Author: staff
Europe is facing another potential energy shock — and this time, Brussels is starting to float something politically tricky: using less fuel. Host Zoya Sheftalovich is joined by POLITICO’s senior EU politics editor Ian Wishart to break down a warning from Brussels that points to a possible need to cut fuel use, as fears grow of a prolonged disruption linked to the war in Iran. They also zoom in on Kyiv, where EU foreign ministers are marking the anniversary of the Bucha massacre of March 2022 while pushing forward plans for a special tribunal to prosecute Russia’s war of aggression.…
Israel’s parliament has passed a law approving the death penalty for Palestinians convicted on terror charges for deadly attacks, a measure that has been harshly condemned by the international community and rights groups as discriminatory and inhumane. Sixty-two lawmakers, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, voted in favour and 48 against the bill, championed by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. Ben Gvir in the run-up to the vote had worn a lapel pin in the shape of a noose, symbolising his support for the legislation. “We made history!!! We promised. We delivered,” he posted on X after the vote.…
At the end of March, Europe’s leaders met under a clear message: One Europe, One Market. It is a recognition that competitiveness, security and resilience cannot be built on 27 fragmented regulatory regimes. Yet in connectivity — the infrastructure on which every digital, industrial and security ambition depends —Europe still governs as if fragmentation is desired. While energy and capital markets are treated as strategic imperatives for integration, the same clarity of purpose often seems to be missing when leaders express their ambitions for any genuine ‘Connectivity Union’. This is surprising. Connectivity is the artery system of a modern economy…
The size and features of the hub — the cost of which forms part of the €49 million — suggest it would be designed as a chamber to host the institution’s 329 members for their plenary sessions, which are held up to six times a year. According to the documents, the hub would include booths for interpreters, VIP areas and press facilities. The documents say it would provide “autonomy from European Parliament and European Commission buildings,” as Committee of the Regions plenary sessions are currently held in the Parliament or in the Commission’s Charlemagne building. Staff and unions say the plans have not been…
That could mean governments asking citizens to drive or fly less to save fuel for more essential purposes, as is already happening in some Asian countries. European energy ministers will hold an emergency meeting Tuesday to discuss how to address the energy crisis. In his letter, Jørgensen said Europe’s transport sector faces rising costs and supply shortages due to the industry’s heavy reliance on the Persian Gulf, which the EU relied on for over 40 percent of its jet fuel and diesel imports. He added that the growing shortage is compounded by the “limited availability of alternative suppliers and of…
U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg on Monday piled pressure on Brussels to get on board. “Pax Silica is knitting together the trusted network the AI race requires. Europe belongs in that network. The question is whether Brussels will let it show up,” Helberg posted on X. Helberg is visiting Brussels this week as part of a European tour that includes the Netherlands, France and the U.K. The decision on whether the EU will join Pax Silica comes at a sensitive time in transatlantic relations, as the bloc considers how closely linked it wants to be…
Steigende Energiepreise: Jørgensen fordert Europäer auf, weniger zu reisen – POLITICO Skip to main content
Ukraine signed a 10-year defence agreement with Bulgaria, a major arms manufacturer, covering production of drones and other weapons, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Monday. The Ukrainian leader said he was “very pleased” with the deal, signed during a visit to Kyiv by Bulgaria’s interim Prime Minister, Andrey Gyurov. The agreement covers “joint production, on the territory of our countries, of various types of weapons, including drones,” Zelenskyy said at a press conference. The length of the accord should make it possible to “systematise” security cooperation, Zelenskyy said, in particular keeping up with the rapid pace of technological change in…
Les partis sociaux-démocrates européens s’effondrent et leurs dirigeants ne semblent pas savoir comment inverser la tendance. Pendant la majeure partie du XXe siècle, les partis de centre gauche, ancrés dans les syndicats et le monde ouvrier, ont été parmi les forces politiques dominantes en Europe. Mais aujourd’hui, nombre d’entre eux sont politiquement méconnaissables, ou en grande difficulté. Le dernier exemple en date est celui des sociaux-démocrates de la Première ministre danoise, Mette Frederiksen, qui ont réalisé la semaine dernière une chute spectaculaire lors des élections législatives. Bien que le parti ait obtenu le plus grand nombre de voix, ses résultats…
Hungary’s upcoming general election on 12 April is marked by a clear generation gap with many young voters strongly favouring the opposition Tisza Party headed by Péter Magyar. Most independent polls show that more than 60% of voters under 30 support Magyar’s party while only 15% support Viktor Orbán’s ruling Fidesz. Orbán’s campaign appears to be speaking to older voters. One campaign promise is a 14th month pension, promising security for Hungary’s older citizens where Fidesz has a definite lead among voters over 64. Based on earlier elections, young voters are harder to mobilise, so the generation issue might become…