About: Guy Verhofstadt
Irish backstop will stay in Brexit deal, May assures MEPs
Prime Minister Theresa May has promised EU lawmakers that she had no plans to remove the controversial Irish backstop from a final Brexit deal as she met with a series of EU leaders in Brussels. But prospects of the UK's orderly withdrawal from the EU on 29 March remained bleak.
May heads to Netherlands, Germany in bid to save Brexit deal
British Prime Minister Theresa May will visit Germany's Angela Merkel Tuesday (11 December) as she works to salvage her Brexit deal, the day after delaying a parliamentary vote on it to avoid a crushing defeat.
Romania urged to heed rule of law before assuming EU presidency
The European Union on Tuesday warned Romania to respect EU democratic values before it assumes the bloc's rotating presidency in January, or risk undermining its bid to join Europe's passport-free zone.
EPP unsure about retaining or expelling Orbán’s party
The European Parliament's vote to censure Hungary presents the assembly's dominant centre-right bloc with a dilemma over whether to retain its populist Hungarian allies or expel them months before elections.
MEPs kick off electoral campaign after Juncker’s State of the Union speech
Jean-Claude Juncker's last State of the Union speech before the next European elections turned into a stocktaking of his mandate and a platform for political groups to set up their priorities for the electoral campaign.
Macron aide: We’re not discussing alliance with Verhofstadt
A senior member of Emmanuel Macron's La République en Marche party has rejected an alliance with liberals in the European Parliament ahead of EU elections in May next year.
Brits thrown post-Brexit EU citizenship lifeline by Commission
The European Commission registered a Citizens' Initiative on Wednesday (18 July) that could end up securing EU citizenship for UK citizens once Britain leaves the EU.
No trade deal before the end of Brexit transition, Verhofstadt warns UK
A new EU-UK trade deal will not be concluded before the end of a post-Brexit transition period, Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament’s chief Brexit negotiator, told UK MPs on Wednesday (20 June).
Verhofstadt threatens to take Council to court for ‘failure to act’ on asylum reform
The European Parliament debated the priorities for Europe on Tuesday, ahead of a crucial EU summit due on 28-29 June. Among those priorities, the reform of the Dublin regulation seems the most pressing and MEPs urged EU leaders to find an agreement on the asylum system.
Commission’s budget proposal draws praise from MEPs
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and his Budget Commissioner Günther Oettinger received a largely positive reception from MEPs to their proposal for the next long-term EU budget from 2021-2027.
UK Brexit minister open to Ukraine-style EU association
Brexit minister David Davis said Tuesday (1 May) he has "no intrinsic objection" to the idea of an association deal between Britain and the European Union similar to one the bloc has with Ukraine.
En Marche aiming to take out the EPP
Guy Verhofstadt, the leader of the liberal ALDE group and Belgium's former prime minister, took part in the launch of the Grand March for Europe in Brussels, whose aim is to listen to citizens but also to challenge traditional European political groups. EURACTIV.fr reports.
Juncker under fire for ‘nauseating’ Putin letter
EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker came under fire yesterday (20 March) over a "nauseating" letter congratulating Russian President Vladimir Putin on his re-election even as Britain blames Moscow for a deadly toxin attack.
The Brief – Europe united
Who says the European Union cannot be united? Or that it can no longer see eye to eye with Washington on anything?
MEPs back Ukraine-style ‘association’ deal for post-Brexit UK
The European Parliament backed a Ukraine-style "association agreement" as the model for future EU-UK relations after Brexit.
The Brief – Another Groundhog Day
Another day, another Groundhog Day debate on Brexit.
May’s ‘hard facts’ on Brexit meet mixed reaction
Theresa May’s most detailed speech yet on UK-EU relations after Brexit received a mixed reaction on Friday (2 March), with senior EU lawmakers warning that the UK government continued to "bury its head in the sand".
Trans-Europe Express: Mistrust is gaining ground in Europe
The wind of enthusiasm blown by the victory of President Emmanuel Macron last June has vanished. In a historic vote on Wednesday, the European Parliament rejected the innovative idea of transnational lists.
Bemused Commission defends planning for ‘no deal’ Brexit
The European Commission has dismissed claims that it was ‘discriminating’ against British businesses by starting contingency planning for a possible 'no deal' outcome, in the latest row over the UK’s access to the single market after it formally leaves the EU next year.
Theresa May suffers major parliamentary defeat ahead of EU summit
Prime Minister Theresa May’s government was defeated yesterday (13 December), when lawmakers forced through changes to its Brexit blueprint that ministers said could endanger Britain’s departure from the European Union.
EU readies ‘David Davis-proof’ Brexit summit
The European Union has played down talk by Britain’s Brexit minister that last week’s interim accord is not binding and will launch new talks on Friday (15 December) that are “David Davis-proof”, a senior EU official said.
European Parliament sets in motion ‘nuclear option’ for Poland
The European Parliament adopted on Wednesday (15 November) a resolution calling for the application of the so-called ‘nuclear option’ for Poland, Article 7 of the EU Treaty, because of the threat to the rule of law in the biggest Eastern European country. EURACTIV Poland reports.
Brexit talks resume, slow progress set to cause delays in roadmap
Britain and the EU opened another round of slow-moving divorce talks on Thursday (9 November) amid growing signs that a decision to start discussions on post-Brexit trade and customs ties, which London wants to tackle as soon as possible, could be postponed until next year.