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…
Parliament
Jeffrey Sachs in the Italian Parliament.
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…
Weber Re-Elected Chairman of EPP
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…
Far Right Gains in France a Pivotal Moment
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…
Shock Waves in French Politics
Photo by Katie Moum on Unsplash The European Green Party says it is “outraged” by the reported agreement between Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National and Les Républicains in France. The last 72 hours in French politics have been described as the “wildest” of a lifetime. It all started with the outcome of the EU elections at the weekend…
Far Right Wins Big in Italian Elections
One of the EU parliament’s longest serving former MEPs has failed to get re-elected. Sir Graham Watson was a long standing MEP and sought to return to Parliament as a candidate in Italy for an alliance backed by the country’s former PM Matteo Renzi. Sir Graham told this site, “The United States of Europe list…
No Right Wing Coalition in New Parliament?
Photo by ev on Unsplash The “much hyped” rise of the Far Right in the EU election was “limited,” says a former British Labour MEP. Richard Corbett was speaking after nationalist parties in some EU countries made a significant impact in the weekend’s election. Marine Le Pen’s National Rally won about 32% of the vote and hard-Right Italian…
Pro-EU Coalition in European Parliament
Photo by Antonio Janeski on Unsplash A leading think tank says the time has come to move from “divisive campaigns” to a coalition that “works for Europe.” The comments come in the wake of the shock EU elections which showed key gains for the centre-right and far right parties. Far from a major breakthrough, though, the Far Right,…
European Political Centre Holds Balance of Power
A respected Brussels political pundit says he is relieved that predictions of a major breakthrough for Far Right parties in the EU elections was not realised. Some nationalist parties did score heavily in certain EU member states such as France, Italy and Germany. But the centre right EPP group is still by far the biggest…
Greens Suffer Losses in European Elections
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash A senior Greens MEP has admitted the party’s poor showing in the EU elections is a “blow.” He also said the rise of the far-right in today’s elections is “extremely concerning.” The Greens suffered losses in the EU elections especially leading to fears of weakening of climate ambitions Reacting to the outcome…