European Commission drops bid to make ‘hate speech’ an EU crime
Brussels is instead weighing a directive on online "incitement to violence and hatred" that would need only a qualified majority of member states to pass.
Hot Topic
Ursula von der Leyen
Popular articles tagged "Ursula von der Leyen"
Premium
Attempts to reset Polish constitutional court stall as Tusk and EC double down
The proposal is an attempt to defuse the current confrontation around the legitimacy of several of the constitutional court’s judges and restore legitimacy to…
Premium
Brussels takes crisis preparedness into primary schools and revives 72-hour kits
The European Commission unveiled four non-binding guidelines on November 3 and proposed an annual EU Preparedness Day from 2027.
Brussels sides with Polish Government in constitutional court stand-off
The Commission has backed parliament's choice of judges but stayed silent on the suspension of the tribunal's president by one of them.
Premium
EU and Canada meet in Montreal as capitals rein in von der Leyen’s ‘associate membership’ plan
Member states led by Germany stripped the label from the summit declaration, replacing it with a pledge of “ever closer association” short of membership.
EU bureaucrats congratulate Lula
Brussels moved within hours to salute a victory the losing candidate says he will contest, with the EU's Mercosur deal still unratified in Europe.
Brussels wants Ukraine funding deal agreed before the year ends
An internal paper sent to EU capitals says work must start now on Kyiv's shortfall for 2027, with leaders due back in Brussels on November 26-27.
EU turns to Canada and Britain to plug Ukraine’s funding gap
Brussels wants Ottawa and London to put up more money for Kyiv next year, with ambassadors preparing the ground on October 22.
Denmark, Sweden and Finland reject softer rules for the EU carbon market
The three prime ministers have written to EU leaders on the eve of a summit at which the review of the emissions trading system is on the table.
Premium
Gentiloni warns Italy against defying Brussels: ‘Ask Orbán how that worked out for him’
The former PM remarks reignite debate over national sovereignty, democratic choice and the European Commission’s use of financial pressure.
Premium
Brussels seeks power to suspend new members’ voting rights for 15 years
Marta Kos presented a package of institutional changes designed to shrink national vetoes and the size of the College of Commissioners before the bloc admits anyone…
Brussels calls for ‘proportionate’ policing as French school revolt drags on
The commissioner responsible for youth has intervened in a policing dispute over which the European Union has no authority.
Premium
EU and Morocco deepen security cooperation while Ceuta stays off the agenda
The readout of the Brussels meeting listed the Sahel, Iran and Ukraine among the subjects covered, though it carried no reference to the mass crossing of July 30.
Brussels sends Moldova more growth plan cash as two reform targets go unmet
The third payment under the €1.
Hungary set to lift block on next stage of Ukraine and Moldova EU talks
Budapest would let two more negotiating clusters move forward if Kyiv passes a minority schools law, though Péter Magyar's veto on membership itself has not gone…
Zelensky asks EU again for money to strike deeper into Russia
The Ukrainian president pressed European ambassadors in Kyiv to release unspent defence loans, hours before announcing the first combat use of Ukraine's own ballistic…
Brussels plans to bypass national vetoes in enlarged EU
Leaked drafts show Brussels intends to drop unanimity at most stages of accession and to cut nine countries out of the College of Commissioners.
Zelensky calls oligarch delistings ‘suicidal’ as von der Leyen promises more defence aid
The Ukrainian President has urged Brussels to tighten sanctions on Moscow on the day member states agreed to drop two Russian billionaires from the EU blacklist.
Brussels admits Canada’s ‘associate member’ status has yet to be defined
The Commission insists the formula proposed for Ottawa is not accession and points to next month's summit as the first real test.
Premium
Von der Leyen’s Europe ends at the chamber door
Ursula von der Leyen's State of the Union address highlighted the disconnect between Brussels and citizens, addressing energy costs but lacking concrete migration…
Carney welcomes EU ‘associate member’ offer but leaves the terms to Brussels
The Canadian Prime Minister told MEPs that Ottawa was not seeking full membership and that any final deal would go before Canada's parliament.
Trump threatens tariffs on the EU over Canada ‘associate member’ plan
The US President said he would hit European exports if he judged closer ties between Brussels and Ottawa to be aimed against Washington.
Trump orders Canadian goods out of US federal purchasing as Brussels courts Ottawa
The memorandum landed as Ursula von der Leyen offered Canada a first-of-its-kind associate membership and Mark Carney prepared to address MEPs in Strasbourg.
Premium
Von der Leyen ties her State of the Union agenda to fresh EU revenue
The Commission President asked member states for own resources in the next long-term budget, hours before the Parliament's biggest groups demanded rollbacks.
Von der Leyen proposes emergency framework to speed up returns weeks after Ceuta
The Commission President has set out a plan to suspend standard return procedures in an emergency almost seven weeks after the mass crossings into the Spanish city.
Premium
Azerbaijani President Aliyev brands European Parliament ‘a den of corrupt officials’
Despite tensions, Azerbaijan remains a key energy partner for the EU Commission’s strategy to reduce dependence on Russia
Von der Leyen announces plan to make Canada the EU’s first ‘associate member’
The European Commission President made the announcement in front of Mark Carney during her State of the European Union address in Strasbourg, France.
Produce, deploy, hallucinate
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized the urgent need to deploy artificial intelligence throughout Europe's economy during her speech at…
Von der Leyen is ‘not up to the challenge’, says Charles Michel
A day before the Commission president delivers her annual State of the Union address.
Most Europeans say the EU is in decline
Sixty-eight per cent of those interviewed described Europe in terms of “general deterioration or a loss of normality”.