Category Archives: European Union

EU’s far-right parties expel Germany’s AfD from their group

Posted on by

ID group of populist parties cuts off Alternative für Deutschland after its candidate’s comments that SS were ‘not all criminals’

The far-right German party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has been expelled from its pan-European parliamentary group after a string of recent controversies over its policy choices and the conduct of some of its leaders.

“The bureau of the Identity and Democracy group in the European parliament has decided today to exclude the German delegation, AfD, with immediate effect,” the ID group of populist far-right parties said in a statement on Thursday.

Continue reading...

Europe’s far right in disarray as Germany’s AfD candidate resigns

Posted on by

Maximilian Krah’s SS remark highlights growing divisions within European far-right and nationalist groups

The lead candidate for Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) in the European parliamentary election has resigned from the German far-right party’s leadership, as growing divisions between Europe’s nationalist parties threaten to undermine their expected gains in next month’s ballot.

Maximilian Krah, who last weekend told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica that the SS, the Nazis’ main paramilitary force, were “not all criminals”, said in a statement on Wednesday that his comments were “being misused as a pretext to damage our party”.

Continue reading...

Georgia’s ‘foreign agents’ law could be dropped in return for US support bill

Posted on by

Draft bill tabled in Congress would open talks on trade deal with Georgia in return for commitments on civil rights

A “foreign agents” law in Georgia that has brought hundreds of thousands of protesters on to the streets of Tbilisi could be dropped in return for a package of economic and security support from Washington, the ruling party has hinted.

In response to a draft bill tabled in the US Congress that would open up talks on a trade deal in return for fresh commitments on civil rights, the governing Georgian Dream party said it would need to see progress on such promises within a year.

Continue reading...

European far-right leaders gather ahead of EU elections

Posted on by

Le Pen, Orbán and Meloni rail against socialism and ‘massive illegal migration’ at ‘great patriotic convention’ in Madrid

International far-right leaders, including France’s Marine Le Pen, Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Argentina’s Javier Milei, came together in Madrid to rail against socialism and “massive illegal migration” three weeks before hard-right parties are expected to see a surge in support in June’s European elections.

Sunday’s “great patriotic convention”, which was organised by Spain’s far-right Vox party, offered conservatives and far-right populists a chance to congregate and take aim at a variety of familiar targets, from the welfare state to “wokeness” and the agendas of Brussels-based bureaucrats.

Continue reading...

Disappearing ink, fake polls and voter fraud: EU fears as Russian propaganda ads target Euro elections

Posted on by

Researcher uncovers vast Facebook campaign and accuses Meta of ‘lack of willingness’ to counter it

The stories are doom-laden, laced with vitriolic sneers about Emmanuel Macron, Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Ursula von der Leyen. Ukrainians are “ready to depose” their leader, Macron is breaking French “rules” with aid to Ukraine, an “uncontrolled influx” from the east is “seriously harming the Germans”.

According to new research, these are just a few examples of a vast pro-Russian propaganda campaign washing over Facebook accounts of French and German citizens, before the European parliament elections next month.

Continue reading...

Post-Brexit deal on border between Gibraltar and Spain remains unresolved

Posted on by

European Commission vice president, Maroš Šefčovič, cites progress on trade and economy for territory but not border checks

Talks on a post-Brexit deal to govern the border between Gibraltar and Spain have broken up without an agreement, although both sides insisted a deal was “getting closer”.

David Cameron, the UK foreign secretary, met the European Commission vice president, Maroš Šefčovič, in Brussels to discuss the British overseas territory on the Iberian peninsula, which has been in limbo since Britain left the EU.

Continue reading...

Former British MEP running for election to European parliament in Italy

Posted on by

Sir Graham Watson says rise of far right has led him to stand in North-East Italy

A former British MEP is hoping to stage a return to the European parliament in June after being invited to run in Italy by an alliance backed by the country’s former prime minister Matteo Renzi.

Sir Graham Watson, a Liberal Democrat, used to represent South West England between 1994 and 2014 and is running with the pro-European coalition Stati Uniti d’Europa (United States of Europe).

Continue reading...

Brexit border IT outages delay import of perishable items to UK by up to 20 hours

Posted on by

Lorries carrying meat, cheese and cut flowers held up by new checks, with retailers rejecting some orders

Lorries carrying perishable food and plants from the EU are being held for up to 20 hours at the UK’s busiest Brexit border post as failures with the government’s IT systems delay imports entering Britain.

Businesses have described the government’s new border control checks as a “disaster” after IT outages led to lorries carrying meat, cheese and cut flowers being held for long periods, reducing the shelf life of their goods and prompting retailers to reject some orders.

Continue reading...

US warns Georgia not to side with Moscow against the west

Posted on by

Official suggests US funding could be pulled as new ‘Kremlin-inspired’ law provokes mass protests

Georgia has been warned by the US not to become an adversary of the west by falling back in line with Moscow, as its parliament defied mass street protests to pass a “Kremlin-inspired” law.

Washington’s assistant secretary of state, Jim O’Brien, spoke of his fears that the passing by Georgia’s parliament of a “foreign agents” bill on Tuesday could be yet another “turning point” in the former Soviet state’s troubled history.

Continue reading...

Blinken delivers message of US support to Kyiv as thousands flee Kharkiv region

Posted on by

US secretary of state promises long-awaited $60bn Ukraine aid package will make ‘real difference on battlefield’

The US secretary of state has arrived in Kyiv delivering a message that Washington remains committed to supporting Ukraine as the country’s forces face their toughest situation on the battlefield for months.

In recent days, Russia has launched an offensive in the north-eastern Kharkiv region, forcing thousands to flee their homes, and on Tuesday hit the centre of Kharkiv, the country’s second biggest city, with airstrikes.

Continue reading...

Ministers mount last-ditch attempt to save EU laws on restoring nature

Posted on by

Representatives of 11 countries led by Ireland urge other states to help get legislation on rescuing habitats over the line

A last-ditch attempt to try to save the EU’s nature restoration laws from oblivion has been mounted by 11 member states, which are racing to get the legislation over the line in the next four weeks.

In a move led by Ireland, 11 environment ministers have written to countries that have said they will either abstain or vote against ratification of the laws, urging them to think again.

Continue reading...

Lithuania set for presidential election run-off with incumbent Nausėda clear favourite

Posted on by

Results put Gitanas Nausėda ahead but he will face Ingrida Šimonytė in a run-off election on 26 May

Lithuania’s president, Gitanas Nausėda, appears on course for a second term after a first round of voting, following a campaign dominated by the war in Ukraine and fears over neighbouring Russia.

Nausėda won 44% of votes cast in Sunday’s election, electoral commission data showed, while prime minister Ingrida Šimonytė won 20%. As no candidate won more than 50% the pair will head to a run-off election on 26 May.

Continue reading...

Briton with cancer living in Italy unable to get care he is entitled to after Brexit

Posted on by

Withdrawal agreement means Graham Beresford is eligible for free treatment but Italian authorities have said he must pay

A British man settled in Italy who has a rare cancer has been unable to receive the free healthcare he is entitled to because local officials do not understand the Brexit withdrawal agreement, he has said.

Graham Beresford, 61, has spoken out days before the foreign secretary, David Cameron, who triggered the Brexit referendum, has his first major meeting with the European commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič in Brussels about post-Brexit relations.

Continue reading...

About 50,000 protest in Tbilisi against Georgia ‘foreign agents’ bill

Posted on by

US says parliamentarians must choose between Kremlin-style laws or Euro-Atlantic democratic path

An estimated 50,000 people marched peacefully in heavy rain in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi on Saturday night after the US said parliamentarians had to choose between Kremlin-style laws or the Euro-Atlantic democratic path they had embarked upon.

The march was the latest in a series of public protests against a “foreign agents” bill that would require media and commercial organisations receiving more than 20% of their funding from outside the country to register as “agents of foreign influence”.

Continue reading...

Far-right EU election gains could boost nationalist parties on home turf

Posted on by

Polls indicate a surge for the right across the continent in next month’s ballots but the centrists are still likely to hold sway in parliament

Far-right gains in next month’s European elections will be hard, if not impossible, to parlay into more power in parliament, experts say, but they could boost nationalist parties in EU capitals – with potentially greater consequences.

Polling suggests far-right and hardline conservative parties could finish first in nine EU states, including Austria, France and the Netherlands, in the polls between 6 and 9 June, and second or third in another nine, including Germany, Spain, Portugal and Sweden.

Continue reading...

‘No alternative’: EU climate chief urges MEPs not to use crisis as political tool

Posted on by

Exclusive: Wopke Hoekstra says EU must press ahead with cutting greenhouse gases and use policy to bring about economic benefits

Europe’s climate chief has warned against politicians trying to use the climate crisis as a wedge issue in the forthcoming EU parliament elections, calling instead for climate policy that will bring wider economic benefits.

Wopke Hoekstra, the EU commissioner for climate action, said Europe had no choice but to press ahead with strong measures to cut greenhouse gases, whoever was in power, but added that more attention was needed to help businesses thrive in a low-carbon world.

Continue reading...

Hungary rolls out red carpet for Xi in final leg of European tour

Posted on by

Warm welcome for Chinese president contrasts with rest of EU, with up to 18 cooperation agreements expected

Hungary has rolled out the red carpet for Xi Jinping in a show of warmth that contrasts with wariness in the rest of the EU about China’s stance on trade, global politics and human rights.

On the third and final stop of his first European tour in five years, Xi was given a ceremonial welcome by Hungary’s president, Tamás Sulyok, at Buda Castle, in Budapest, before talks with Viktor Orbán. The Hungarian prime minister, the EU’s longest-serving leader, has sought to deepen ties with Beijing and blocked EU motions criticising China’s human rights abuses.

Continue reading...

Students across Europe hold Gaza war protests in run-up to UN vote on Palestinian statehood

Posted on by

Police arrested dozens of people in Amsterdam, with university occupations continuing in Netherlands, Belgium and Spain

Thirty-two people were arrested as Dutch police broke up a Gaza war protest at the University of Amsterdam, in a second day of unrest over the conflict. Police said the offences included public violence, vandalism and assault.

Video captured by Reuters appeared to show officers in riot gear striking protesters and police knocking down makeshift barricades of desks, bricks and wooden pallets that seemingly had been used to set off fire extinguishers in hopes of pushing them back. The footage appeared to also show police dragging several students away as hundreds shouted: “Shame on you!”

Continue reading...

David Miliband condemns ‘absurd’ lack of cooperation between EU and UK

Posted on by

Former foreign secretary to call for next government to seek much closer ties with bloc on foreign policy and defence issues

David Miliband will on Wednesday urge British ministers to forge closer links with the EU and condemn the “absurd” lack of cooperation between London and Brussels on foreign and defence issues.

The former foreign secretary will give a speech at the Irish embassy in London in which he will criticise the Conservatives for their attitude towards the EU and call on the next government to seek much closer ties.

Continue reading...

European People’s party declines to sign letter condemning far-right political violence

Posted on by

Commitment of Ursula von der Leyen’s party to fighting destructive forces is in question, say signatories

A row has broken out among political parties in Europe after the centre right group to which Ursula von der Leyen belongs refused to sign a letter condemning the far right and a spate of attacks on politicians in Germany, Belgium, Spain, Sweden and Ireland.

The open letter calls on von der Leyen to “reject any normalisation, cooperation or alliance with the far right and radical parties” and denounces a physical assault on the German centre-left politician Matthias Ecke. Ecke was “seriously injured” after allegedly being attacked by four young men while putting up campaign posters.

Continue reading...