Author: staff
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…
United States President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order labelling Antifa as a “domestic terrorist organisation” in the country. In turn, posts alleging that the Netherlands has designated Antifa as a terrorist organisation gained traction, with some being viewed hundreds of thousands of times across social media. In one X post viewed more than 300,000 times, one user writes, “BREAKING: The Netherlands has now officially designated Antifa a terror group after a motion was passed. The world is cracking down on these freaks. All of Europe to follow!” Another post viewed more than 6,000 times states, “Antifa is…
Why was Ed Davey using so much of his Lib Dem conference speech to talk about Nigel Farage? And was threatening “Trump’s America” becoming “Farage’s Britain” a good way to get attention – especially with a claim that a Reform government could involve rolling back gun laws. Sam and Anne’s conference debrief goes over what was in Sir Ed’s Bournemouth speech (criticisms of the BBC) and what wasn’t (much on the economy).
Published on 23/09/2025 – 15:59 GMT+2 The EU is managing to “stabilise its relations with the US”, European Council President António Costa told journalists in a group interview in New York during the UN General Assembly. Costa touched on US reaffirmation of its commitment to NATO and Ukraine, and the trade deal struck between the EU and the US. “The 27 member states remain united in our relatiosn with the US,” said the Council president, noting that in January, “a lot of people were concerned about the risk of the United States’ withdrawal from NATO.” In June, Trump raised doubts…
“We are not publicizing it too loudly because of the sensitivity for our partners,” a senior EU official told POLITICO. The official was granted anonymity to speak freely, as were others quoted in this piece. “You asked the question, so I’m answering — but we didn’t want this in the headlines.” Behind the scenes, EU negotiators describe a tense balancing act — securing commercial wins for European exporters while treading carefully around Indonesia’s strict cultural and religious stance on alcohol. “Some delegates on the other side were like, ‘I’m risking my life doing this deal,’” said another EU official, describing how their counterparts…
Published on 23/09/2025 – 18:20 GMT+2 Every year, lawmakers in the Parliament choose an individual or cause that stands out for its fight for human rights, the defence of freedom of expression, the rights of minorities, or democracy. During the past four years, winners have included María Corina Machado, leader of the democratic forces in Venezuela with President-elect Edmundo González Urrutia; the Iranian dissident Mahsa Amini; the people of Ukraine; and the former Russian dissident Alexei Navalny. Before the final vote in October, MEPs present a list of nominees together with their political groups or by any group of at…