Author: staff

In this edition, we hear how the EU is trying to go green but stay competitive and tell you who the most corrupt countries in Europe are. We are joined this weekend by Ben Butters, the Chief Executive Officer at Eurochambres, Cory Bennet, climate editor for POLITICO Europe and Chloé Mikolajczak, a climate and social justice activist. The panel broke down the rumours that the European Commission is set to simplify life for all those doing business in the EU. From the Competitive Compass to various ‘Omnibus’ packages expected soon – the EU executive has promised to focus on deregulation…

Gordon Repinski spricht in dieser Extra-Ausgabe mit Fabian Köster von der ZDF heute-show. Die beiden diskutieren über den zurückliegenden Wahlkampf, politische Persönlichkeiten und humorvolle Momente in der Politik. Welche Politiker haben wirklich Humor, welche nicht? Wie geht man als Satiriker mit der AfD um und wie verändert sich die journalistische Satire in schwierigen Zeiten? Ein Gespräch über Politik, Medien und Humor. 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…

Updated: 22/02/2025 – 0:11 GMT+1Russian airstrikes hit Kharkiv and Kherson, injuring several and killing two. A mother died in Kherson, but her twin children survived. … More Russian airstrikes hit Ukraine’s Kharkiv and Kherson regions, causing casualties and wreaking havoc. In Kharkiv’s Zolochiv, at least five people were injured after an airstrike damaged homes, administrative buildings, and set a vehicle on fire.In Kherson, rescuers found a woman’s body under the rubble of an apartment building destroyed by a Russian KAB strike. Her twin children survived, but two people were killed and others injured. Authorities continue recovery efforts amid the widespread…

Ribera, a Spanish socialist, is under enormous pressure to preserve the integrity of the EU’s green reporting rules. Both the Spanish government and the Socialists in the European Parliament wrote to the Commission this week warning against weakening the regulation.  The third official couldn’t confirm whether the draft the others were referencing was the latest version, but did say that at least one draft proposed unwinding the double materiality principle.  “There was one very unambitious draft. Then there was a very radical one” that went after double materiality, they said. “I believe we’re finding a balance now.”  Peter Liese, a…

Given the long history of French frustration with Berlin, Merz’s comments were welcomed by politicians, officials and analysts in France, Germany and the U.K. Even some of his political opponents acknowledge privately that talking to the British and French about nuclear protection would be a sensible step.  “That a future chancellor, chief of the [Christian Democrats] should say that is a huge thing, I can’t think of any equivalent in the post-World War II era, but it’s commensurate with the shock that the [American] statements have caused,” said one French official working on military policy, granted anonymity to discuss sensitive…

What would you do if your child could suddenly read your mind? We sit down with German filmmaker Frédéric Hambalek to talk about his Competition selected film ‘What Marielle Knows’ – a taut, biting and frequently hilarious dark comedy. German writer-director Frédéric Hambalek surprised everyone this year at the Berlinale with a comedy in Competition that could very well be one of the breakout titles this year.Was Marielle Weiß (What Marielle Knows) is a sharp, taut and pitch-black comedy that deconstructs the perfect picture of family dynamics. It does so by revolving around a high concept idea: a young girl (Laeni…

The push to replenish Ukraine’s arms supply is being coordinated by the bloc’s top diplomat, former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, and aims to surpass previous European commitments of military aid. Diplomats stressed that the aid, which is still being negotiated, would likely come in the form of pooled contributions from individual member states rather than an official EU package, given opposition from certain states, namely Hungary. The scramble comes as EU officials and leaders prepare for a group expedition to Kyiv on Monday, the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As the heads of key EU institutions…

Storm-1516 is a known Russia-linked group that has previously spread election-related falsehoods, including during the 2024 presidential vote in the United States. The group relies on fake news websites and anonymous social media accounts to amplify misleading narratives, aiming to erode trust in democratic institutions. In Leipzig, city authorities said in a Feb. 18 statement that all official ballots had been printed in a single production run, making the suggested errors in the videos impossible. “There are no reports from voters of missing AfD candidates or ballot errors,” the city emphasized. “We are reviewing legal actions against those responsible for…

Talks have repeatedly hit roadblocks over the course of the past eight months. The regional government is supposed to be composed of a French-speaking majority as well as a majority among Dutch-speaking parties, which are far smaller in Brussels. The liberal Reformist Party, Socialist Party and centrist Les Engagés quickly cemented a deal on the French-speaking side. But on the Dutch-speaking side, the highly fragmented election result led to months-long negotiations, led by the Greens. The difficult talks were further exacerbated by several parties’ vetoes against a deal with the second-largest Dutch-speaking party, the brand new list of Team Fouad…

“At this podium yesterday, while I was not present in the room, one of the speakers allowed himself, as a provocation, to make a gesture referring to Nazi ideology,” Bardella said in in a statement Friday. “Therefore, I have taken the immediate decision to cancel my scheduled speaking engagement at the event this afternoon,” Bardella said. Bardella was likely referring to Bannon’s speech, which ended with chants of “Fight! Fight! Fight!” and in which he raised his right arm straight up in the air.  The gesture appeared to resemble the salute made infamous by Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Europe’s…