Editor-in-chief at @euobserver.com Tips? esn@euobserver.comhttps://bsky.app/profile/elenasanchez.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/elenasanchez.bsky.social/post/3mpqexzx53c2tRussia is using Europe's alumina for its war against Ukraine, posing key questions for Dublin and Brussels. What could the next steps be? EU sanctions? Nationalisation? In my latest analysis on @euobserver.com, I explain why there are no easy solutions. https://euobserver.com/225302/irelands-eu-presidency-already-under-pressure-how-long-can-europe-resist-sanctioning-russian-alumina-plant/03 Jul 2026 10:53 +0000at://did:plc:gswts63m3ew4kbrlwt7a5ika/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpqexzx53c2thttps://bsky.app/profile/elenasanchez.bsky.social/post/3mnjo2obz2k2aThe European Council has a new, old problem: populist Janez Janša is back as prime minister, driving Slovenia further to the right and potentially becoming a new headache for Brussels. https://euobserver.com/220100/the-return-of-slovenias-prince-of-darkness-what-to-expect-from-jansa-4-0/05 Jun 2026 07:56 +0000at://did:plc:gswts63m3ew4kbrlwt7a5ika/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnjo2obz2k2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/elenasanchez.bsky.social/post/3mmvitbrnzk2oI often bump into people who praise Sánchez's foreign policy and economic track record. Then you open the Spanish newspapers, listen to televised debates or speak with friends and relatives back home, and the reality feels entirely different. Here I try to explain why. https://euobserver.com/218599/pedro-sanchez-eu-hero-or-spanish-problem/28 May 2026 07:30 +0000at://did:plc:gswts63m3ew4kbrlwt7a5ika/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmvitbrnzk2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/elenasanchez.bsky.social/post/3mlq7jqt4mk2gAs rightwing MEPs agree on extending the mandate of the controversial scrutiny committee on NGO funding, @euobserver.com publishes a timely oped on the subject: "It’s time to recognise that civic space is not simply 'shrinking' across Europe." https://euobserver.com/216296/how-eu-policies-are-providing-cover-for-member-states-to-target-ngos/13 May 2026 11:35 +0000at://did:plc:gswts63m3ew4kbrlwt7a5ika/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlq7jqt4mk2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/elenasanchez.bsky.social/post/3mlq5iq7euc24Eurovision was meant to “promote unity” and “show the world as it could be” — but it has become a culture-war zone, which reflects a surge in real-world violence both inside the EU and in its neighbourhood. The latest from my colleague Andrew Rettman on @euobserver.com https://euobserver.com/215821/how-israel-and-russia-turned-eurovision-into-a-culture-war-zone/13 May 2026 10:58 +0000at://did:plc:gswts63m3ew4kbrlwt7a5ika/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlq5iq7euc24https://bsky.app/profile/elenasanchez.bsky.social/post/3mldtxup7l223“Business as usual is not working,” Palestinian diplomat Riyad Mansour said in an interview with @euobserver.com, referring to the EU’s long-standing approach of dialogue with Israel, despite its continued violations of international law. https://euobserver.com/215497/interview-palestines-un-envoy-pushes-eu-to-show-tough-love-to-israel-business-as-usual-is-not-working/08 May 2026 13:36 +0000at://did:plc:gswts63m3ew4kbrlwt7a5ika/app.bsky.feed.post/3mldtxup7l223https://bsky.app/profile/elenasanchez.bsky.social/post/3mld6f2r46c23Denying Israel’s right to exist, be it through a chorus or slogans often heard in demonstrations across Europe following the war in Gaza, could soon become a criminal offence in Germany. https://euobserver.com/215145/germanys-historical-struggle-and-the-legal-debate-on-israels-right-to-exist/08 May 2026 07:10 +0000at://did:plc:gswts63m3ew4kbrlwt7a5ika/app.bsky.feed.post/3mld6f2r46c23https://bsky.app/profile/elenasanchez.bsky.social/post/3mhfm6efbec2sIt’s EUCO day in Brussels — and EUobserver's coverage offers an in-depth look at the tensions shaping the summit agenda.19 Mar 2026 08:41 +0000at://did:plc:gswts63m3ew4kbrlwt7a5ika/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhfm6efbec2shttps://bsky.app/profile/elenasanchez.bsky.social/post/3mgafbkqkdc2v1/2 European leaders have been carefully drafting cautious statements urging ‘de-escalation’ and ‘respect for international law’. But one voice has sounded different. And it speaks Spanish. My analysis from yesterday: https://euobserver.com/205336/europes-voice-of-moral-sense-speaks-spanish/04 Mar 2026 13:29 +0000at://did:plc:gswts63m3ew4kbrlwt7a5ika/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgafbkqkdc2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/elenasanchez.bsky.social/post/3mflvckz3us2qFor the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, I spoke with Ukraine’s ambassador to the EU, Vsevolod Chentsov. His message was clear: don’t mistake fatigue for peace. Moscow hasn’t abandoned its aim, and diplomacy without pressure won’t end the war. https://euobserver.com/204122/four-years-of-war-dont-buy-putins-bullshit-ukraine-ambassador-tells-eu/24 Feb 2026 09:50 +0000at://did:plc:gswts63m3ew4kbrlwt7a5ika/app.bsky.feed.post/3mflvckz3us2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/elenasanchez.bsky.social/post/3mf7shcrmx222Viktor Orbán has also pledged, in his annual address earlier this month, to “clear out” after the April elections media and civil society organisations deemed to threaten “sovereignty.” Fidesz already directly or indirectly control 80 percent of Hungary’s media. https://euobserver.com/203675/how-orban-systematically-suffocated-the-hungarian-media-over-the-past-15-years/19 Feb 2026 14:27 +0000at://did:plc:gswts63m3ew4kbrlwt7a5ika/app.bsky.feed.post/3mf7shcrmx222https://bsky.app/profile/elenasanchez.bsky.social/post/3mf2dbuciyc2fToday, I’m thrilled to share that @euobserver.com is joining journalist-owned Slovak publishing house @dennikn.bsky.social. A new era. One I hope will bring great stories, more cross-border collaboration, and growth.17 Feb 2026 10:12 +0000at://did:plc:gswts63m3ew4kbrlwt7a5ika/app.bsky.feed.post/3mf2dbuciyc2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/elenasanchez.bsky.social/post/3menwyx6tbk2iWhat’s in the EU’s new sanctions against Moscow over the Ukraine war? From the Russian head of world chess and Central Asian sanctions evaders to chemical weapons, killer drones, mercenaries, crypto, metals, and even salt. Good intel here: https://euobserver.com/202386/russian-chess-boss-central-asia-crypto-targeted-in-new-eu-sanctions/12 Feb 2026 12:00 +0000at://did:plc:gswts63m3ew4kbrlwt7a5ika/app.bsky.feed.post/3menwyx6tbk2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/elenasanchez.bsky.social/post/3me4qmxaggk2wLet's stop overusing the "Exclusive" tag, we’ll all benefit.05 Feb 2026 15:51 +0000at://did:plc:gswts63m3ew4kbrlwt7a5ika/app.bsky.feed.post/3me4qmxaggk2whttps://bsky.app/profile/elenasanchez.bsky.social/post/3mcwollodps2dWondering whether European governments could coerce investors into selling trillions in US holdings? Europe would be the first to suffer, explains my colleague @westervangaal.bsky.social in this excellent analysis https://euobserver.com/eu-and-the-world/ar73cb485b21 Jan 2026 12:33 +0000at://did:plc:gswts63m3ew4kbrlwt7a5ika/app.bsky.feed.post/3mcwollodps2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/elenasanchez.bsky.social/post/3m7puhxdxhs22Two months into the fragile ceasefire, what is going on in Gaza? "A combination of hope and despair," told me Marta Lorenzo Rodriguez, the director of the @unrwa.org office in Brussels, in a recent interview. Read it for free on @euobserver.com https://euobserver.com/eu-and-the-world/arc4edd0f311 Dec 2025 15:15 +0000at://did:plc:gswts63m3ew4kbrlwt7a5ika/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7puhxdxhs22https://bsky.app/profile/elenasanchez.bsky.social/post/3lzxdadbjm222EUobserver's weekly agenda is back. https://euobserver.com/agenda/ar0584312529 Sep 2025 05:56 +0000at://did:plc:gswts63m3ew4kbrlwt7a5ika/app.bsky.feed.post/3lzxdadbjm222https://bsky.app/profile/elenasanchez.bsky.social/post/3lzqeczbop22hMoldovan citizens are going to the polls on Sunday (28 September), in what is set to be a highly-contested election — with possible implications for the whole continent. This election is not about left or right; it is about a democratic Moldova or Russia. https://euobserver.com/eu-and-the-world/are6ed2e8b26 Sep 2025 11:27 +0000at://did:plc:gswts63m3ew4kbrlwt7a5ika/app.bsky.feed.post/3lzqeczbop22hhttps://bsky.app/profile/elenasanchez.bsky.social/post/3lzndfo2zrk2hSome 541,000 Russians visited the EU last year, compared to 517,000 in 2023, and over four million a year before Russia's full invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Despite a new sanctions crackdown on the sector, Russian tourists will continue to be able to visit the EU. https://euobserver.com/eu-and-the-world/araefe8f4c25 Sep 2025 06:33 +0000at://did:plc:gswts63m3ew4kbrlwt7a5ika/app.bsky.feed.post/3lzndfo2zrk2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/elenasanchez.bsky.social/post/3lzl7pe6dpc2e"An effective EU policy ... needs to acknowledge that settler violence is state violence, enabled and tolerated by the Israeli regime’s policy of complete impunity". Strong piece by Yoav Shemer-Kunz, co-founder of European Jews for Palestine. https://euobserver.com/eu-and-the-world/arc2d7dba924 Sep 2025 10:21 +0000at://did:plc:gswts63m3ew4kbrlwt7a5ika/app.bsky.feed.post/3lzl7pe6dpc2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/elenasanchez.bsky.social/post/3lvd3snqjm22iI sat down with former EU top diplomat Josep Borrell, who described Europe’s proposal to cut Israel from Horizon as a “bad joke” in response to the atrocities unfolding in Gaza. “Is that really all they can think to do, with what’s happening?” Borrell asked. https://euobserver.com/eu-and-the-world/arbc4fc12901 Aug 2025 07:09 +0000at://did:plc:gswts63m3ew4kbrlwt7a5ika/app.bsky.feed.post/3lvd3snqjm22ihttps://bsky.app/profile/elenasanchez.bsky.social/post/3luaqhtob7k22I got an EU internal document that outlines the toothless nature of a Gaza aid "understanding" between the EU and Israel: non-binding, ambiguous, and difficult to monitor. https://euobserver.com/eu-and-the-world/arc78d91d318 Jul 2025 15:16 +0000at://did:plc:gswts63m3ew4kbrlwt7a5ika/app.bsky.feed.post/3luaqhtob7k22https://bsky.app/profile/elenasanchez.bsky.social/post/3lsdjn7vht223As Nato leaders gather in The Hague this week, attention turns to the proposal to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP (more than double the 2% benchmark). Our explainer covers: 🧩 5% target explained 🇪🇸 Spain’s stance 💰 Defence vs welfare 📉 Who’s falling behind https://euobserver.com/eu-and-the-world/ar9266310524 Jun 2025 07:01 +0000at://did:plc:gswts63m3ew4kbrlwt7a5ika/app.bsky.feed.post/3lsdjn7vht223