More than 20 senior European foreign affairs politicians have called on Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to investigate allegations of fraud in December’s election in Serbia. “We call on the EU to conduct an independent investigation of all reported election irregularities and claims of fraud,” the politicians wrote in a letter seen by POLITICO … Read more
The humanitarian situation in Gaza, call for a ceasefire and preventing escalationIn a draft resolution to be put to the vote at noon, MEPs reiterate their call for a ceasefire in Gaza to address the humanitarian emergency and allow for all hostages to be released. The risk of a violent escalation in the Middle East, … Read more
Poland’s former deputy foreign minister was arrested in connection with the ongoing investigation into the country’s cash-for-visas scandal, Warsaw’s anti-corruption agency said Wednesday. Piotr Wawrzyk, who served as deputy foreign minister from January 2021 until August last year, was detained and charged with exceeding his authority in handling ministry documents, Poland’s Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) … Read more
In a resolution adopted by 532 votes to 61 and 33 abstentions, MEPs ask for the imbalance in revenue allocation from the music streaming market to be addressed, as it currently leaves a majority of authors and performers with very low compensation. They insist on a new EU legal framework for the sector, for which … Read more
LONDON — Rishi Sunak’s controversial Rwanda deportation bill survived a crucial House of Commons vote Wednesday after the U.K. prime minister faced down a rebellion from MPs on the right of his party. The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill passed its third reading Wednesday evening with 320 MPs voting in support, and 276 voting … Read more
The directive adopted today with 593 votes in favour, 21 against and 14 abstentions seeks to protect consumers from misleading marketing practices and help them make better purchasing choices. To achieve this, a number of problematic marketing habits related to greenwashing and the early obsolescence of goods will be added to the EU list of … Read more
Thousands of protesters rallied in south-central Russia on Wednesday after a court sentenced Fayil Alsynov, an indigenous rights activist for the local Bashkir ethnic group, to four years in a penal colony on charges of inciting ethnic hatred. The demonstration took place outside the courthouse in Baymak, a town of 17,000 inhabitants nearly 2,000 kilometers … Read more
The text, adopted by MEPs with 431 votes in favour, 172 against and 4 abstentions, constitutes Parliament’s mandate for negotiations with member states on the final shape of the law, which will start today at 13.00. It replaces the regulation on multilateral budgetary surveillance, the so-called ‘preventive arm of the Stability and Growth Pact’ and … Read more
BRUSSELS — The Brits are making a comeback in the EU capital. Exhibit A: Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s international policy shop is wrapping up a hiring spree in Brussels. In just a year, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) went from virtually non-existent in the Brussels bubble to recruiting some half-dozen … Read more
With 496 votes for, 70 against and 64 abstentions, the European Parliament adopted a resolution questioning Slovakia’s ability to fight corruption and protect the EU budget should the reform of the criminal code proposed by the new government of Robert Fico be adopted. The resolution concluded the debate of 13 December 2023. Need to protect … Read more
