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
When EU ambassadors met Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, for lunch in recent days, they had one pressing question: Did she plan to run for reelection? Several national envoys asked the head of the EU executive “politely” about her plans at a lunch hosted by the Commission, according to two … Read more
Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron has propelled rising star Gabriel Attal center stage in a high-risk gamble aimed at stopping the far right’s surge ahead of the European election. In a surprise move on Tuesday, Macron appointed his former education minister and one … Read more
Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. LONDON — Rishi Sunak will need to watch his step this year. The U.K. prime minister faces a succession of tripwires that will make his second (and potentially last) full year in the job the toughest yet. With MPs returning to parliament Monday and … Read more
European Council President Charles Michel will run as a candidate for the European parliamentary election in June, he told three Belgian media outlets. A spokesperson for Michel confirmed the announcement to POLITICO. Michel plans to take up his seat in the European Parliament mid-July if he’s elected, meaning EU leaders will have to agree quickly … Read more
Former Qatargate judge Michel Claise may run in the Belgian elections, local media La Libre reported on Saturday. Claise, an investigating judge who recused himself in mid-2023 from the European Parliament corruption probe, may join the federal list of Défi, a French-speaking centrist party with two seats in Belgium’s federal parliament. Claise declined to comment when contacted … Read more
This isn’t just any new year — 2024 in the political calendar means mega elections in Europe, the U.S., the U.K. and beyond. Our EU Confidential crew predicts how these elections could impact pressing issues around the European Union. Bringing together the collective knowledge of some of POLITICO’s best and brightest reporters — Barbara Moens, … Read more
LONDON — Nigel Farage didn’t bother showing up — but his Reform U.K Party is making a big pitch to “save Britain” from both the Tories and Labour. The right-wing populist party — led by the businessman Richard Tice with the arch-Brexiteer Farage as party president — set out its stall for the next election … Read more
Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. Is 2024 the year when democracy hits a tipping point and slides toward autocracy? It may seem like an odd question to ask at a time when countries representing nearly half the world’s population, or an estimated 3.8 billion people, are sending their voters … Read more
2023 was marked by crisis, transition and conflict. As the war in Ukraine dragged into its second year, the EU was confronted with yet another conflict on its doorstep: The Israel-Hamas war, which brought fresh instability to the Middle East and exacerbated divisions between EU countries. Europe now heads into a big election year and … Read more
