“A top priority for them is maintaining the support of ‘Red Wall’ voters, many of whom voted for Brexit, and the party is concerned that any significant deepening of relations could be seen as somehow undoing Brexit.” Ringing in the New Year The nervous caution in London is being noticed in Brussels. After leading a … Read more
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán accused the European Union on Wednesday of trying to establish a “puppet government” in Budapest, and urged Hungarian citizens to defy Brussels like they confronted the Soviet army in 1956. “Brussels has announced that it will get rid of Hungary’s national government. They have also announced that they want to … Read more
“If a company wants to align with EU regulations, it can. It does not need U.K. legislation to do so. The very idea of the legislation is to compel British businesses to comply with foreign legislation which we have no control over.” The long-term effects of the plan could be far-reaching, with sectors ranging from … Read more
However, the euroskeptics in Budapest or Bratislava don’t have the clout to hollow out the EU on their own. But if joined by founding members like Italy, and perhaps The Netherlands, their promise — or threat — of turning the bloc into a “Europe of nations” becomes ever more possible. Plus, for the right-wing populists … Read more
Bonfire of EU laws A similar dynamic has played out in issues ranging from workers’ rights to environmental protection. Threats to turn the U.K. into an offshore anarcho-capitalist paradise — occasionally used by British negotiators to threaten their EU counterparts — have in practice gone down no better in Bristol or Birmingham than they did … Read more
Those on the left of the political spectrum will be watching the ECR’s increase in size with apprehension. For months, socialists, Greens and liberals have been warning the EPP not to formally engage with the ECR when it comes to finding a coalition in the new Parliament. But the size of their group will make … Read more
In France, the National Rally’s performance in the snap election on June 30 and July 7 will be closely watched as a harbinger of whether Le Pen — long the also-ran of French politics — can ride her party’s momentum into the presidency in 2027. “Nothing will prevent me from running in the presidential election,” … Read more
With 200,000 followers on TikTok and 44,000 on Instagram, the part-time influencer shares snippets of her private life, from a second-hand clothing haul to videos in which she explains the workings of the Brussels labyrinth to her followers. French liberal candidate Shannon Seban (28), part of the pro-Macron election list Besoin d’Europe (A Need For … Read more
The National Rally is now insisting it can no longer sit with the AfD in their Identity & Democracy faction in the European Parliament. If the Nazi comments weren’t enough, last month German authorities charged one of Krah’s parliamentary assistants with spying for Beijing, and an AfD candidate has been embroiled in a cash-for-influence scandal … Read more
A spokesperson for Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also criticized the EBU’s move, saying: “It is certainly regrettable to ban the flag that is the flag of all the EU members and other Council of Europe members taking part in the contest and often flies alongside national flags on public buildings.” Schinas told Playbook: … Read more
