Author: staff
Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McElvoy have their guide to the day ahead in British politics. On the third anniversary of Ukraine’s invasion, Sam and Anne take stock on the milestone’s significance for global politics. With transatlantic tensions remaining, from a controversial UN vote to high stakes talks at the White House, they break down the fresh wave of sanctions and domestic drama. How will Starmer manage Trump when he visits later this week? And conservative Christian Democrat (CDU) leader Friedrich Merz received the highest vote share in the German elections over the weekend, most…
Transgressive 90s icons, the art of window displays, Carnival Casanovas and a new Disney+ series about an infamous group of all-female thieves – here’s our week’s highlights. It’s the final week of February and flamboyance is in the air. From the Renaissance revelry of Venice Carnival to the versatile vibrancy of 90s club scene legend Leigh Bowery, an infectious sort of energy is dominating our latest round of recommendations – much needed as we prepare to crawl out from under our duvets for spring. Over in Berlin, the 75th Film Festival wrapped up on Sunday, setting the tone for the…
The inside story of how 31 days made Merz chancellor — and changed Germany forever – POLITICO Skip to main content
Friedrich Merz and his conservative alliance For months, Friedrich Merz has positioned himself as a kind of antidote to Scholz’s left-leaning coalition, hammering the government over its policies on migration and the economy. That strategy paid off, making them the dominant force in German politics once again. The AfD The far-right Alternative for Germany was in some ways the biggest winner of the night, recording double its 2021 result. The party’s relentless focus on immigration, economic grievances, and Russia-friendly positions struck a nerve with disillusioned voters, particularly in the East, where it has cemented itself as the strongest party. The…
Gordon Repinski analysiert am heutigen Morgen nach dem Wahltag die Ergebnisse zusammen mit Rixa Fürsen und Rasmus Buchsteiner. 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 Einordnungen. Hier gibt es alle Informationen und das kostenlose Playbook-Abo. Mehr von Berlin Playbook-Host und Executive Editor von POLITICO in Deutschland, Gordon Repinski, gibt es auch hier: Instagram: @gordon.repinski | X: @GordonRepinski.
“If Washington forces a peace on Moscow’s terms, we’ll need Europe more than ever,” a Ukrainian official told POLITICO, granted anonymity like others interviewed in this story due to the sensitivity of the matter. Farmers push back The EU’s tariff breaks, known as Autonomous Trade Measures, were introduced in 2022 and threw an economic lifeline to Ukraine. Initially a show of solidarity, they have since become a flashpoint, with Poland and France leading efforts to impose safeguards in 2024 on seven “sensitive” farm products, including sugar and poultry, capping duty-free imports. Now, with the tariff breaks set to expire on…
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to follow with a White House meeting on Thursday, after saying the U.K. would be “ready and willing” to put U.K. troops on the ground in Ukraine as a security guarantee in a peace deal. The third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Monday may help focus minds as Moscow’s forces continue to make advances on the battlefield and the U.S. pushes for a swift end to the war. “Enough talking, it’s time to act!” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X last week, calling for bold action from Europeans, including using frozen…
Weidel doesn’t obviously fit the bill of a right-wing radical. But her journey from conservative economist to far-right leader resembles the path of the party itself as it grew more extreme — and, as Sunday’s result showed, a large swath of the German electorate has done the same. From Goldman Sachs to far right Weidel’s earlier career in international finance isn’t typically part of the resume of a nationalist party leader. Born in the western German city of Gütersloh, she studied economics in the town of Bayreuth and then worked as a financial analyst for Goldman Sachs in Frankfurt, and later…
“My absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that, step by step, we can really achieve independence from the USA.,” Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting said. “I never thought I would have to say something like this on a television program. But after Donald Trump’s statements last week at the latest, it is clear that the Americans, at least this part of the Americans, this administration, are largely indifferent to the fate of Europe.” Merz, a staunch Atlanticist who has spent much of his professional career as a lawyer working with and for American firms, didn’t stop there.…
Germany’s election reshapes the political scene, with the far right and far left parties on the rise and coalition chaos and uncertainty for the minnows on the cards. Will CDU’s Merz be able to form a coalition until Easter? After tens of millions of Germans cast their ballots in today’s federal election — or some 84% of the country’s nearly 60 million eligible voters — the latest exit polls suggest that the CDU is in the lead to govern with around 28.5%. The centre-right party is followed by the far-right AfD party, which has seen a jump of about 10%…