping, adaptability, and tight collaboration among armed forces, engineers, and civilians. So, defence innovation is no longer optional, nor a long-term ambition,” said André Denk, EDA’s Chief Executive, during the Distinguished Visitors’ Day. “Accelerating innovation from the lab to the field is our ticket to operational relevance.”

The OPEX campaign embodies HEDI’s ambition to bridge the gap between promising innovation and real-world military capability. By testing unmanned aerial and ground systems in realistic operational conditions, OPEX offers a way for Member States, industry and end-users to jointly test, evaluate and refine technologies. That helps to overcome the “valley of death” where innovations often fail to reach operational use.

Unlike traditional demonstrations, OPEX reflects a shift toward experimentation as a strategic tool. It generates critical insights into operational concepts, training requirements and interoperability challenges — supporting long-term defence planning. From autonomous systems and drones to electronic interference platforms, the campaign reflects EDA’s commitment to accelerating the uptake of emerging capabilities.

Weeks of field testing

The campaign unfolded in several phases of increasing complexity, from the evaluation of individual systems to fully integrated, cross-domain operations using unmanned aerial systems (UAVs) and unmanned ground systems (UGVs). The six companies — Portugal’s BEYOND VISION, ALTUS LSA of Greece, Austria’s SCHIEBEL, ALYSIS of Spain, PIAP of Poland and Germany’s ARX ROBOTICS — carried out simulations of coordinated tactical missions, focused on autonomous logistics under conditions closely mirroring real-life scenarios.

The final phase of the campaign tested these systems further in demanding, multi-domain environments, providing insight into how advanced technologies can be integrated into future military operations and force structures.

The Distinguished Visitors’ Day event brought together high-level representatives, including EDA's Denk, Director of CEPOLISPE Brigadier General Pierpaolo Dotoli, Italian National Armaments Director (NAD) Admiral Giacinto Ottaviani, and Italy's Deputy NAD Luisa Riccardi. EDA’s Director for Research, Technology and Innovation, Nathalie Guichard outlined HEDI’s mission to accelerate defence innovation across the EU.

OPEX campaigns will become a multi-annual effort under HEDI. Future editions, hosted by various Member States, will expand in scope and complexity, covering a wider range of emerging technologies. They will feed directly into EU defence planning, helping ensure that innovation is translated more rapidly and effectively into operational capability.

The OPEX support team is a consortium led by French company EXTENSEE. It helped in the design and execution of the OPEX campaign in collaboration with EDA and the Italian authorities.

EDA awarded contracts across six specialised categories, following a competitive procurement process launched in July 2024:

• Low-Cost Attritable UAS – BEYOND VISION (Portugal) 
• Vertical Take-Off and Launch (VTOL) UAS – ALTUS LSA (Greece) 
• Heavy Lift VTOL UAS – SCHIEBEL (Austria) 
• Low-Cost Attritable UGS – ALYSIS (Spain) 
• Medium Wheeled Logistical UGS – PIAP (Poland)
• Medium Tracked Logistical UGS – ARX ROBOTICS (Germany) 

EDA’s broader role 

Founded in 2004, the Agency helps foster defence cooperation across Europe. It serves as the central hub for EU countries aiming to develop their defence capabilities together. EDA’s activities span from harmonising requirements and developing operational capabilities to research, technology, innovation, training, and supporting Common Security and Defence Policy operations. The agency also works closely with the European defence industry to strengthen Europe’s technological and industrial base. 

On 30 June 2025, the European Defence Agency (EDA) signed the contract for the LEO2VLEO project to develop and deploy a constellation of military defence satellites capable of manoeuvring between Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO).

The €10 million contract was signed at the EDA headquarters by Chief Executive André Denk and Jeroen Rotteveel, CEO of ISISPACE, who leads the industrial consortium.  

Co-funded by the Netherlands’ Ministry of Defence and the Austrian Armed Forces, the project will design, develop, build, launch, and operate a constellation of three 16U satellites. The launch is planned within two years, marking a significant leap in European defence space capability.  

Chief Executive Denk said: “LEO2VLEO is not just a demonstration of technology but a testament to our ability to work through multinational cooperation. We are proud to support this pioneering effort that will strengthen the EU’s resilience and readiness in space, an increasingly contested domain.”

ISISPACE CEO Rotteveel said: “It is encouraging to see this project gaining momentum, as it is a crucial step towards developing the space systems necessary for ensuring Europe's safety. Together with our consortium partners, we are confident in our ability to quickly deliver the functionalities required by the Dutch and Austrian Ministries of Defence.”

Earth observation, minimal debris

For EDA and its Capability Technology Area (CapTech) Space, the project represents an achievement in defence research and technology (R&T). It will be the first known European military satellite constellation capable of transitioning between LEO and VLEO – a manoeuvre that enables greater flexibility, higher-resolution imaging, and enhanced responsiveness during crisis operations.

The LEO2VLEO satellites will provide proof of concept and in-orbit demonstration of defence applications, addressing Europe's urgent need for sovereign, rapid-response space assets. Using VLEO offers several strategic advantages, including improved communications, agility, and Earth observation capabilities, while minimising space debris risk.

This novel approach uses off-the-shelf components combined with extensive R&T to accelerate operational readiness. The project also foresees the inclusion of payloads for Earth observation and navigational warfare – both critical in today’s security environment.

EDA’s Hub for EU Defence Innovation (HEDI) supported the initiative through a preliminary study based on its 2023 proof-of-concept framework. This early investment by HEDI has helped pave the way for the current demonstrator phase.

In addition to demonstrating in-orbit performance, the project includes pre-operational capability development, laying the foundation for a future fully operational military satellite system. If successful, LEO2VLEO will set the stage for enhanced autonomy and resilience in European defence missions.

The project brings together a consortium of European innovators, comprising: 

• ISISPACE Group (Lead)  
• Dawn Aerospace Nederland B.V.
• Fantana Defence and Space GmbH
• ASA Astrosysteme GmbH
• Graz University of Technology 
• Beyond Gravity Austria GmbH
• Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft mbH