Ursula von der Leyen’s new European Commission
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday handed out the top jobs on her team. There are now only two layers of command: executive vice presidents and commissioners. The previous...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Meet the commissioners: Class of 2024
Meet the commissioners: Class of 2024 Everything you need to know about Ursula von der Leyen’s team for her second term. By POLITICO Illustration by Dato Parulava/POLITICO Here’s POLITICO’s guide to...
View ArticleWho works for whom in the new EU power structure
As European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled her new team Tuesday, she was careful to stress that every one of her 26 new commissioners was “equal” with “an equal responsibility to...
View ArticleEmmanuel Macron’s lonely battle to defend the EU-Canada trade deal
OTTAWA — French President Emmanuel Macron’s latest visit to Canada might give him a first taste of his new normal. During his trip to Montreal and Ottawa on the heels of the United Nations General...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Costas Kadis: A bookish technocrat to handle oceans and fisheries
BRUSSELS — In naming Cypriot Costas Kadis commissioner for oceans and fisheries, Ursula von der Leyen has put a technocrat used to straddling the middle ground in charge of a fiercely contested,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Waste scandal haunts Cyprus’ EU pick as he heads to Brussels
BRUSSELS — On Feb. 5, 2023, about a month before Costas Kadis was replaced as Cypriot environment minister, a report landed on his desk. It said that the government was responsible for years of...
View ArticleHow a law on truck movements divided the EU
BRUSSELS — A law setting rules on how truckers operate set off an east-west battle between European Union member countries and laid bare a profound conflict at the heart of the bloc’s internal market....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Scholz forces German ‘no’ vote in Chinese EV duty saga
BERLIN — Germany will oppose EU duties on Chinese electric vehicles in a bloc-wide vote on Friday after Chancellor Olaf Scholz managed to strong-arm his Green coalition partners into doing his...
View ArticleEU’s top court scraps controversial truck return obligation
The EU’s highest court threw out on Friday a controversial measure mandating that trucks have to return to their registered base every eight weeks, bringing an exceptionally bitter feud at the heart...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Inside the UK’s dirtiest (and dumbest) political battle in years
LONDON — No one predicted the race for the United Kingdom Conservative Party leadership would go quite like this. And, as so often has been the case in recent years, Boris Johnson had a hand in it....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Moldova faces ‘existential’ EU vote in face of Russian interference
More than a million Moldovans will cast ballots on whether to join the EU on Sunday in a referendum that could pave the way to becoming a member of the bloc — or see the Eastern European nation pulled...
View ArticleBrussels ducks responsibility for Cyprus waste scandal
When it comes to the misuse of EU funds, Brussels isn’t sure who’s in charge. That’s what waste contractor Medcon & DB Technologies J.V. discovered when it tried to find out which part of the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Horrific rape case pushes France to change the crime’s definition
PARIS — French Senator Mélanie Vogel first proposed changing the legal definition of rape nearly a year ago. But it took a gruesome crime that deeply unsettled French society to get the ball rolling...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How Brexit helped Britain lose the Chagos Islands
LONDON — It was not the happy anniversary Brexiteers had hoped for. On June 22, 2017, almost a year to the day after Britain voted to leave the European Union, representatives from 193 nations filed...
View ArticleCyprus’ commissioner hearing: Costas Kadis on fisheries and oceans — live...
Costas Kadis has a delicate task: protect the health of Europe’s ocean life, while also serving the needs of the fishing industry. Often these two interests are diametrically opposed. A biologist by...
View ArticleEU prosecutors target Camorra, Cosa Nostra in half-billion-euro fraud probe
BRUSSELS — EU prosecutors announced Thursday they are probing a €520 million VAT fraud involving “several” mafia groups. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) revealed the investigation —...
View ArticleEU going too fast on climate, Cyprus president says
Europe may have set the bar too high on its climate goals without focusing enough on economic competitiveness, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said after attending the COP29 global climate...
View ArticleShark lobby slams China, Japan for vetoing US-led move to ban ‘finning’
China and Japan blocked a United States-led bid to strengthen a ban on shark finning in the Atlantic Ocean, infuriating conservationists. The U.S., Belize and Brazil presented a proposal to strengthen...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Turkey rapprochement sparks rift in Greece’s ruling party
ATHENS — A dispute over how far Greece should go in rebuilding ties with its archenemy Turkey is exposing major fault lines in the ruling party in Athens. Despite both countries being in NATO,...
View ArticleCyprus revokes more high-profile ‘golden’ passports
Cyprus has revoked more passports from people who had acquired citizenship through its controversial “golden visa” scheme. The passport-for-cash program, which was suspended in 2020 under mounting...
View Article