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Western Europe
Germany sees drop in asylum applications after migration crackdown
Est. 2minGerman Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has hailed the drop in asylum applications as proof that the country’s tough measures are working, with figures for 2024 showing a 23% drop from the previous year.
France’s Glucksmann gears up for possible elections next year
Est. 3minFrench MEP Raphaël Glucksmann, who leads the French Socialists in the European Parliament, said his Place Publique party would start preparing for possible new legislative elections, which could be held as early as July next year, at a rally near Bordeaux over the weekend.
Defiant pro-refugee lawmakers seek ways to challenge German migration U-turn
Est. 4minThe coalition must decide how harsh is too harsh when it comes to refugee policies.
Barnier promises unprecedented €60 billion budget measure for 2025
Est. 3minFrance's new prime minister wasted no time in presenting an unprecedented plan to make drastic budget cuts.
Trial of Le Pen and far-right allies over EU embezzlement enters its first day
Est. 4minThe trial of far-right leader Marine Le Pen and 26 other senior members of the National Front, accused of using fake jobs to embezzle EU funds from the European Parliament, began in a packed courtroom on Monday, with a sea of cameras waiting for the far-right leader outside.
Five key issues that could define Rutte’s success as NATO boss
Est. 6minWhen Dutchman Mark Rutte takes over as NATO's secretary general on Tuesday (1 October), his first five tasks may be obvious and unsurprising, but they will not be easy to navigate.
Berlin’s clean industry wish-list: Kick nuclear out of EU financing
Est. 3minLaying out key priorities for the EU's upcoming Clean Industrial Deal, German Economy State Secretary Sven Giegold on Monday (30 September) wants the Commission to prioritise renewable energy, taking a tough line on nuclear power and France’s targets.
Breton: France’s voice carries less weight in EU as Germany’s influence grows
Est. 2minFormer French European Commissioner Thierry Breton shared his concerns about France's loss of influence within the EU in an interview with Le Monde on Sunday, criticising Germany's leading role.
Von der Leyen’s party pressures Brussels to fund Greek, Polish border fence
Est. 3minGermany's centre-right CDU (EPP) has urged the European Commission, led by fellow CDU member Ursula von der Leyen, to fund fences at the borders of Greece and Poland as new German border controls increase the pressure on countries of first entry.
Germany posed to regulate automated credit scoring
Est. 5minGermany’s proposed revision of its Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG) would allow automatic credit scoring, a common practice that is currently in legal muddy waters.
Liberal FDP mulls leaving German government after crushing election defeat
Est. 3minGermany’s liberal FDP party is ready to quit the coalition government if it fails to agree to significant policy improvements, FDP leader and Finance Minister Christian Lindner suggested on Monday after a string of disastrous regional elections for his party.
Germany’s social democrats prevail in east German stronghold
Est. 2minChancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democratic Party (SPD) narrowly beat the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the highly contested state elections of Brandenburg on Sunday (22 September), according to the exit polls, drawing in a record voting turnout of 74%.
French government revealed: More of the same, with hard-right turn on immigration in the works
Est. 6minNewly-appointed French Prime Minister Michel Barnier presented his government on Saturday (21 September), largely maintaining the political course of previous pro-Macron administrations while making concessions to the far-right Rassemblement National (RN).
Chancellor Scholz’s future questioned ahead of key election
Est. 3minRegional elections in Brandenburg on Sunday could see Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats lose an election in the German state for the first time, with some questioning whether Scholz should run for the country’s chancellorship again.
Wilders rejoices over unlikely Dutch EU migration opt-out request, dubs it ‘mini-Nexit’
Est. 3minFar-right PVV leader Geert Wilders described the Dutch official request to the European Commission to opt out of EU migration policy as a ‘mini-Nexit’, even though the Commission has already questioned its feasibility.
German coalition parties slam rightward shift in von der Leyen’s Commission proposal
Est. 3minEuropean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's proposal for a new college of commissioners did not go down well with the governing coalition parties in her home country on Tuesday, despite them previously backing a second von der Leyen-led executive.
Germany’s Scholz offers support to neighbours affected by flooding
Est. 2minGerman Chancellor Olaf Scholz has offered support to European partners through the EU's emergency mechanism in response to severe flooding in central and eastern Europe but said no requests for assistance had yet been registered.
Dutch government wants to reverse EU ban on electric pulse fishing
Est. 3minBanned in the EU since 2021, electric pulse fishing must be re-authorised, the Dutch government called for in its plan for agriculture, potentially reopening a drift especially with France and Belgium.
Stéphane Séjourné’s nomination brings key Macron ally to European Commission
Est. 5minStéphane Séjourné, one of President Emmanuel Macron’s closest confidants, was nominated as France's EU Commissioner on Monday (16 September), signalling that the French president remains in control of EU affairs amid political instability at home.
Outgoing ministers warn of far-right ideas infiltrating new Barnier government
Est. 3minOutgoing agriculture minister Marc Fesneau and the outgoing delegate-minister for European affairs Jean-Noël Barrot have both expressed their concern over right-wing ideas infiltrating the new government that is currently being put together by newly appointed Prime Minister Michel Barnier.
Conservative Merz to announce bid to challenge German Chancellor Scholz in 2025 election
Est. 2minThe leader of the centre-right CDU, Friedrich Merz, will soon announce his bid to run for chancellor, German media reported on Sunday (15 September), making him the likely main challenger to Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
German CDU calls for trial period for border rejections
Est. 3minConservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz (CDU-EPP) floated the idea of turning back refugees at the border whose first EU country of entry was not Germany for a three-month trial period - an idea that may sound familiar to the governing parties in Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition government.
Berlin eyes rollback of liberalised power market, bets on fixed-pricing model
Est. 4minTo avoid future electricity price hikes, the German government is looking to reverse the liberalisation of its electricity market and move towards a more interventionist approach with the establishment of fixed-price capacity markets.
Germany’s border checks could embolden Michel Barnier’s tough-on-immigration stance
Est. 5minGermany’s decision on Monday (9 September) to introduce checks at all national border crossings to curb irregular migration may put pressure on France to respond, with President Emmanuel Macron's party seeming in favour of a tougher stance on migration policy.