Number mix-up: Europe eagerly awaited the first provisional seat projection for the tenth European Parliament shortly after 11 p.m., when a number mix-up occurred. Jaume Duch Guillot, the Parliament spokesperson, read numbers from a sheet, but the graphic behind him displayed a different seat distribution. Parliamentary President Roberta Metsola finally interrupted: “No, no, no.” The […]
Why Elmar Brok is worried about Europe
There are only a few days to go until the European elections, but the election campaign in Germany is rippling along. The headlines are dominated by budget disputes and floods, not discussions about Europe’s self-defense or enlargement. The campaigners are barely penetrating the German political and media scene.Veteran European politicians such as Elmar Brok are […]
CDU election campaign with obstacles
As is well known, the European People’s Party has chosen Ursula von der Leyen as its lead candidate for the European elections, but so far little has been seen of her in her native Germany. At least, the Commission President has not been depicted on the CDU and CSU election posters. Some might have thought […]
You shall have no Giorgia beside me
It had long been clear that she would enter the ring herself. Nevertheless, Giorgia Meloni’s announcement of her candidacy for the European elections at the beginning of June was still a cause of surprise even in Italy. “Just write Giorgia on the ballot paper,” she said at a meeting of her Fratelli d’Italia party in […]
European Parliament celebrates 2004 enlargement round with guests
It was the EU’s largest round of enlargement to date. On May 1, 2004, ten states joined: Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. On Wednesday, the penultimate sitting day before the European elections in June, the European Parliament is celebrating this event with guests who played a role […]
Who advertises with the name of a drug baron?
Should the name of a drug lord be a protected trademark in the EU? The name of a man who is responsible for countless mafia murders and who has exported endless suffering, particularly by smuggling cocaine in breathtaking quantities? The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) was against it. And rejected the applicants who wanted […]
‘See Brussels and die’: the bitter balance sheet of a satirist in the EU Parliament
Almost 900,000 people voted for the satirical party “Die Partei” in the 2019 European elections. This brought satirists Martin Sonneborn and Nico Semsrott into the European Parliament. Today, the two no longer speak to each other due to differences of opinion.Nico Semsrott, the man in the hoodie, joined the Greens, who probably appreciated the newcomer […]
Bedbugs – unfortunately not a propaganda lie
Again and again, it is said that it was the Russians: They had spread the lie that France’s hotels were suffering from a massive infestation of the dreaded bedbugs. They allegedly spread the story via social media to damage France. According to the alleged motivation for Moscow’s hybrid warfare, fewer tourists would then travel to […]
Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettel recognized the potential of the internet early on. When he wrote his thesis in public law and political science in 1999, the Internet was a foreign place for many and Google was three years old. But the prime minister-to-be was on his toes. Thanks to copy & paste technology, the […]
Never before have so many MEPs participated in the formation of a federal government as in these coalition negotiations: A total of 18 current and 3 former MEPs are part of the negotiating teams of SPD, Greens and FDP. And this also in other topics than, pardon, “just” Europe – from A for Albrecht and […]