An expert on European Union affairs says Hungary’s EU presidency programme has “little weight.” Zsuzsanna Vegh, an expert on the politics of Central and Eastern Europe and programme officer at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, said that, instead, it highlights the extent to which the prime minister and his European allies are…
Photo by Akshat Jhingran on Unsplash On 29 August an informal meeting of European Union foreign ministers took place in Brussels, focusing on key issues of supporting Ukraine amidst the ongoing Russian aggression. One of the central topics was Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons to strike legitimate military targets on Russian territory, which…
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash EU member states have rubberstamped a new round of restrictive measures against four persons and two entities under the European Union’s Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime. The listed individuals and entities are responsible for serious human rights abuses worldwide, including torture and systematic and widespread sexual and gender-based violence. The EU says the new listings include the…
A decision on the next president of the EU commission will take place in Strasbourg next week. In the run-up to the recent European elections, the EPP Group elected Ursula von der Leyen as its Spitzenkandidat to become the next President of the European Commission. She is also the EU Member States’ candidate for this…
Photo by Dan Freeman on Unsplash Hungary has taken up the rotating presidency at a sensitive time for Europe, a time of political transition within the institutions and extraordinary challenges for the Union. Serious concern has been voiced in some quarters about its suitability for the post at such a time. This is due to the repeated issues the…
Photo by Eugene Zhyvchik on Unsplash Hungary has taken over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union at one of the most difficult periods for the EU and rest of the world in recent times. It took charge of steering the EU for the next six months on July 1. Belgium had been in holder of the…
The North Atlantic Council has decided to appoint Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as NATO’s next Secretary General. He takes over at a critical point in the future of the alliance and with the bitter war in Ukraine still rumbling on. Rutte, long time PM in the Netherlands, succeeds Jens Stoltenberg. Rutte will assume his…
Photo by Christian Lue on Unsplash EU leaders converged on Brussels on Thursday for a key summit. They will discuss the Strategic Agenda 2024-2029, the next institutional cycle, Ukraine, the Middle East, security and defence and competitiveness. EU council president Charles Michel said this will be a “particularly significant meeting”. Speaking just ahead of the meeting, he said it…
Photo by Denys Nevozhai on Unsplash At this moment of great instability, the European Union is looking for new leaders, writes Andrew Duff. The decisions it faces are delicate and critical. With the national elections for the European Parliament taking place in 27 member states on 6-9 June, the question is: Can they deliver the leadership the EU…
Photo by Keszthelyi Timi on Unsplash Concerns have been expressed about Hungary’s upcoming presidency of the EU. On July 1 Hungary takes over the presidency of the Council of the European Union for the second time. The Hungarian presidency comes at a crucial time for the EU, with the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, a migration crisis and an economy under pressure. …
