Photo : Ludovic Marin/AFP
29 May 2025, Thursday | NIAS Europe Daily Brief #1146
By Farhaz Rashid Ahmed
INTERNATIONAL
France's President visits Indonesia to discusss trade and defence
On 28 May, France’s President, Emmanuel Macron, visited Indonesia during his Southeast Asia tour to discuss and strengthen its defence and trade ties. He met Indonesia’s Defence Minister, Prabowo Subianto, in Jakarta. Macron had praised their relations and emphasised their growing military cooperation, including Indonesia’s recent order of 42 Rafale fighter jets, submarines, and radar systems from France. The leaders had signed several agreements on defence, trade, investment and energy, and talked about their joint military production and technology transfer. They also discussed global security issues such as the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. As Macron’s visit is part of a broader effort to support Indonesia’s military modernisation and deepening of France’s presence in the region,n before going to Singapore for a major defence conference. (Gavin Blackburn, “Macron meets 'great friend' Subianto in Indonesia to discuss defence and trade,” Euronews, 28 May 2025)
EU lifts economic sanctions off Syria to aid development
On 28 May, the EU lifted most economic sanctions from Syria. It allowed the Syrian Central Bank and other financial institutions to enter again in the European financial market. This was aimed at supporting the rebuilding of Syria after the ousting of Bashar al-Assad’s government, excluding sanctions related to security concerns, which remain. There will be continuing sanctions against individuals or groups linked to past activities, as well as restrictions on weapons and related technologies. The EU leaders had stressed that this decision supports political transformation of Syria and their national reunification, by hoping that it will eventually enable Syrian refugees in Europe to return home. (Kalika Mehta, “European Union lifts economic sanctions on Syria,” Deutsche Welle, 28 May 2025)
Chinese Ambassador summoned following cyber attacks suspision
On 28 May, the Czech Republic government accused China of cyberattacks targeting unclassified communication systems of its Foreign Ministry since 2022. The attacks are being linked to the hacker group APT31, which Czech correlates to China’s Ministry of State Security. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky summoned the Chinese Ambassador, condemning the cyber espionage and warning of consequences for their bilateral relations. The Czech intelligence agency (BIS) identified China as a key security threat, highlighting its rising interest in Czech political affairs. The EU and NATO also criticised the cyber attacks and asked China to prevent such attacks from originating within its territory. These tensions come along with the Czech's growing relationship with Taiwan, which seems to angered China. These happenings come along with similar cyber threats from Russia, as the Czechs earlier had summoned the Russian ambassador over attacks attributed to APT28 (Fancy Bear), a group that is linked to Russia’s military intelligence. While China has denied any involvement in this incident or state-sponsored hacking. (“Czech Republic summons Chinese ambassador over cyber attacks,” Deutsche Welle, 28 May 2025)
GERMANY
Elon’s Tesla sale falls behind Chinese EVs
On 27 May, the Chinese automobile company BYD surpassed Tesla in registrations for pure electric vehicles in Europe. It highlighted the shift of consumer preference. As BYD registered 7231 in parity to Tesla’s 7165, that signalled a significant decline in Tesla’s stake in the European market. The analysts stated that the delay of the new Model Y rollouts, along with Elon Musk’s political association, had contributed to Tesla’s decline. While German consumers still favour their domestic brands, such as Mercedes and Volkswagen. Yet, Chinese EVs are also gaining ground in countries like Italy and Spain. (Roshni Majumdar, “Tesla Europe sales plummeted by 52% in April — trade group,” Deutsche Welle, 27 May 2025)
SLOVAKIA
Government approves sale of bear meat, draws criticism across the EU
On 28 May, Slovakia may soon be allowing the sale of brown bear meat. As, after its government had approved plans to reduce around 350 of the country’s estimated 1300 bears, stating that increasing bear attacks that including a recent fatal mauling by a bear. While brown bears are protected under EU law and listed as "near threatened." This prompted criticism from both conservationists and the opposing politicians. The government argues that the cull is necessary for the safety of the public and plans to sell meat from legally culled bears to avoid waste. The environmentalists call out the move as reckless and urge, rather than preventing overkilling. In Europe, bear meat is rarely eaten as it poses health risks unless it is properly tested and cooked due to the parasite Trichinella. (Rachel Hagan,“Slovakia approves sale of brown bear meat to public,” BBC News, 28 May 2025)
REGIONAL
Iceland Prime Minister calls for increasing its NATO defence spending
On 28 May, Iceland’s Prime Minister, Kristrún Frostadóttir, stated that even if Iceland has no military, it plays a crucial role in NATO and Arctic security. She stressed the need to increase the defense spending and reassess the country’s readiness to address the growing strategic importance of the High North. As, Russia and China are continuously expanding their military presence and economic activities in the Arctic region. Iceland plans to strengthen facilities like Keflavik Air Base, improve port infrastructure and use AI to detect further threats. Frostadóttir, also linked Arctic security to the Ukraine conflict, warning that Russian aggression might shift north direction too. This comes as NATO is discussing to raise its defense spending targets from two per cent to five per cent of the GDP. This means allocating 3.5 per cent for military investments and 1.5 per cent for related areas, such as infrastructure and cybersecurity. Seemingly, Iceland intends to support these changes and present concrete proposals at the upcoming NATO summit in The Hague this June. (Alice Tidey,“Military-free Iceland should have 'skin in the game' in securing Arctic region, PM says,” Euronews, 28 May 2025)