Is new French Government right-wing? ‘Non,’ insists Cabinet mouthpiece
French President Emmanuel Macron's new Government is not "right-wing", the main spokesperson for its Cabinet has claimed.
From the capitals
Latest reporting and analysis on from the capitals.
Will China try to ‘sow seeds of disruption’ at WEF meeting?
Officials from China are expected to dominate this year's annual meeting of the World Economic Forum.
Was Polish President’s office ‘bugged’ ahead of MPs’ arrest?
A leading Polish newspaper has alleged a senior Warsaw police officer was asked to instigate electronic surveillance of the Presidential Palace in the hours leading…
French Government reset unlikely to give Macron the boost he needs, say analysts
French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to pick a new Prime Minister and Cabinet is unlikely to give him the reset he needed after wounding battles on immigration…
Bucharest under siege by angry farmers and truckers on third day of protests
Major protests by farmers and truckers have entered their third day in Romania, with demonstrators breaking through police blockades in Bucharest.
Macron installs ‘pugnacious’ ex-Sarkozy minister Dati
French President Emmanuel Macron poached former Nicolas Sarkozy minister Rachida Dati to join his new Government, a surprise move that many feel will further weaken…
Mysterious burglaries hit former lead Qatargate investigator
Michel Claise, the former investigating judge in the Qatargate scandal before recusing himself, seems to be in the crosshairs of burglars.
Former Flemish MP Creyelman in hot water again over alleged Chinese-spy case
The Belgian federal prosecutor's office has started criminal proceedings following the disclosed communication between a Chinese spy and former Flemish Vlaams Belang…
Tensions erupt as Polish MPs arrested in police swoop on Presidential Palace
An extraordinary day in Polish politics ended with two MPs arrested by police in the Presidential Palace - without President Andrzej Duda’s approval.
In search of reset, Macron names Gabriel Attal France’s youngest-ever PM
French President Emmanuel Macron named 34-year-old Education Minister Gabriel Attal as his new prime minister on Tuesday, seeking to breathe new life into his…
Warsaw court orders imprisonment of two MPs despite Presidential pardons
A Warsaw court has overturned decisions by the Polish President, the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Tribunal by ordering former interior minister Mariusz Kamiński…
French PM ‘in firing line’ as Macron reshuffle rumours abound
French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne is tipped to lose her job as President Emmanuel Macron promises what looks like another Government reshuffle.
Russian politician threatens Lithuania and Poland with ‘cutting new corridor to Kaliningrad’
Senior Russian politician and former diplomat Dmitry Rogozin wants his country to “cut a corridor” to link Russia with Kaliningrad, sandwiched between Lithuania…
What would Napoleon do? Brandy trade war breaks out between EU and mean-spirited China
China said it will investigate brandy products in containers containing less than 200 litres from the EU, without naming any companies
Albania’s ex-leader swears revenge for house arrest
Albania's former prime minister Sali Berisha has sworn revenge on sitting Prime Minister Edi Rama over his house arrest, which began on December 30.
After a top EU job, Mr De Croo?
De Croo, one of the bloc's key leaders since his country took over the rotating EU Presidency, says the EU cannot keep up with increasing demands for funding and…
Danish monarch abdicates, with country set for first King in decades
The Queen of Denmark has announced her imminent abdication later this month.
Catalan separatists threaten to veto EU funds for Spain
The separatist Junts per Catalunya party (Junts) is threatening to veto EU funds for Spain.
Jacques Delors (1925 – 2023)
Jacques Delors, former European Commissioner, French politician and "architect of the modern European Union", passed away in his sleep on December 27, 2023 at home…
France to close embassy in Niger as military coup holds
France is to close its embassy in Niger after Paris and its ECOWAS partners were unable to overturn a military coup five months ago in the country.
Sánchez rejects Catalonian independence referendum as ‘unconstitutional’
No constitution in the world allows for ceding part of its nation's territory, Sánchez argued
Macron on the defensive over alliance with Right on immigration
French President Emmanuel Macron has defended the country’s new immigration bill, addressing left-wing critics who claim he gave too much to the “far Right”.
And the winner is … China! Beijing set to reap rewards from new EU wind charter
Cost pressures mean Chinese companies will likely encroach further into the European wind sector at the expense of EU firms
French National Assembly approves ‘strict’ migration law, cheering the Right
The majority in the French Parliament voted in favour of a tougher migration law in what is being seen as a political win for the Right.
Hundreds of Berlin districts must rerun 2021 national elections, court rules
Germany’s Constitutional Court has ruled 455 districts in Berlin have to hold votes again following chaotic national elections three years ago in the German capital.
Armenia cold-shoulders Russia and post-Soviet security umbrella
Armenia has snubbed a Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CTSO) assembly meeting, in a further sign that the country is moving away from Russia's security umbrella.
It’s the polls that swung it: EU leaders watered down the Green Deal in fear of Europe’s populist tide
Abraham Lincoln’s saying that you can fool some of the people all of the time, all of the people some of the time, but never all of the people all of the time…
Sweden to make aid conditional, ‘not a human right’
Sweden’s minority Government, supported by the Sweden Democrats (SD), is coupling their foreign aid programmes to the willingness of countries to readmit their…
Caught Red-handed? Media probe accuses former Belgian MP of spying for China
Frank Creyelman, a politician of the Belgian right-wing Vlaams Belang party, has allegedly been used as a Chinese intelligence asset, according to an investigation…
The murky history of Civic Platform’s Russia policy: Donald Tusk and Radosław Sikorski appeased the Kremlin when they were last in office
Donald Tusk was reinstalled as Poland's Prime Minister this Wednesday. The leader of Civic Platform may be the darling of the European establishment for now.