Recently-formed pro-Macron Rural Alliance loses a top name
A French rural party, set up with the support of President Emmanuel Macron to target the right-wing National Rally party (RN), is facing trouble after a top figure…
Politics
Latest reporting and analysis on politics.
Von der Leyen’s European Parliament majority on a knife-edge
An expected loss of five seats within Von der Leyen's European People's Party could mean that the three parliamentary groups that support her represent 56 per cent…
Polish President pardons jailed, hunger-striking MPs
Polish President Andrzej Duda has issued pardons for former ministers Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik whohave been on hunger strike in protest at their incarceration.
Digital euro ‘could significantly destabilise banking system’
"Central Bank Digital Currencies use blockchain technology but in a different way than cryptocurrencies.
Putin is trying to resurrect Imperial Russia – Will he claim back Alaska? Surely even the Kremlin dictator will draw a line at the Empire’s California outpost
Vladimir Putin wants to re-establish the old borders of the USSR. We know that. In 2014 he annexed Crimea. Next, he invaded Ukraine.
Turkey’s parliament approves Sweden’s NATO membership bid
Turkey's parliament approved Sweden's NATO membership bid on Tuesday following more than four hours of debate, clearing a last major hurdle to expand the Western…
Does Spain’s baffling Socialist affability justify a Conservative’s gamble on Labour in UK election?
It’s a tough time to be a Brit - the state of the country is not good. It’s even tougher, though, to be a Conservative Brit.
‘Africa’s Sahel is lost’, MEPs told during EP debate on ‘doomed’ EU strategy
The prospects of European Union presence and influence in the Sahel region of Western and North-central Africa seems grim to non-existent.
Jailed Polish MP to be force-fed in prison
Polish prison authorities have decided to force-feed Mariusz Kamiński, one of two opposition MPs from the Conservative (PiS) on hunger strike in prison.
EU border strategy still ‘encourages irregular migration’, MEP claims
Europe's immigration and border control strategy is still "encouraging irregular migration", an MEP has claimed.
French regulator hammers Amazon with €32 million fine over ‘intrusive staff surveillance’
French regulator Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés (CNIL) fined Amazon France Logistique €32 million for what the CNIL said was an "excessively…
Online child-sex abuse laws face regulatory ‘cliff edge’, NGOs warn EU
Legal protections against online child-sex abuse (CSA) are facing a regulatory "cliff edge", NGOs have warned the European Union.
Polish Government ignores court rebuttal of public-media takeover
A Polish court has ruled that the decision by culture minister Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz to “liquidate” the country’s public television and radio stations is…
The EU’s hate-speech bill is not simply about being tough on prejudice. But it is a crackdown on dissent and a restriction on democracy
Last Thursday, in a worrying development for freedom of speech in Europe, the European Parliament voted to add hate speech and hate crime to the list of ‘EU Crimes’.
Woman dies in roadblock crash as French farmers expand protests
French farmers in tractors and trucks expanded their roadblocks, resulting in numerous traffic jams and a fatal accident, as unions urged the Government to address…
EU backs Red Sea naval mission but that may expose ‘splits’ at home
European Union foreign ministers have reached a decision "in principle" to launch a naval mission to help secure merchant shipping in the Red Sea, overcoming Spanish…
Israeli, Palestinian ministers to attend meeting where EU will push for peace
The Israeli and Palestinian foreign ministers are to meet their European Union counterparts on Monday as the EU considers potential steps toward a comprehensive…
Belgium led by ’emperor with no clothes’ as it joins Club Med
Belgium has managed to break into the so-called "Club Med" - Mediterranean countries with higher government debt to GDP ratios - and has surpassed Portugal in such…
Tusk and Zelenskyy ‘to end row’ over Polish truckers and UK eases Ukraine visit rules
The leaders of Poland and Ukraine pledged to tackle a thorny political dispute that had hampered their critical wartime alliance and boost defence cooperation as…
EU to upgrade economic security to shield key tech from China
The European Union will take the next step this week in its effort to recreate itself into a global power that can leverage its massive single market to rebuff coercive…
German Government may pull right-wing AfD’s State funding
Germany's Government is examining the possibility of banning the populist Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party from receiving State funding.
Protests erupt across Germany against ‘neo-Nazi’ AfD
Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in Germany to demonstrate against the populist right-wing Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, seen by many…
French farmers dig heels in against European Green Deal with mass protests
French farmers declared a week of intensive protests targeting the European Green Deal, amid ongoing demonstrations against the plan across the continent.
EU’s Ukraine war-aid figures ‘don’t add up’, it seems
The European Union is auditing Member States' military aid to Ukraine, with Germany complaining France is not pulling its weight, as others see things differently.
EC’s Reynders backs Polish Government’s stand in rule-of-law dispute
European Commissioner Didier Reynders has visited Warsaw as the EC once again eyes Poland’s rule-of-law dispute.
Russia ‘targets Europe with hi-tech digital spycraft’ as continental elections approach
As European elections 2024 loom, Russia's “espionage tactics” targeting European Union politicians and EU military establishments, among others, are becoming…
Make no mistake, Germany is attempting to thwart Poland’s sovereignty and future prosperity – and Tusk’s government is playing along
Much of the media broadcasting from Poland want us to believe that the biggest challenge for the new liberal government in Warsaw is judicial reform.
Why you should watch the Belgian elections in 2024
Among the countries to keep an eye on in the next 12 months is Belgium.
EU tightens purse-strings on money laundering – football clubs and crypto outfits may be injured
MEPs and the European Council reached a final agreement over further measures to strengthen the European Union's arsenal against sanctions evasion, money laundering…
Louis Le Pensec (1980 – 1990)
Louis Le Pensec, the distinguished former French minister, passed away on January 10, 2024, at the age of 87, leaving behind a legacy of political service and advocacy.