Author: staff
Despite setting a record as France’s shortest-serving prime minister last year, the 74-year-old Barnier has sought to stay involved in national politics with the publication of a book, “What I have learnt from you,” and is even hinting he might consider a presidential bid in 2027. Barnier will now likely be campaigning as Paris gears up for local elections next year that are expected to be hotly contested. Culture Minister Rachida Dati, a likely candidate, and Europe Minister Benjamin Haddad are calling for a joint candidate from the right and from Macron’s Renaissance party. Barnier’s candidacy as an MP for…
The sum was confirmed by four EU officials and diplomats but, showing how sensitive the final figure remains, even most of the 27 commissioners had not seen it by late Tuesday. They will meet Wednesday morning for final approval. The overall total takes into account predicted inflation over the seven years and compares with €1.2 trillion in current prices in the budget between 2021 and 2027. Negotiations inside the Commission are stretching until late Tuesday night and the figures could still change. Von der Leyen will present the proposal later on Wednesday. A planned large increase is not unusual at…
Les pays qui sont des contributeurs nets — comme l’Allemagne, les Pays-Bas et la Suède — versent plus d’argent dans la caisse qu’ils n’en reçoivent en retour. Il est donc souvent plus difficile pour ces gouvernements de justifier auprès de leur opinion publique nationale la nécessité d’augmenter le budget global de l’UE. Le commissaire européen au Budget, Piotr Serafin, a promis “un paquet ambitieux de ressources propres” qui, “d’une part, renforcera la capacité financière de ce que nous avons ici au niveau européen, mais, d’autre part, sera également politiquement et socialement acceptable pour les Etats membres, mais aussi pour les…
On Monday Trump proposed a plan whereby NATO allies would finance the purchase of Patriot missile defense systems and other weapons for Ukraine. Trump said the weapons, worth “billions of dollars,” will be built by the U.S. defense industry and paid for by European countries. Trump made the announcement during an Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who praised the move as further evidence that Europe is “stepping up.” When asked to clarify her comments on sharing the burden with the U.S., Kallas called on the Americans to continue to support Ukraine: “If we pay for these weapons,…
The agreement makes use of the flexibility within the EU’s new fiscal rules, with Berlin pledging to curb the pace of expenditure after a short-term investment boost. “Due to investments in infrastructure, security and defense this year and next, net expenditure in the German national budget will increase significantly,” the official said. “Significantly lower growth in net expenditure is planned for the following years.” The plan aims to strike a balance between investment, structural reform and fiscal consolidation, referencing the Cabinet’s June 24 budget decisions. By the end of the planning horizon, the government wants to return to a more…
By Emma De Ruiter with AP Published on 15/07/2025 – 18:43 GMT+2•Updated 19:02Ukraine’s prime minister announced his resignation on Tuesday in the first formal step of what is expected to be a significant reshuffle of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government, which could also see the country’s ambassador to Washington replaced.”I am tendering my resignation from the post of the Prime Minister of Ukraine,” Denys Shmyhal wrote in a letter posted on his Telegram page.Zelenskyy said on Monday that he had offered Shmyhal’s job to 39-year-old Yuliia Svyrydenko, who is currently deputy prime minister and the country’s first female economy minister.Svyrydenko played a key role…
The artwork, crafted on travertine slabs and dating from the late 1st century BC to the 1st century AD, was stolen from Pompeii by a Nazi German officer during World War II. It was handed over by the heirs of a deceased German citizen who received it as a gift from a Wehrmacht captain. Diplomatic efforts between the Italian Consulate in Stuttgart and German officials enabled the mosaic’s repatriation. Although its precise origin remains uncertain, similar pieces once adorned Roman bedrooms or private chambers. Experts consider the panel to be of “extraordinary cultural significance,” as it marks a shift in…
Most countries around the world, including Russia, have signed a 1993 international convention banning the use, production, development or stockpiling of chemical weapons. Russia is one of 65 countries to have not only signed the Chemical Weapons Convention, but also ratified it. Kallas’ comments add to a growing sense of alarm in EU capitals that Russia is escalating its campaign to subdue Ukraine, unleashing larger and larger nightly attacks by missiles. The worsening onslaught, which coincides with an ongoing summer offensive by Russia, prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to announce Monday that he would support a bill penalizing Moscow via…
Published on 15/07/2025 – 19:19 GMT+2The EU will not “punish” Israel for its actions in Gaza and will “keep a close watch” on the country’s implementation of a recent agreement to improve the flow of aid in the strip, the bloc’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said in a press conference following a meeting of the EU’s 27 ministers in Brussels. The ministers were in Brussels to discuss an EU-Israel agreement brokered last week to increase the number of trucks and distribution of food entering Gaza as well as the opening of several other crossing points. They also examined an exhaustive list of 10…
PARIS ― French far-right leader Marine Le Pen said her party would vote to collapse François Bayrou’s government if the prime minister did not revise his drastic budget reduction plan that includes getting rid of two major public holidays. “This government prefers to attack the French people, workers and pensioners, rather than hunt waste,” Le Pen said Tuesday on X as Bayrou’s government presented its proposal. Read more about Bayrou’s announcement here.