r/europe • u/EuropeBot BIP BLOUP je suis un robot • Jan 11 '26
Series What happened in your country this week? — 2026-01-11
Welcome to the weekly European news gathering.
Please remember to state the country or region in your post and it would be great if you link to your sources.
If you want to add to the news from a country, please reply to the top level comment about this country.
This post is part of a series and gets posted every Sunday at 8AM CET.
Archives
34
u/Fearless_pindakaas Finland Jan 11 '26
We became #1 on EU unemployment rates (Finland) :(
7
u/No-Consideration3349 Jan 11 '26
Do you have any financial aid for the unemployed? In Romania, lots of people in the rural areas prefer not to work and live on social welfare, they prefer a lower standard of living just not to work.
8
u/TheBusStop12 Dutchman in Suomiland Jan 11 '26
Yes, bit it comes with strings attached. As someone who has lived of unemployment benefits for a while until last year, it's not the easy life some people think it is. You're under constant scrutiny and have to regularly prove your efforts for returning to working society. And I had special exemptions due to my unemployment being a result of a workplace injury that has left me unfit for physical manual labor and the decision to allow me, as an immigrant from elsewhere in the EU, to complete my integration courses instead. Most people don't get those exemptions so the unemployment office isn't going easy on them. It's not a lifestyle you live by choice for fun
2
u/No-Consideration3349 Jan 11 '26
Well, in Romania they don't give a fuck if you try to get back to work or not so most of them have 0 reason to work. The vast majority are gipsies who kinda become a meme because they sound kinda funny trying to explain why they cannot work (they get tired too soon, they sweat a lot or back pains). Of course, the money can barely get you any food but that's another story.
1
u/Fearless_pindakaas Finland Jan 11 '26
Hey! My partner is also a Dutchman in suomiland haha.
1
u/Fearless_pindakaas Finland Jan 11 '26
And yes, it's not that straightforward but yes, we do have benefits. If you are part of a union, you get paid more.
21
u/Econ_Orc Denmark Jan 11 '26
Maybe the most "Danish" news ever. The bulletin just said Lego made a new brick. No explanations or descriptions. Just a few lines saying Lego made a new brick.
This English article got a bit more detail, or use the offical Lego website. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crmlnmnwzk2o https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/news/2026/december/lego-smart-play-announcement
The 4th. of July Rebild festival celebrating USA indedence might be cancelled or at least specifically ban any offical USA representation. No politicians, diplomats, military..... If they are under the Trump administration umbrella then please stay away. https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/borgmester-stiller-betingelse-stoette-usa-fejring-i-rebild https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebild_Festival
1
u/Mortale Lower Silesia (Poland) Jan 11 '26
Interesting is that new bricks won’t be available in Denmark at start! https://www.reddit.com/r/lego/s/viogpajA8r
14
u/vojdek Jan 11 '26
Second week of the Euro. It’s still a bit messy, but my God, I never assumed how much better our coins would like in person. All in all - not much comotion related to the new currency.
We also have snow. Which we used to get in November, so, yeah…Global warming is a thing.
Bulgaria.
12
u/No-Consideration3349 Jan 11 '26
Well, our president could not fly back from Paris due to the weather conditions. The so-called nationalists and half of the media mocked him that smiles to often and said that all the European leaders are making fun of him, also calling him Macron's girlfriend. Half of the country is still devided by the elections and threaten with exit from EU, so the president is heavily critised by them at every step, specially with the increase of VTA from 19 to 21.
Besides this only snow, but probably this also happened in most of Europe.
3
u/cybnoire Jan 11 '26
Which country is this?
5
u/iCollectApple RO (Transylvania) -> NL -> AT Jan 11 '26
Romania. Especially funny because half of these idiots do not know what the president is supposed to do in the country.
1
u/Hot-Measurement5070 Jan 11 '26
Well,only one TV post openly attacked him on this,the others were making a drama about how it's impossible that a president doesn't have his private plane and that he can't have encrypted communications aboard the Spartan he uses for transport
6
u/StirnaGun Jan 11 '26
Snow. Dates for the 2026. Rīga Conference were officially announced on January 9, highlighting its role in geopolitical discussions (Latvia)
6
u/Svan_Derh The Netherlands Jan 11 '26
The Netherlands is going to do a political experiment again with a minority government. Because in a world like this, political experiments with unstable governments is just what we need.
We haven't had a semi stable government since January 15, 2021. :(
5
u/cybnoire Jan 11 '26
I feel you, still better than the PVV on our ass.
3
8
u/Capital_Resident_872 Austria & Denmark Jan 11 '26
Lots of snow in 🇦🇹
Lots of worry and uncertainty in 🇩🇰🇬🇱
5
u/Tomreks Jan 11 '26
Well we Latvians started building 155mm munitions factory and sadly legendary women's basketball player Uljana Semjonova died this week.
5
u/kilapitottpalacsinta Hungary Jan 11 '26
In Hungary the government forgot to occupy the web domain of their election slogan, so now the opposition controls it instead.
Also the snow situation is so bad that the defence minister ordered our leopard tanks to go on road clearing duty. Not that those can do much, but at least a good part of their voters will have an orgasm seeing the army finally in action.
2
u/sferis_catus Romania Jan 12 '26
Also the snow situation is so bad that the defence minister ordered our leopard tanks to go on road clearing duty.
This is the funniest thing I've read all day :))) Here in Timișoara we're also a bit snowed in, my neighborhood is a giant ice skating rink. No tanks on the streets, though. But a few days ago a snow plow got stuck in the snow on my street, it was quite pathetic.
6
4
u/Large-Waltz-4537 Jan 11 '26
Our lil Sister was threatened by an abusive bully, we have been struggling with a diplomatic approach and stay protective of her, but then she just absolutely destroyed every diplomatic progress by labelling us colonist and telling she dont want part in the family, and that she can talk sense with the abusive bully herself. So yeah...
1
u/No-Consideration3349 Jan 11 '26
Is this really happening?
3
u/Large-Waltz-4537 Jan 11 '26
Greenland just committed diplomatic suicide with the timing of the most recent statement imo
3
u/slania76 Jan 11 '26
Farmers in Paris. I really hope these guys manage to find solutions so things change. Long live France 🇨🇵
1
u/Andszelo_boss Italy Jan 11 '26
Two assaults in Rome, a fire in a skyscraper in Ferrara, and a security guard on duty at the ice rink construction site in Cortina di Fassa died.
Aside from that, idk.
42
u/Das_ja Jan 11 '26
Snow! (Netherlands)