The new EU Commissioners took office on Sunday, with Foreign Affairs Commissioner Kaja Kallas and the new Council President António Costa also making an exclamation mark with their trip to Kyiv. At the start, however, it was still unclear to some extent how the newcomers would appoint their closest staff.The delay is not only due […]
Is the rise of Italy’s head of government Giorgia Meloni over? In Europe, she has just gained a lot of power with the election of Raffaele Fitto as Vice-President of the EU Commission. But at home, the mood is tense, to say the least. There is a general strike this Friday. Once again. Schools, flights, […]
Today, the industry ministers are meeting at the Competitiveness Council in Brussels. Germany will be represented for the first time by BMWK State Secretary Bernhard Kluttig, who took over from Sven Giegold two weeks ago.At today’s meeting, the ministers want to agree on a joint declaration on European competitiveness in response to the Draghi report. […]
The majority for the confirmation of the new Commission in Parliament is in place. It is expected that more MEPs will vote for Von der Leyen II than voted for Von der Leyen I five years ago. Back then, the College was confirmed with 401 votes. An absolute majority of the MEPs present is sufficient. […]
In the past, cabinet members of commissioners with security-related portfolios did not have to pass a security check. At the national level, this check has been common practice for a long time. In the Von der Leyen Commission II, this check will now take place for the first time.The national intelligence services are responsible. Applicants […]
Tomorrow, the European Commission will present the autumn package of the European Semester – the first time under the new debt rules. The Commission will give its opinion on the member states’ medium-term fiscal plans and their budgets for 2025. It will also submit proposals for those states that are subject to an excessive deficit […]
Today, the European Parliament could pave the way for the new Commission. For this to happen, however, S&D leader Iratxe García Pérez must convince the Socialist coordinators in the group meeting to vote in favor of the nomination of Raffaele Fitto as Executive Vice-President of the Commission. They could also give up their opposition to […]
Time is gradually running out for the new EU Commission. In order for Ursula von der Leyen to take up her second term of office on December 1 as hoped, she would need the approval of the European Parliament by next week at the latest. However, the Christian Democrats and Social Democrats are deadlocked on […]
When Annalena Baerbock and her European counterparts meet in Brussels today, they will find themselves in a completely different world to the last Foreign Affairs Council. This time, the EU is better prepared than during Trump’s first term in office. The Ukraine policy has been made more or less “Trump-proof,” at least financially. Brussels has […]
The Social Democrats do not have it easy at the moment, not even in the European Parliament. On Thursday, they had to watch as Manfred Weber’s EPP simply ignored their angry warnings and adopted amendments to the deforestation law, with the help of the liberals and partly with the votes of the far right. As […]