Photo by Eduard Delputte on Unsplash The European Union this week decides on its leaders and who will steer the 27-strong bloc for the next five years. With bitter wars still waging in Ukraine and the Middle East and countless other crises, the votes on EU leaders come at a pivotal time for both the Union and wider…
The newly elected European Parliament holds its constitutive session in Strasbourg this week, with the election of the new Commission president top of the agenda. The first session of the new Parliament after the recent EU elections will be opened on Tuesday. Parliament’s first act after its constitution is to elect its President for 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 Kristina Gadeikyte on Unsplash The leader of the Socialist group in the EU parliament has heralded Labour’s stunning victory in the UK general election. Sir Keir Starmer is the new UK Prime Minister after sweeping away a 14-year era of Conservative rule and leading the Labour Party to a massive landslide victory in Britain’s general election. …
Photo by Daniel Roe on Unsplash A senior MEP has criticised Emmanuel Macron for calling the snap general election in France. Danuta Huebner says the move has paved the way for a possible anti-EU French government. She was speaking to this website after the shock weekend election which saw major gains for the National Rally. On Monday, France’s…
Photo by Marek Studzinski on Unsplash The EU parliament president says it faces a “challenge” to turn electoral promises into practice. Roberta Metsola was speaking after the recent EU elections which saw a big increase in support for so-called far right political parties. Speaking on Thursday at the EU summit in Brussels she said, “We have now a…
Key resolutions were adopted at the summer session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg, aimed at supporting Ukraine amidst its steadfast resistance against full-scale Russian aggression. This significant moment occurred on June 26, when PACE expressed solidarity with Ukraine, defending its independence and sovereignty. During the session, three key…
The growing popularity of Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs in Europe is causing mixed feelings in political circles. His most recent appearance was in Rome, 20 June. He presented his views to a group of Italian MPs and a group of observers on the war in Ukriane at a conference entitled “The European and Italian…
Veteran German MEP Manfred Weber has again been elected as leader of the biggest group in the EU parliament. Weber is a long serving German deputy from the CSU – Christlich Soziale Union – political party and a well known figure in EU circles. He was re-elected chairman of the EPP Group in the European…
Photo by Pedro Lastra on Unsplash Gains by the far right in last week’s EU elections are “deeply concerning”, says former UK MEP Claude Moraes The far right held their positions in Italy and the Netherlands (with swings between far-right parties rather than to them). But they failed to make headway in other countries where they were predicted…
