Pope sticks to the essential, SOTEU has snack potential, and Timmermans is ranked influential.
Pope Francis started this week with a visit to Hungary and Slovakia. Or as he calls it: #ApostolicJourney.
I gave thanks to God for having allowed me to accomplish this #ApostolicJourney. I am grateful to all who, in different ways, have cooperated, above all by their prayers. I carry you in my heart.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) September 15, 2021
For Peter Murphy, the setup had a very strong chessboard vibe, with the pope threatening checkmate..
Chessboard vibe of this @VaticanNews pic, pope threatening checkmate.. pic.twitter.com/gEsLEccUv4
— Peter Murphy (@MurphyPeterN) September 12, 2021
Reuters called it an unusually short trip to Budapest.
Pope Francis met Hungary’s nationalist and anti-immigrant Prime Minister Viktor Orban during an unusually short trip to Budapest https://t.co/mq8Mf5rJkI pic.twitter.com/uvI61Pr0UT
— Reuters (@Reuters) September 12, 2021
Just long enough to crack a joke at the airport …
This is the moment at Budapest Airport when the Pope makes his favourite 🇭🇺 Hungarian joke with me:
"Why will we speak Hungarian in heaven? Because it takes an eternity to learn it!"
Hence me laughing my head off. pic.twitter.com/1rmSKiXgYJ— Eduard Habsburg (@EduardHabsburg) September 12, 2021
… and perform this little dance as he left
Pope Francis' little dance as he left Hungary this evening. What did he spell out in the air? pic.twitter.com/CV30bwpoNs
— Colm Flynn (@ColmFlynn1) September 12, 2021
But he generally seems to be in favour of keeping it short.
In Slovakia, he told priests that “a homily shouldn’t last more than 10 minutes…people lose interest!”
“No homilies longer than 10 minutes!” #PopeFrancis tells priests in Slovakia.
“The faithful have to listen to 40 min homilies…a homily shouldn’t last more than 10 minutes…people lose interest!” pic.twitter.com/G7Szd4je4A
— Delia Gallagher (@deliacnn) September 13, 2021
Which Christoph Schmidt very subtly used to hint at VDL’s State of the Union.
CC @EU_Commission @vonderleyen #SOTEU https://t.co/T7iUXLKkPD
— Christoph Schmidt (@trouwschmidt) September 13, 2021
A 1h speech followed by 81 MEP interventions? I wonder what he’s talking about.
But hey, if you have some time to spare: forget about the buzzword bingo, there’s a new pastime in town: Knitting !
With Commissioners Vestager
@vestager knitting during #SOTEU
gives me life!#soteu21 pic.twitter.com/XfZJIZ20SW— Roxane Roth (@Roxane_Roth_) September 15, 2021
… and Johansson joining the fun.
El futuro de Europa se está tejiendo hoy…y si no que se lo pregunten a las comisarias Vestager y Johansson #SOTEU pic.twitter.com/8sw2MF5dGr
— Laura Romero Sánchez (@lauraituarte) September 15, 2021
Here’s a rough overview of VDL-speek, courtesy of MEP Luis Garicano:
VDL used English for economics and health, French for social policy and German to warn the Poles to respect the rule of law and our values.
Charles V: "I speak Spanish to God, Italian to women, French to men, and German to my horse"@vonderleyen today: I use English for economics and health, French for social policy and German to warn the Poles to respect the rule of law and our values. #StateOfTheUnion
— Luis Garicano (@lugaricano) September 15, 2021
She also announced the European Chips Act.
Which Twitter, naturally, reacted to like this:
https://t.co/hY5s4yyeka pic.twitter.com/SNkDKi4PLW
— James Crisp (@JamesCrisp6) September 15, 2021
Kira Taylor said that hearing about a chips act just made her hungry.
Watching #soteu21 and hearing about a chips act. Honestly, I'm just hungry now. pic.twitter.com/bfjskP2rlR
— Kira Taylor (@KiraTaylor15) September 15, 2021
The Belgians are asking where the Mayo Act is, joked Martini Seltzermayr
The Belgians are asking where the Mayo Act is
— Martini Seltzermayr (@mseltzermayr) September 15, 2021
Who could argue with a “European Chip Act”? We already have Place Jourdan as our first “Chip Ecosystem”, said Jim Brunsden
Who could argue with a "European Chip Act" #SOTEU? We already have Place Jourdan as our first "Chip Ecosystem".
— Jim Brunsden (@jimbrunsden) September 15, 2021
And Tom Moylan pointed out, that is does go with our European Cookie Policy
To go with our European Cookie Policy (aka GDPR)
— Tom Moylan (@moylato) September 15, 2021
But Andrea Chiarello was a bit disappointed that European Potato Trade Association had not yet issued a statement
A bit disappointed that @Europatat have not yet issued a statement on the European #Chips Act #SOTEU2021
— Andrea Chiarello 🇮🇹🇪🇺 (@chiarello90) September 16, 2021
Finally this week:
What does Frans Timmermans have in common with Billie Eilish, Harry and Meghan?
He made it on the Time 100 list of most influential figures in 2021
InfluEUncer @TimmermansEU #TIME100 https://t.co/8naG6x26t0
— Mariona Espín (@Itsmerion1996) September 16, 2021
Neither von der Leyen nor any other commissioner made the list, so Mehreen Khan.
EU green chief @TimmermansEU named as one of Time magazine's most influential figures of 2021. Neither von der Leyen nor any other commissioner make the list. Draghi is the only other EU politician named https://t.co/en8Vnowtmj
— Mehreen (@MehreenKhn) September 15, 2021
And Bernd Hüttemann quipped”who says a #Spitzenkandidat cannot make it…?
So, who says a #Spitzenkandidat cannot make it…? 🤓 https://t.co/A8e3mfjxm2
— Bernd 🇪🇺 Hüttemann (@huettemann) September 15, 2021
Not sure that’s what the Spitzenkandidaten were meant for, but then again: I can’t rule it out entirely either.
And that’s it for this week, join us again next Friday for more sitting and knitting…