Author: staff
The second round on May 18 will pit hard-right leader George Simion against independent Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan, sidelining Romania’s establishment parties entirely. Ciolacu himself ran for president in last year’s annulled election. His campaign was criticized for his use of luxury planes, and he placed third, with less than a fifth of the vote. He offered his resignation then but ultimately remained in his post. In an interview with POLITICO before the election, Simion predicted that the prime minister would have to go if the establishment parties flopped again — and he has touted Călin Georgescu, the disqualified winner…
Friedrich Merz, Lars Klingbeil, Saskia Esken und Markus Söder unterzeichnen den Koalitionsvertrag – ein Moment zwischen Symbolik, bemerkenswerter Mimik und politischem Neuanfang. Gemeinsam mit Rasmus Buchsteiner analysiert Gordon Repinski, wie Merz und Klingbeil öffentlich Einigkeit demonstrieren und wie die SPD auf Verjüngung und Geschlechterbalance setzt. Außerdem: Fraktionsumbau, parteiinterne Machtverschiebungen und ein Blick auf die bevorstehende Kanzlerwahl. Das Berlin Playbook als Podcast gibt es morgens um 5 Uhr. Gordon Repinski und das POLITICO-Team bringen euch jeden Morgen auf den neuesten Stand in Sachen Politik — kompakt, europäisch, hintergründig. Und für alle Hauptstadt-Profis:Unser Berlin Playbook-Newsletter liefert jeden Morgen die wichtigsten Themen und…
It’s also unclear how Várhelyi’s policy portfolio, health and animal welfare, is linked to the Russian energy plans — if at all. The roadmap is slated for release on Tuesday after the EU’s 27 commissioners, one for each country, meet and green-light the document. Várhelyi, the hard-right Orbán’s choice as Hungary’s commissioner, has placed a reservation on the meeting agenda, meaning commissioners will have to debate his concerns. They can then choose to either override or take the concerns on board. Hungary’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its embassy in Brussels did not respond to a request to confirm whether…
Responding to a question from POLITICO on whether the EU is considering sanctions should Israel disregard its calls, El Anouni said: “I will not enter into any speculations on any foresight or any reactions that we might have. But our position is quite clear, and we will be re-calling it as much as necessary. “We are not asking nicely, we are repeating our call,” he added. The security Cabinet — an inner grouping within Israel’s broader Cabinet focusing on foreign and defense policy — also gave preliminary approval to resume humanitarian aid deliveries through private companies. The United Nations said…
Updated: 05/05/2025 – 15:08 GMT+2Hundreds gathered in Minneapolis on Sunday to mark the 50th annual Mayday Parade, a long-standing celebration of the arrival of spring. … More The parade, organised by local artists and volunteers, saw a colourful array of dancers, giant puppets and a whimsical battletrain. It made its way through several neighbourhoods on the city’s south side, drawing cheering crowds along the route.Festivities ended at Powderhorn Park with the Tree of Life Ceremony, a symbolic performance honouring the sun and the changing seasons. Organisers say the city’s Mayday Parade has been an annual celebration of art and community…
“Central, eastern, and south-eastern Europe, as well as the eastern Mediterranean region, are experiencing broadening warning drought conditions. Similar conditions are emerging in north-western Europe,” they write. The “warning” stage is the second of three drought development categories used by the JRC’s European Drought Observatory. In the EU, only the Iberian peninsula, southern France and most of Italy have been spared so far, according to the observatory’s latest update. In contrast, parts of Cyprus, Greece and the Balkans, as well as Turkey, have reached the red “alert” stage. Forecasts for the coming months suggest higher than usual temperatures up to…
Thousands of people have lined roads in central London around the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace as British and allied troops paraded to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. The VE Day commemorations will continue for four days with Britain starting celebrations three days ahead of the actual 8 May date and starting celebrations on the Monday Bank Holiday. During the event, Big Ben tolled noon and actor Timothy Spall recited the speech that then Prime Minister Winston Churchill gave to roaring crowds in 1945. The Cenotaph, the national war memorial, was…
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Pakistan in a bid to mediate mounting tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi following last month’s deadly assault on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.Araghchi’s visit marks the first by a foreign envoy since the 22 April attack that left 26 tourists dead, a massacre India has blamed on Pakistan. Tehran has offered to help de-escalate the crisis between the nuclear-armed neighbours.Pakistan’s armed forces remain on high alert after Information Minister Attaullah Tarar cited “credible intelligence” suggesting a potential Indian strike. Islamabad has denied any involvement in the killings and has offered to cooperate in an…
Ursula von der Leyen has invited US scientists threatened by Donald Trump’s policies to relocate to the European Union, promising them greater financial incentives, longer contracts, less red tape and a legal commitment to respect their freedom of research.”More than ever, we need to stand up for science. Science that is universal – shared by all humanity – and that is unifying,” the president of the European Commission said on Monday in a speech delivered at La Sorbonne University in Paris.”We can all agree that science has no passport, no gender, no ethnicity or political party.””We believe that diversity is…
Updated: 05/05/2025 – 16:03 GMT+2Germany’s centre-right CDU and centre-left SPD have formally signed a coalition agreement, clearing the way for Friedrich Merz to become the country’s next chancellor. … More The deal, signed on Monday at Berlin’s historic Gasometer, brings together the Christian Democratic Union, its Bavarian sister party the CSU, and the Social Democrats. All three parties had previously approved the 144-page agreement.Speaking at the signing ceremony, Merz said Germany needed a government ready to work “powerfully and systematically from day one”.The new coalition holds a slim majority in the Bundestag, with 328 of 630 seats. It has pledged…