Author: staff

Brexit veteran Outgoing head of mission Croisdale-Appleby was intimately involved in Brexit talks, working as U.K. chief negotiator David Frost’s deputy in Downing Street’s Europe taskforce throughout 2020. Prior to that he was a director general in the Foreign Office from 2017 to 2020, working on European Union and other issues. Before taking up that role he was the British foreign affairs department’s Europe director from 2015 to 2017. Four people familiar with the situation, including those cited above, said Croisdale-Appleby was due to depart late summer or early autumn 2026. Earlier this month he was tipped as a possible…

Friedrich Merz will den Herbst zum Aufbruch machen und spricht dazu heute in den Haushaltsberatungen im Bundestag. Wie schwer sein Projekt wird, zeigt das deutsche Gesundheitssystem.Gesundheitsministerin Nina Warken kämpft wie ihre Vorgänger mit Milliardenlöchern bei den Krankenkassen, steigenden Beiträgen und einer Reformkommission, deren Empfehlungen frühestens 2027 greifen. Jürgen Klöckner ordnet ein, warum Beitragserhöhungen kaum zu verhindern sind und welche Risiken beim Schätzerkreis im Oktober lauern. Im 200-Sekunden-Interview erklärt Simone Borchardt (CDU), welche Rolle Primärarztsystem und Ambulantisierung spielen – und wieso „Leistungssteuerung“ nicht Kürzung bedeutet. Armin Laschet soll Präsident der Deutschen Parlamentarischen Gesellschaft werden – während die AfD über Klagen nachdenkt.…

The Socialists also claim, rather improbably, that almost all the deficit savings can be achieved via their new proposed wealth tax. And though Lecornu’s government is ready to accept a less draconian wealth tax, which would be levied only on noncommercial assets, the center-right part of the minority coalition warns that any large tax hikes might breach their redlines. Most worryingly for Lecornu, though, Socialist leaders have again decided to raise the thorny issue of pension reform. And they say there can be no deal unless the new prime minister suspends the progressive increase of France’s official retirement age from…

“The chances of reaching a diplomatic solution before the sanctions go into effect are slim,” German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told reporters on Tuesday. “Iran must never obtain a nuclear weapon.” But there was no sign of a compromise after the talks, according to a French diplomat. “Iran has not fulfilled the conditions but the talks will continue to explore all possibilities until the end,” said the French official, who, like others quoted here, was granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue. The same diplomat said the ball was now “in Iran’s court” ahead of a Saturday deadline when “snapback”…

For the Europeans, who have spent months trying to convince Trump that Putin bears full responsibility for the war, the apparent change of heart also came as something of a vindication of their own efforts. Ursula von der Leyen’s relationship with Trump has also evolved dramatically since he was first sworn in, said an EU official who was granted anonymity to speak about EU-Washington relations. | Omar Havana/Getty Images Speaking to reporters outside the U.N. Security Council building, Europe’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas appeared to welcome Trump’s post as showing a change of heart. “He’s made a very strong statement…

Follow the Money journalist Alexander Fanta requested access to the message, but the Commission replied it could not identify the text as “the ‘disappearing messages’ feature of the instant-messaging mobile application ‘Signal’ was activated on the phone on which the message had been received,” according to the Ombudsman. The Commission told the complainant that von der Leyen and her head of cabinet had decided there was no need to register the message and let it disappear. It’s not the first time von der Leyen’s handling of text messages has come under scrutiny. In May, an EU court found that the European Commission had…

“So I’m ready to discuss this,” he continued. “We’re going to discuss it today with the European nations all gathered here. I’m sure they’re thrilled to hear me talk about it. But that’s the way it is.” EU countries have drastically reduced their reliance on Russian energy since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022, but Hungary and Slovakia remain substantial buyers of Russian oil and gas and have so far resisted pressure to stop doing so. EU officials have spent the past few months trying to convince Trump to come onboard with economic measures against Moscow. Some diplomats…

Kotsev, who belongs to the same political family as Hayer, was arrested in mid-July after authorities charged him with embezzling public funds. The detention sparked a wave of protests in Bulgaria. The Commission is currently assessing whether to release €653 million to Sofia as part of its post-Covid funding mechanism, known as the Recovery and Resilience Facility. Payouts are linked to reforms in areas such as democracy, environmental targets and digital policy. Bulgaria has so far received €1.37 billion of the €6 billion allocated to it under the RRF by the Commission. As countries hit the agreed milestones, they can…

“I see a U.S. president who is active, who wants peace… who wants the Nobel Peace Prize. But the Nobel Peace Prize is possible only if you stop this war,” Macron said on Tuesday. “We must put pressure on the government of Israel so that they… stop this war and obtain the release of the 48 hostages,” he continued. “It’s possible, nothing is pre-ordained.” During his own address to the U.N. gathering earlier Tuesday, Trump repeated his claim he had “ended seven un-endable wars” and that everyone said he “should get the Nobel Peace Prize.” The French president’s comments came…

Those associations must comply with their obligations not to provide “aid or assistance that would help maintain the situation created by Israel’s illegal presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the panel said. Speaking to POLITICO earlier this month, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said he didn’t believe teams should face competition bans because of the actions of political leaders. The U.N. experts said countries hosting international organizations, holding competitions, or taking part in sporting events with Israel cannot stay neutral when faced with genocide. “We are clear that the boycott must be addressed to the State of Israel and not to…