Georgi Gotev
Poland avoids new EU lawsuit in extremis
First Vice President Frans Timmermans on Wednesday (19 September) was expected to ask the College of Commissioners to refer the Polish Supreme Court law to the EU’s top court, the European Court of Justice.
Bulgarian government sides with Orban against Article 7
The Bulgarian government decided today (19 September) to take the side of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban against the possible Article 7 procedure requested by the European Parliament.
Mogherini unveils EU response to New Silk Road
EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini announced on Wednesday (19 September) the Commission’s vision on how to better connect Europe and Asia, in what appears to be a reply to China’s Belt and Road initiative, and also an effort to prepare the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in October.
Trump on Juncker: ‘He’s tough, he’s nasty, he’s a tough cookie’
US President Donald Trump called EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker "nasty" on Tuesday (18 September) - but it was meant as a compliment.
Austrian ex-chancellor Kern to run for centre-left Spitzenkandidat
As expected, opposition leader Christian Kern said yesterday (18 September) he would run as top candidate for the Austrian Social Democrats in the European Parliament elections next year, aiming to help build a strong counterweight to growing nationalist forces.
Poland requests permanent US base, suggests naming it ‘Fort Trump’
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (18 September) the United States is considering a request from Poland for a permanent US military presence in the fellow NATO country, acknowledging that he shares Poland's concerns about possible Russian aggression.
EU appeals to ‘Astana guarantors’ to avoid Idlib catastrophe
Commenting on the decision by Russia and Turkey to create a “demilitarised” zone in a rebel-held Syrian region, the EU called on Tuesday (18 September) on the “Astana guarantors”, Russia, Turkey and Iran, to respect civilians as a matter of priority.
Czech, Slovak premiers bristle at beefing up of Frontex
The European Union should steer funds to individual member countries to help them guard their own borders against illegal migration, rather than emphasise funding for Frontex, the common EU border force, the Czech and Slovak premiers said on Monday (17 September).
Sefcovic officially enters the Spitzenkandidaten battle
Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič announced officially on Monday (17 September) his candidacy to be the leading candidate of his social-democrat political group in the campaign for the 2019 European elections.
Macron’s party neck-and-neck with far-right in 2019 EU election opinion poll
French President Emmanuel Macron's centrist LREM party is neck-and-neck with the far-right Rassemblement National, formerly the National Front, for the May 2019 European Parliament elections, according to poll results published on Thursday (13 September).
Manfred Weber: Bulgaria and Croatia should join Schengen ‘immediately’
Bulgaria and Croatia should join the EU's passport-free Schengen area immediately, EPP group leader Manfred Weber said on Wednesday (12 September), in a friendly gesture to two Eastern European governments from his political family.
Juncker paints ‘big picture’ of EU’s global role
Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker stayed away from major legislative proposals in his annual address to Parliament, preferring to focus on the “big picture” of how the EU can assert its power in a hostile international environment.
Salvini sees populist-conservative coalition guiding the new EU Commission
Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who also leads the far-right League party, said on Tuesday (11 September) he wants the new European Commission to be led by conservatives and populists.
Orbán divides EPP ahead of crucial European Parliament vote
The European Parliament held a highly incendiary debate about Hungary on Tuesday (11 September), ahead of a vote on whether to trigger Article 7 against the country, exposing serious internal divisions in the European Peoples’ Party, which includes Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's party.
Russia starts biggest manoeuvres ever, seen by NATO as rehearsal for ‘large-scale conflict’
Russia launches the largest military manoeuvers in its history on Wednesday (12 September), with the participation of nearly 300,000 military from all kinds of armed forces plus Chinese soldiers, disregarding NATO's criticism that it is a rehearsal for a "large-scale conflict."
Greece’s Moria migrant camp faces closure over public health fears
Greece's biggest migrant camp faces closure next month unless authorities clean up "uncontrollable amounts of waste", the regional governor said, citing public health risks.
Sweden faces political impasse after far-right election gains
Sweden faces a political impasse after its mainstream centre-left and centre-right blocs virtually tied in an election on Sunday (9 September), while the far-right - which neither wants to deal with - made gains on a hardline anti-immigration platform.
Commission frowns at Serbian president’s praise of Milosevic
The European Commission made veiled criticism on Monday (10 September) against Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, whose comments at the weekend appeared to glorify the late Serbian strongman Slobodan Milošević, seen by many as the chief culprit for the wars in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s.
The core of Juncker’s State of the Union speech: A federal border police
Establishing a genuine European border police and turning the control of irregular migration into a community competence will be the core of Commission President’s Jean-Claude Juncker State of the Union speech on Wednesday (12 September), according to Spanish daily El País.
Ska Keller: Manfred Weber’s openness to the far right is ‘quite crazy’
In an exclusive interview, Ska Keller, co-chair of the Greens-EFA group, shared what she expects from next week's State of the Union speech and the vote on whether to trigger punitive Article 7 measures against Hungary, as well as weighing in on Manfred Weber's bid to lead the EPP into the EU elections.
EU supports Kazakh programme to educate Afghan women
EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini on Wednesday (5 September) announced a new €2 million programme that will train and educate Afghan women in Kazakhstan.
Hesitant MEPs advised to ‘go for a coffee’ during Hungary vote
Next week's vote in the European Parliament on whether to trigger punitive Article 7 against Hungary will be a moment of truth for the EPP political group, whose behaviour will largely determine its outcome, an influential MEP said on Thursday (6 September).
A ‘grand gas bargain’ with Russia is in the pipeline, experts believe
The European Commission's push to rewrite the EU's Third Gas Directive is doomed, but Brussels has not withdrawn its proposal because it is preparing a "grand bargain” with Russia, experts told a EURACTIV event on Wednesday (5 September).