New French PM Michel Barnier will give “some much-needed ballast to France’s somewhat unstable leadership”. That is the view of a former vice president of the European parliament. Edward McMillan-Scott was speaking to this website after Barnier’s appointment on Thursday. Known in France as Monsieur Brexit, Barnier, who is 73, is France’s oldest prime minister since…
Flanders and the rest of Belgium will this weekend mark the 80th anniversary of its liberation in the Second World War with several events, including in Ypres, the town forever associated with conflict. Ieper, also known as Ypres in West Flanders, is an area that saw intense fighting throughout the First World War. Known to…
Julia Leferman has officially assumed her role as the new Secretary General of The Brewers of Europe, the body that represents the huge brewing sector in Europe. She describes it as a “bold vision to position beer at the centre of European Union policy.” Leferman’s leadership, she said, will focus on driving innovation, promoting responsible…
The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules some €99.5 million support for the Romanian company Nokian Tyres. The aid will support the establishment of a new zero carbon dioxide emission factory for passenger car tyres in Oradea. The measure will contribute to EU objectives, says the European Commission. This relates to job…
The Summer Olympics have finally ended – and so too has one of the biggest ever security operations France had ever seen. The Games are celebrated every four years as one of the world’s most unifying events but they are also one of the most extensive security operations in the world,posing a massive headache for…
Photo by Filippos Sdralias on Unsplash Wildfires continue to affect multiple European countries this summer. Wildfires fanned by strong winds raged in parts of Greece and the Balkans this week, burning forests and homes while forcing the evacuation of a resort town in Albania. The region has seen above-average temperatures and dry conditions…
Photo by Kazuo ota on Unsplash The European Commission is inviting applications for grant aid under an innovative culture scheme. It has launched the 3rd call for individual mobility action of the “Culture Moves Europe” mobility initiative. The project provides mobility grants to artists and cultural professionals in various fields such…
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…
Britain’s new Prime Minister is today the most solidly implanted leader of the left in Europe, and has the same age as Clement Attlee when he became Labour’s most famous premier (1945-51), writes Denis MacShane. It was Attlee who transformed Britain by nationalising most industries, creating a health service which even today is free for every…
Photo by Sara Kurfeß on Unsplash They say that the EU has not managed to significantly reduce persistent spending errors in cohesion policy, whose aim is to reduce social and economic disparities within the EU. European Commission and member state controls are still lacking at every level, according to a review by the European Court of Auditors. While…
