New trouble is looming in the EU’s enlargement policy, which has been controversial for years. Following France’s lead, Germany on Thursday warned that Ukraine’s planned accession to the EU was moving too quickly – and took a stand against the EU Commission, which is calling for the country to be admitted quickly. French President Emmanuel […]
The EU Commission wants to provide Ukraine with long-term support and is proposing new instruments for this purpose. A “Ukraine reconstruction platform” is to coordinate international financial assistance for reconstruction, and a “RebuildUkraine Facility” is to secure financing. The EU Commission wants to take a leading role, said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in […]
In a video message posted on Facebook, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó spoke of investments of €15 to €18 billion that would be necessary for his country to do without Russian oil after all. A “complete modernization of Hungary’s energy infrastructure” was required, Szijjártó emphasized. It was, therefore, “legitimate” for his country to await a […]
Covid, war and low audience interest: For a long time, the Conference on the Future of Europe led a quiet existence. The four citizen panels with 800 randomly selected participants from the 27 EU countries had to meet mainly online because of the pandemic. The first results of the work were lost in the rage […]
The situation in Poland and Bulgaria is under control, it was said after a crisis meeting in Brussels. Serious supply bottlenecks are not to be feared, said an EU diplomat. Poland and Bulgaria had planned to phase out Russian gas by the end of the year anyway. Poland would be affected by 10 billion cubic […]
“We are a reliable partner at Ukraine’s side – together with our allies,” said Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD). At the same time, she confirmed the delivery of tanks to the war zone, which had been hotly disputed until recently. The delivery of the Gepard anti-aircraft tank is a “very important contribution” to securing the […]
The EU opponents are not defeated after the presidential election – on the contrary. The first five years under Macron have made populists and extremists stronger, says the leader of the conservative European People’s Party, Manfred Weber (CSU). “Macron has been re-elected, his political concept has failed,” Weber said, while European Green Party spokesman Rasmus […]
The EU’s trade policy will focus on diversifying energy supplies and securing supply chains in the future. This was stated by Bernd Lange (SPD/S&D), chair of the International Trade Committee of the European Parliament, in a debate with the industry association “Business Europe” in Brussels. He also said that global trade was experiencing a “turning […]
It’s a first: Hungary is the first EU country to face a cut in its payments from the Community budget . The EU Commission confirmed in Brussels on Wednesday that it would trigger the new rule of law mechanism. The formal decision is planned for the first Commission meeting after the Easter break, Budget Commissioner […]
The Union is struggling with high gas prices, which also raise the price of electricity generated by gas-fired power plants. One possible means of relieving the burden could be joint purchases of fuel. At the European Council that ended last Friday in Brussels, French President Emmanuel Macron called joint procurement “the best instrument to lower […]