Looking at Trump, Europeโs far right vows to โreconquerโ the continent
โOur friend Trump, the Trump tornado, has changed the world in just a couple of weeks,โ Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbรกn tells far-right rally in Madrid.
โOur friend Trump, the Trump tornado, has changed the world in just a couple of weeks,โ Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbรกn tells far-right rally in Madrid.
Dublin “underperformedโ in its race for the bloc’s top jobs, especially those in economic policy, which it normally covets.
In a first, its scope will be strictly limited to health.
โThey (the PP) have been left alone, to the shame of Spain.”
Corina Stoianoglo posts selfies with ECB president while her father strives to keep her fellow-citizens out of the EU.
Europeans voted in June 2024 for new EU Parliament representatives. With a new mandate starting, a crucial question lingers: will Europe pursue ambitious climate action? Will it support net zero technologies like CCU to build more sustainable industria…
Health policy is looking like the poor cousin and is likely to be downgraded this mandate.
Bruegel expert Guntram Wolff told Euronews that translating the report into EU legislation won’t be easy due to political instability in some key EU member states.
The EUโs road transport sector faces critical challenges. The IRU’s roadmap urges policymakers to enact supportive legislation to ensure the EU’s economic and environmental goals are met.
Ursula von der Leyen plans a new EU commissioner for the Mediterranean Sea region.
Italyโs Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will find out today if her party’s lawmakers are barred from securing high-level posts in the European Parliament by pro-EU political groups.
Secret ballot poses extra challenge as European Commission president seeks a second term.
The coalition behind Ursula von der Leyen will reach an agreement with the European Conservatives and Reformists group (ECR) in the European Parliament as it is the only way for her to secure a second mandate, said Italian Deputy Prime Minister Antonio…
Polandโs conservative PiS party has reached an agreement with Giorgia Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia (FdI) about the division of key posts within their EU political family, the European Conservatives andย Reformistsย Group (ECR), Polish Press Agency (PAP) re…
Outgoing Dutch PM will take over from Jens Stoltenberg as secretary-general in OctoberThe Kremlin said today that Mark Rutteโs appointment as Natoโs next secretary-general would be unlikely to change the allianceโs overall stance, Reuters reported.Gior…
The new legislature’s work has unofficially kicked off in Brussels, as per post-election choreography. Freshly elected MEPs are now confronted with the choice to join existing political groups or form new ones
Professor Steve Peers, Royal Holloway University of
London
Photo credit: Luxofluxo, via Wikimedia Commons
Introduction
While attention has been focussed
on the overhaul of EU law on asylum โ which I have analysed in an upcoming
article…
Stephen Weatherill
Jacques Delors Professor of
European Law (Emeritus), Faculty of Law and Somerville College, University of
Oxford
Photo: Lassana Diarra, by ะ ัะฑะฐะบะพะฒะฐ ะะปะตะฝะฐ, on Wikimedia Commons
In preparing this paper I have
bene…
A new administration risks rekindling old tensions with Bulgaria and Greece โ which can both throw up major obstacles to Skopje.
The single market is Europeโs industrial strategy and the right tool for the prosperity and security of our continent. On the basis of the Letta report, liberals call on EU political forces to agree on an action plan for competitiveness, writes Marie-A…
All political groups in the European Parliament are at risk or have already been penetrated by Russia, including the Conservatives, as Russians are โmasters of propaganda,โ former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki warned in an interview with Eur…
The Concert Noble venue pulled out of the conference featuring far-right figureheads like Eric Zemmour and Viktor Orbรกn after public pressure from activists
EU and UK negotiators said that a new post-Brexit settlement for Gibraltar was just weeks away from completion following four-way talks in Brussels on Friday (12 April).
Presented by CEMR.
Some groups on the right of the EU political spectrum are openly questioning the need for this major investment instrument, risking depleting cohesion funds aimed at investment for the future, writes Marcos Ros Sempere of the Socialists & Democrats.
The voluntary EU code of conduct includes a promise to not produce, use or disseminate “any form of deceptive content.”
The economy ministers of the EU’s ‘Big Three’ โ France, Germany, and Italy โ have set their sights on slashing red-tape to boost small businesses. But their broader policy agenda lacks ambition.
The paradoxical move to tighten EU import controls on agricultural goods from Ukraine, despite the EU’s vocal support for Kyiv, has sparked criticism from Ukrainian farmers. Overall, it is estimated the new measures could cost the Ukrainian economy โฌ33…
The new UK government import charges on EU foods have united food companies and consumers in condemnation.
Pro-transparency groups are demanding scrutiny into conflict of interests allegations of Markus Ferber, a centre-right MEP from Germany.
With 15 votes in favour, nine against and no abstentions, MEPs agreed to introduce concrete sanctions for any elected office-holder who fails to complete mandatory anti-harassment training within the first six months of their mandate.
In the latest episode of our daily podcast Today in the EU weโre exploring which are the satire parties that have managed to be present in the EU political scene.
The Czech government on Wednesday (27 March) sanctioned two people including pro-Russian Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk and the news website voiceofeurope.com for leading a pro-Russian influence operation in Europe, the Czech Foreign Ministry s…
As all main EU political parties have placed Ukraine and defence at the fore of their EU elections campaign, the EU liberals chief and campaign leader, Valรฉrie Hayer, visited Kyiv on Tuesday (26 March) to show support and announce her plans to integrat…
An EU-UK treaty on defence and security policy is back on the agenda. What it might look like is less clear.
EU leaders have agreed to explore “all options” for mobilising funding to boost Ukraine’s military and Europe’s defence industry during their summit in Brussels.
Member states gave the political green light for the opening of accession talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina, but noted the need for further progress.
Restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural exports to the EU could translate into military losses in their bid to stop Russia’s war, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warned EU leaders during their summit in Brussels on Thursday.
With the war in Ukraine showingย noย signs ofย ending any time soon, EU leaders will meet in Brussels on Thursday and Friday (21 and 22 March) to discuss how to boost the defence capabilities of Ukraine and of the bloc itself.
The European Parliament has confirmed that it will sue the European Commission over the release of โฌ10.2bn in frozen funds to Hungary, following a meeting of the assembly’s leadership on Thursday (14 March) in Strasbourg.
EU lawmakers are expected to agree on the creation of a new ethics body despite major reservations about the weakness of its mandate.
Finland, which shares a border with Russia, has cautioned about the danger of a Russian attack in coming years. Russia is not “invincible” but “self-satisfaction is no longer an option,” Finnish prime minister Petteri Orpo said.
Eight years on, the EU Commission is to recommend on Tuesday that member states open accession talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina after the country took “impressive steps” to meet the bloc’s standards, Ursula von der Leyen said.
How the roll-out of online voting will hand Vladimir Putin his fifth presidential term.
The Portuguese electorate confirmed the predicted shift to the right in an election on Sunday (10 March) with an above-average turnout โ and no broad majority for any force to form a government.
The Portuguese go to the polls on Sunday after eight years of socialist rule โ what can we expect? What is shaping these elections and what are the citizens worried about?
New meta-analysis shows that the evidence that economic hardship causes populism is “overwhelming”
The Left group in the European Parliament has introduced a paid menstrual leave policy, allowing women to take up to three days a month without a doctor’s note if they need it โ following the example of Spain.
The European Commission has unveiled its first-ever defence strategy and investment programme โ in a bid to reduce its dependence on the US and in response to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Ukrainians struggle to match the kindness of individual Hungarians with the nationalist government’s pro-Russia rhetoric. “Ukraine’s primary enemies are Russians and Putin, obviously. But the number two is Viktor Orbรกn,” Viktoria Petrovszka, a Ukrainia…
Farmersโ protests making the headlines these days brought back agriculture in the EU political agenda.
The European soft drinks sectorโs Manifesto for the upcoming 2024-2029 EU political term is grounded in our ambition to promote balanced diets, drive environmental sustainability across our supply chain and uphold our position as a globally competitive…
British and EU officials have formally signed an agreement between the UK and Frontex, the EU’s border agency, that, if not a genuine deal on migration co-operation, can at least be sold as such.
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk last week revealed the Pegasus spyware had been used not only to monitor PiS’s political opponents โbut also PiS members of the party’s leadership suspected of disloyalty.
The EU launched its first probe under foreign-subsidies rules on Friday. The company under investigation is Chinese train manufacturer CRRC Qingdao Sifang Locomotive.
EU lawmakers formally waived the diplomatic immunity of Greek socialist MEP Eva Kaili on Tuesday, paving the way for her to face criminal charges related to the Qatargate corruption scandal.
With four months until the European Parliament elections, there are already some 20 names in the hat for the ensuing reshuffle of EU top jobs.
The deal to restore Northern Ireland’s government โ after nearly two years โ is being spun as a major triumph. But not much has changed. This is an exercise in fine-tuning and political window-dressing.
EU officials and diplomats have often been asked by journalists what they think Orbรกn really wants to get out of this negotiation on the โฌ50bn for Ukraine that he blocked for weeks. The answers vary.
EU leaders rapidly agreed on Thursday to deliver a โฌ50bn four-year economic aid to Ukraine, despite opposition in the run-up to the summit from Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbรกn
EU cuts green and foreign aid funding to finance defence and border surveillance to curb migration.
EU leaders will discuss holding annual debates on their โฌ50bn four-year aid package to Ukraine, but it is unclear if this will convince Hungary to allow further aid urgently needed by Kyiv.
More than 1,500 EU civil servants have signed a letter warning the bloc’s leaders of their legal obligation to ensure the application of international law in Gaza, in a sign of growing internal anger and dissent within the Brussels’ institutions.
The lack of a compromise with Hungary on the โฌ50bn four-year aid package for Ukraine is feeding frustration in Brussels, ahead of the upcoming extraordinary EU leaders’ meeting. Expecting continued stalemate, a solution without Hungary is also being co…
Italy is considering a new law which will profoundly redefine the country’s geographical-administrative organisation โ making it more federal, like Spain or Belgium. But is it the League’s plan for a separate north, refurbished?
French MEP Valรฉrie Hayer has won the group’s backing to become the new president of Renew Europe, EUobserver has learned, replacing France’s new foreign affairs minister, Stรฉphane Sรฉjournรฉ.
The Pandora’s box of the EU elections is already wide open and raging and, with less than six months to go before a key vote that seems set to see the continent make an unprecedented lurch to the far-right, EU political forces are well underway in thei…
As the EU hopes to agree on further financial aid for Ukraine, fears are emerging over offering concessions to Hungary, which risk setting a dangerous precedent and the threats of legal challenges.
The European Medicines Agency’s office bills were back in the headlines this week, less than five years after the bitter Brexit battle.
No province in Italy seems to be richer and luckier than South Tyrol, but clouds seem to be gathering over this dreamland. Tourism is fueling a housing crisis and creating new social divides โ while far-right alliances loom.
A corridor two floors below the Paul-Henri Spaak building in Brussels once led to the EU institutions. Today, it is used to store broken office furniture and sculptures celebrating the birth of the European Union by Spanish artist Cristoฬbal Gabarroฬn.
Many challenges remain before the EU’s historically celebrated enlargement policy can be successfully revived, experts warn โ after EU leaders managed to agree to open accession talks with Ukraine at the European Council in December.
Following years of debates, a political agreement on the EU-wide asylum reforms was finally reached on Wednesday (20 December).
Younger MEPs are more proactive than others, but they vote in line with their older party members, according to a data-driven investigation by Novaya Gazeta Europe and EUobserver.
Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orban told the EU summit he would consider lifting his veto on providing further funds to Ukraine โ if the remaining frozen EU funds linked to concerns on Hungary’s rule of law are unblocked.
EU leaders were eager to signal their unwavering support for beleaguered Ukraine, but failed to agree on a โฌ50bn aid package badly needed for the Ukrainian war effort.
The EU managed to open accession talks with Ukraine despite Hungary’s opposition โ a decision celebrated by Kyiv and deemed a “historic moment” โ after Viktor Orban did not participate in discussion.
The success of the final EU summit of 2023, primarily focussed on enlargement and budget, rests heavily on Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbรกn โ with the Commission unblocking โฌ10bn in an attempt toย buy offย Budapest’s veto power.
Donald Tusk looks set to be sworn in by Poland’s president Andrzej Duda on Wednesday (13 December) which means that he will be attending the EU summit later this week.
European governments are still lobbying to legalise state spying on journalists, under a new law designed โ on paper โ to protect them, Investigate Europe, Disclose and Follow the Money can reveal.
Hungary’s potential veto on Ukraine accession talks threatens to cast a shadow of collective failure over the EU summit, Ukraine’s deputy prime ministerย Olha Stefanishynaย has warned.
Kremlin rejects peace talks on Kyivโs terms in 2024 as โabsolutely unrealisticโ; Russian strikes on Ukraine kill at least one, injuring sixSee all our Russia-Ukraine war coverageThe Kremlin has said that the idea Russia would engage in peace talks with…
Disruption at the Polish-Ukrainian border by disaffected Polish truckers is escalating, potentially affecting delivery of military aid to Ukraine. A Polish request to reintroduce permits for Ukrainian drivers has been described as “a shot to the head” …
Georgia has long sought a rapprochement with Europe, since its war with Russia in 2008. But behind the scenes, powerful actors are sabotaging the plans โ spurred by increasing vigilantism.
The Spanish government remains secretive about its negotiations with pro-independence Catalans, but claims the EU Commission has “zero concerns” about their proposed amnesty law for Catalan separatists. The EU executive denies that.
This month’s summit will be a decisive test of how far Budapest will go to thwart EU support for Kyiv.
Small members would struggle to continue sending weapons to Kyiv in the absence of the EPF, Foreign Minister Landsbergis tells POLITICO.
The resignation of Gom van Strien, the ‘coalition scout’ of the populist Dutch leader Geert Wilders on Monday, illustrates the challenges his PVV party faces in forming a government.
People who voted for Brexit tended to be less clever, research shows, in findings that also shed light on the appeal of EU populists, such as Dutch politician Geert Wilders, who won elections this week.
Without losing sight of his pervasive Islamophobia, it is essential to note Geert Wilders’ far-right extremism extends to other issues that could drastically alter the nature of Dutch politics โ and end its often constructive role in advancing EU polic…
How a pretence of ‘mildness’ may help Dutch anti-Islam leader Geert Wilders win tonight’s parliamentary elections.
The debate between MEPs in Strasbourg on Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez’s controversial amnesty bill for Catalan separatists โ attended by Carles Puigdemont himself โ saw shouts, boos, applause, and even laughter.
Less than a week has passed since the ruling of Germany’s Constitutional Court against the reallocation of โฌ60bn, and the political consequences are becoming increasingly drastic. The pressing question now centres on how to fill the gap.
For a brief moment, former EU climate chief Frans Timmermans looked like being the next prime minister of the Netherlands. But with 48 hours to go to polling, this now seems unlikely.
Ahead of the European elections next year, the European People’s Party are pitching themselves as the ‘farmers’ representatives’ in Brussels. But they are making misleading claims when they oppose nature-friendly laws in the name of farmers, say critics.
The report focused on attitudes towards the West in the so-called ‘middle powers’ โ including India, Turkey, Brazil, South Korea, Indonesia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Russia.
The Party of the European Socialists met in Mรกlaga this weekend to discuss next year’s election priorities โ but some of the most fundamental issues remained unresolved.
PiS leader Jarosลaw Kaczyลski has rallied against the EU treaty, dubbed Donald Tusk’s opposition a “German party,” and warned of Poland’s independence being at risk. Meanwhile, the pro-democratic coalition has unveiled its 24-point programme, which lac…
Despite its higher than average income, the Netherlands is no exception to the cost of living crisis, which is at the forefront of political parties’ and trade unions’ messages ahead of the 22 November election.
The European Parliament has lifted the immunity of four rightwing Polish MEPs over alleged crimes to incite hatred against Muslim immigrants during a 2018 municipal electoral campaign.