https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Europe in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Many people in Sweden have a summer house or 'sommarstuga' to escape to during their long holidays. Getting one of your own can be easier than you think – and can be surprisingly affordable, despite the increased cost of living. https://www.thelocal.com/20190625/guide-how-to-buy-the-swedish-summer-house-of-your-dreams-sommarstuga Tue, 25 Jun 2019 11:51:38 +0200 guide-how-to-buy-the-swedish-summer-house-of-your-dreams-sommarstuga Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Thursday the European Union should ease spending rules as it did during Covid if the Iran war and the resulting energy shock worsens. https://www.thelocal.com/20260409/italys-meloni-suggests-suspending-eu-spending-rules-over-iran-war Thu, 09 Apr 2026 12:04:57 +0200 italys-meloni-suggests-suspending-eu-spending-rules-over-iran-war The Talking France podcast is back with the tale of French tax woes over takeaways, the new plan to cut waiting times for residency cards, why one part of France doesn't have motorway tolls and whether France is really running out of fuel. https://www.thelocal.com/20260409/podcast-french-tax-traps-to-avoid-and-why-paris-is-divided-in-two Thu, 09 Apr 2026 09:01:42 +0200 podcast-french-tax-traps-to-avoid-and-why-paris-is-divided-in-two The Centre for Justice has taken on Indian researcher Fahima Ayub Khan's migration court case, which her lawyer describes as "part of a much broader system failure" in Sweden. https://www.thelocal.com/20260409/we-are-not-bonded-labourers-university-researcher-fights-swedish-deportation-order Thu, 09 Apr 2026 07:29:53 +0200 we-are-not-bonded-labourers-university-researcher-fights-swedish-deportation-order Sweden's border police requested that a former work permit holder be deported as soon as possible because he was too intelligent and was posing legal problems for the authorities, in an email seen by The Local. https://www.thelocal.com/20260408/swedish-police-asked-to-speed-up-deportation-of-intelligent-and-articulate-software-engineer Wed, 08 Apr 2026 11:09:11 +0200 swedish-police-asked-to-speed-up-deportation-of-intelligent-and-articulate-software-engineer Flights to and from Germany haven't been severely impacted by jet fuel supply issues yet, but that could change quickly if the war in the Middle East continues. We asked airlines what passengers can expect. https://www.thelocal.com/20260408/will-travellers-in-germany-be-affected-by-europes-looming-jet-fuel-crisis Wed, 08 Apr 2026 14:20:46 +0200 will-travellers-in-germany-be-affected-by-europes-looming-jet-fuel-crisis Italy could bring in nationwide emergency measures to save energy as early as May if disruption to fuel supplies in the Middle East continues. Here's what the government is planning. https://www.thelocal.com/20260408/driving-and-air-conditioning-whats-in-italys-energy-saving-emergency-plan Wed, 08 Apr 2026 12:11:15 +0200 driving-and-air-conditioning-whats-in-italys-energy-saving-emergency-plan Air traffic controllers at 14 of Spain's smaller airports have called stoppages from mid-April, as ground handling staff at other major airports pause their strikes this week while wage negotiations get underway. https://www.thelocal.com/20260408/air-traffic-controllers-call-strikes-at-14-airports-in-spain Wed, 08 Apr 2026 11:35:07 +0200 air-traffic-controllers-call-strikes-at-14-airports-in-spain France is being redrawn before our eyes - writes John Lichfield - the old political maps of Left-Right-Centre no longer make sense. Politicians are trying to re-invent them. https://www.thelocal.com/20260408/opinion-le-pen-pushes-to-cast-aside-far-right-label-as-france-redraws-political-map Wed, 08 Apr 2026 09:40:11 +0200 opinion-le-pen-pushes-to-cast-aside-far-right-label-as-france-redraws-political-map Sweden's government is pushing ahead with its plan to abolish permanent residency for many future applicants, including those on the basis of Long Term Residence (LTR), ignoring complaints that this would affect Swiss citizens and foreign researchers. https://www.thelocal.com/20260408/sweden-pushes-ahead-with-plan-to-abolish-permanent-residency Wed, 08 Apr 2026 07:52:56 +0200 sweden-pushes-ahead-with-plan-to-abolish-permanent-residency Germany’s recently updated military service law requires male citizens of a certain age to seek approval before spending more than three months abroad. What does this mean for dual-nationals and would‑be Germans? https://www.thelocal.com/20260407/how-germanys-new-military-service-rules-affect-travel-for-foreign-nationals Tue, 07 Apr 2026 17:07:20 +0200 how-germanys-new-military-service-rules-affect-travel-for-foreign-nationals Fair Transition has succeeded in pushing the campaign to add transitional rules to Sweden's upcoming citizenship bill up the political agenda. But what chance does it have of actually changing the law? https://www.thelocal.com/20260407/does-the-campaign-for-transitional-rules-for-swedish-citizenship-stand-a-chance Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:12:39 +0200 does-the-campaign-for-transitional-rules-for-swedish-citizenship-stand-a-chance In a former office building estate in an industrial estate in southern Sweden, a world exists that isn't quite a prison – yet few are free to leave. The Local's Richard Orange visits the Migration Agency's detention centre in Åstorp. https://www.thelocal.com/20260407/inside-a-swedish-detention-centre-something-happens-to-people-who-are-deprived-of-their-freedom Tue, 07 Apr 2026 07:28:37 +0200 inside-a-swedish-detention-centre-something-happens-to-people-who-are-deprived-of-their-freedom A footballer who claimed not to be a tax resident of France has been handed a €5 million tax bill after authorities tracked his Deliveroo account and found more than 200 meal deliveries in a single year to his French address. https://www.thelocal.com/20260407/frenchman-hit-with-e5m-tax-bill-after-takeaway-orders-betray-residency-status Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:03:12 +0200 frenchman-hit-with-e5m-tax-bill-after-takeaway-orders-betray-residency-status Austria will adjust pensions in January 2026, but the uplift will not be equal for everyone. So who gets full inflation protection, who does not, and why ministers say the model is 'socially balanced'? https://www.thelocal.com/20250912/explained-what-austrias-2026-pension-changes-mean-for-you Fri, 12 Sep 2025 11:46:28 +0200 explained-what-austrias-2026-pension-changes-mean-for-you Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson claims the issue of teen deportations affects only a few "individual cases". We know from our readers that it's more common than that, but statistics are hard to find. https://www.thelocal.com/20260402/in-data-how-many-teen-deportations-are-there-in-sweden Thu, 02 Apr 2026 07:55:47 +0200 in-data-how-many-teen-deportations-are-there-in-sweden The oldest application in Sweden's queue for citizenship has been waiting for a decision for nine years, possibly ten. Here are the numbers on Sweden's citizenship backlog. https://www.thelocal.com/20260330/in-data-which-are-the-oldest-cases-in-swedens-citizenship-backlog Mon, 30 Mar 2026 08:46:59 +0200 in-data-which-are-the-oldest-cases-in-swedens-citizenship-backlog The price of diesel fuel has rocketed by more than 30 percent across Europe since the start of the Middle East war highlighting the continent's dependence on imported energy and the lingering prominence of diesel on the car market. https://www.thelocal.com/20260404/european-drivers-choke-on-rising-diesel-prices Sat, 04 Apr 2026 16:17:02 +0200 european-drivers-choke-on-rising-diesel-prices Spain and four other European Union nations have called for a tax on windfall profits of energy companies in response to rising fuel prices due to the Middle East war, Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo said Saturday. https://www.thelocal.com/20260404/five-eu-nations-urge-tax-on-energy-firms-windfall-profits Sat, 04 Apr 2026 14:12:23 +0200 five-eu-nations-urge-tax-on-energy-firms-windfall-profits From Emmanuel Macron's war of words with Donald Trump to French plans to accelerate electrification, via flying bells and how France is annoying Swedes, Inside France is our weekly look at the news and talking points from France. https://www.thelocal.com/20260404/inside-france-french-elegance-flying-bells-and-swedish-snuff-fury Sat, 04 Apr 2026 10:20:08 +0200 inside-france-french-elegance-flying-bells-and-swedish-snuff-fury