Ursula von der Leyen has made up her mind. If she is given a second term as Commission President, she wants to create a new post in her college as Commissioner for Defense. The European People’s Party has also prominently included the demand for the prestigious job in its election manifesto. However, the response outside […]
Will the second attempt work? The President of the Swiss Confederation, Viola Amherd, is coming to Brussels today to mark the restart of negotiations between Switzerland and the EU with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. It is a new attempt to create a stable foundation for the complicated bilateral relationship and to secure Swiss […]
Ukraine can hope for new military aid from the EU. The ambassadors of the EU member states are likely to agree today to increase the defense fund for Ukraine by €5 billion. There is a consensus among the member states, according to diplomats. Now the ambassadors still have to formally agree. The decision has been […]
On Tuesday or next week at the latest, the EU Commission should adopt its recommendation to start accession negotiations with Bosnia-Herzegovina. This would put the country on the same footing as Moldova and Ukraine, which are currently still waiting for the negotiating framework. In an interim step, the Commission would initially only report verbally on […]
“We have no plans to set up an arms depot in Berlaymont,” said EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell. The flippant remark was probably intended to set expectations somewhat straight on Tuesday. Vice-President Margrethe Vestager and Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton were also defensive at the presentation of the European Defense Industry Strategy (EDIS) and […]
“Europe must take more money in hand and spend it better, spend it in a European way,” said Ursula von der Leyen in a speech on defense policy to the EU Parliament. The Commission President was preparing the ground for the presentation of the European Defense Industry Strategy (EDIS) planned for next Tuesday. The aim […]
On Monday in Brussels, the foreign ministers of the member states decided on the operation in the Red Sea, which goes by the name of “Aspides”, the Greek word for shields. “We have seen that the entire global economy is being affected by the Houthi attacks on civilian shipping,” said Minister Annalena Baerbock on the […]
The move came as a surprise at first glance: Pieter Omtzigt, formerly a Christian Democrat and now leader of the newly formed New Social Contract Party (NCS), withdrew from the exploratory talks for a right-wing government under Geert Wilders this week. The timing, in particular, raises questions: On Monday, the parliament-appointed moderator Ronald Plasterk is […]
How are the European partners reacting to the urgent call from Berlin not to leave Germany on its own in supporting Ukraine with weapons? The informal meeting of EU defense ministers today in the Egmont Palace in Brussels could be an opportunity for an initial interim assessment. At around €7 billion, Germany is providing more […]
The second attempt should now work: This week in the Political and Security Committee (PSC), the EU ambassadors agreed in principle to a proposal by Foreign Affairs Commissioner Josep Borrell for a naval mission in the Red Sea. According to diplomats, no member state opposed the European contribution to securing maritime traffic from attacks by […]