EURONEWS – “This certainly will become a headache for Von der Leyen and the new [European] Commission because this will lead to a reshuffle of her college – this is very likely.” Alberto Alemanno, EU Analyst.
POLITICO – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s soundbite for a Croatian political campaign video lasted all of two seconds. But the repercussions have already lasted much longer and won’t be over anytime soon.
THE GUARDIAN – Millions of us built our lives on the promise of free movement. Under cover of coronavirus, that dream is disappearing…
THE GUARDIAN – France and Netherlands at odds on finance ministers’ €500bn compromise
CNBC – The travel ban comes at a time when the number of cases is rising in both the Europe and the United States. The two countries agreed in January to improve their trade links, by negotiating a deal before the end of the year.
THE GUARDIAN – Europe needs a new mechanism for involving citizens, not another talking shop chaired by the polarising Guy Verhofstadt.
BLOOMBERG – Parliament has been building its authority lately. Accepting the Council’s decision for Commission President reverses that.
CNBC – Ahead of this year’s EU elections, Macron finds himself fighting the nationalist and Euroskeptic party of Marine Le Pen once again. In Italy, the elections will be a test on the anti-establishment coalition government, which has been in power for roughly a year.
THE GUARDIAN – Those of us who reside in another member state live more ‘European’ lives than anyone. Yet we feel disenfranchised.
EU OBSERVER – Amid frantic negotiations, the EU-27 leaders ultimately conceded a further extension to the UK to ratify the withdrawal agreement by 31 October 31.
THE ECONOMIST – In European politics, the big divide is not open v closed but innovator v conservative
CARNEGIE EUROPE – A new wave of pan-European parties and movements could profoundly shake up and further polarize EU politics ahead of the 2019 European Parliament elections.
BLOOMBERG – The public may cheer a whistleblower, but it’s not easy to be one. While they expose fraud and abuse that otherwise would remain veiled, whistleblowers in Europe often face retaliation by their employers and other repercussions. A new proposed European Union directive seeks to change that; it might also prove useful in countering the erosion of democratic values in the bloc’s east.
BLOOMBERG – The Soros-funded university in Hungary isn’t the only non-governmental organization under attack in Europe.
The debate on the European Union confirmed the antithetical views of the two candidates, underlining their irreconcilable understanding of the European project.
In our highly-polarized nations, an electoral victory no longer ensures, nor translates, into societal acceptance and popular support for change.