Author: staff

Numerous committee members told POLITICO the atmosphere in the room had been largely collegiate and respectful. But tensions have risen to the surface, both in the sessions and in the hothouse of social media.  “It’s really very unpleasant and, as far as I’m concerned, completely unnecessary,” said Olney of online interventions by members of the public and campaign groups. She claimed both sides of the debate had been “misrepresenting some of what’s happening” — and “making life harder for MPs.”That was echoed by supporters, who felt the nuances of the assisted dying debate were rarely being reflected online. Bill-backer and…

BRUSSELS — As the scion of a 700-year-old winemaking dynasty, Florentine Marquis Lamberto Frescobaldi knows better than anyone that patience is a virtue. And when it comes to tariffs, the Italian government is taking his side. When POLITICO met Frescobaldi last Friday in the marbled interior of the Italian ambassador’s residence in Brussels, he said he had just been reassured by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani that he would do all he can to spare the wine sector from the escalating trade war with Donald Trump. Scenes like this have become the new normal as European liquor industry bosses apply their marketing…

The French Foreign Minister’s two-day visit to China is an opportunity to gauge Beijing’s attitude toward Ukraine ahead of major talks on a possible European peacekeeping force. France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has started a two-day visit to China, holding talks with his Chinese counterpart on the war in Ukraine and longstanding trade disputes between China and Europe.Barrot met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who said in a news conference that both countries should “choose multilateralism over unilateralism…and pursue mutual benefit and win-win outcomes instead of decoupling and isolation”.His words echoed language frequently used by China to criticise US foreign…

“President Trump took the membership of Ukraine in NATO off the table, without any pressure,” said Pistorius. “And therefore I’m afraid that the membership of Ukraine in NATO is off the table and I hope it will not remain there, but we’ll see about that.” Both men argued a lasting peace for Ukraine is only possible if Kyiv and its European allies were to take part in peace negotiations. Pistorius, however, appeared unconvinced Europeans would secure a seat at the table when it comes to the Trump administration’s talks, even as his French and British counterparts try to win such…

Leaders from nearly 30 countries and NATO and EU chiefs met in the French capital to discuss bolstering aid to Kyiv and deploying European troops to secure long-term peace. Emmanuel Macron announced a plan to send “reassurance forces” from “several European countries” based in “certain strategic locations” in Ukraine in the event of a peace treaty with Russia. These forces would “act as a deterrent against potential Russian aggression,” he told reporters during a press conference following a high-stakes “Coalition of the Willing” summit for Ukraine in Paris on Thursday.However, these reassurance forces “are not intended to be peacekeeping forces”…

Greenland will form a new coalition government that comprises all but one party elected to its legislature, a show of political unity in the face of ongoing takeover threats from United States President Donald Trump. Four of the five parties with seats in Greenland’s parliament have agreed to band together in a broad coalition, local media outlets KNR and Sermitsiaq have reported. The deal is set to be announced Friday, the same day U.S. Vice President JD Vance plans to visit an American military base on the Arctic island. Greenlanders went to the polls two weeks ago in a closely…

In 12 EU countries, women’s satisfaction with the quality of care has decreased, with Greece reporting the lowest score at 32%. Austria was the top country in Europe for women’s health, ranking third on a global index, according to a new study. Finland, Germany, and Denmark also took places in the top 10 of the world’s best countries for women’s health. This is the fourth year that the company Hologic has published the Women’s Health Index, a survey conducted among 146,000 participants from 142 countries and territories. The data was gathered in 2023 and analysed in 2024.The research takes into consideration criteria such…

Kohler began working with Macron when he was economy minister and has been by the president’s side since his election in 2017. He is so close to Macron that he’s been nicknamed “the president’s second brain.” After nearly eight years at the Elysée palace, Kohler appears ready for a change. His impending departure has been an open secret for weeks. Emmanuel Moulin, a well-known senior civil servant, will replace Kohler. Moulin previously served as chief of staff to former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and former Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire. Pauline de Saint Remy and Nicolas Barré contributed to this…

The “unconditional withdrawal” of Russian forces from the territory of Ukraine is a key precondition to amend or lift sanctions, the European Commission has said in reply to the Kremlin’s demand. The European Union has emphatically rebuffed the Kremlin’s demand that the Russian Agricultural Bank, known as Rosselkhozbank, and other financial entities involved in the agrifood trade be re-connected to SWIFT as a pre-condition to halt attacks in the Black Sea and ensure safe navigation, arguing the continued invasion of Ukraine makes it impossible to grant sanctions relief, be it broad or targeted.The surprising demand was made public earlier this…

“Le statu quo avant l’arrestation d’Imamoğlu était confortable pour l’UE, parce qu’il y avait juste assez de démocratie”, analyse Bechev. Les récents événements, ajoute-t-il, ne sont pas assez graves pour changer la donne. Des enjeux de défense En tant que pays candidat à l’adhésion à l’UE, la Turquie peut potentiellement accéder aux achats groupés de 800 milliards d’euros au titre des fonds destinés à accroître les dépenses de défense de l’Union, selon le plan “préparation à l’horizon 2030” présenté par Bruxelles la semaine dernière. Cependant, la Grèce et Chypre, toutes deux en conflit de longue date avec la Turquie, font…