Coalition talks between De Wever’s right-wing New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), the Francophone center-right Reformist Movement (MR), the Francophone centrist Les Engagés, the centrist Christian Democrat and Flemish Party and the center-left Flemish Vooruit party — dubbed the “Arizona” coalition after the colors of the American state’s flag — hit multiple bumps in the road. Belgium’s … Read more
“I think President Zelenskyy has played it extremely well,” said Volker. “By aligning himself with what President Trump wants, he’s made it clear that the problem is not Ukraine. The problem is Putin.” The next weeks will be crucial for Kyiv and for Moscow. “I think Trump is going to call Putin and tell him … Read more
Croatian President Zoran Milanović looks to have won a commanding victory in the runoff round of his country’s presidential election Sunday, according to exit polls. Milanović remains Croatia’s most popular politician, his history of pro-Moscow and anti-Western statements contrasting with his having overseen the nation’s 2013 accession to the European Union as its then-prime minister. He … Read more
One of the most politically sensitive topics in Brussels, the €1.2 trillion budget governs spending on anything from support to Ukraine to film subsidies. Hawkish Eastern European and Nordic countries including Poland and Sweden are keen to boost EU spending on defense, while Southern ones such as Italy and Greece would like more cash to … Read more
As the final days of the Biden administration wind down, the U.S. Trade Representative, or USTR, has commissioned research aimed at evaluating the impact of current trade policies on micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the U.S., including textile and apparel businesses. On Friday, ambassador Katherine Tai wrote to the chair of the U.S. … Read more
The Bundesbank flagged that the labor market, which it had previously expected to sustain the post-pandemic recovery, is now also visibly weakening. Unemployment is already at its highest in four years, at 6.1 percent of the workforce, and a wave of layoff announcements in the manufacturing sector — most notably at automaker Volkswagen — has … Read more
A new report alleges that REI uses contractors that violate labor and human rights in Southeast and East Asia and Central America. The investigative study was done by Students for International Labor Solidarity and the Labor Center at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. The report was produced in response to complaints that were raised by workers … Read more
First, AI professionals in the EU lead in green skills — performing jobs in a more environmentally sustainable way — compared with their peers in the US and UK. Today, 8.1 percent of AI talent in the EU have at least one green skill, compared with 5.8 percent in the US and 7.4 percent in … Read more
Gov. Jared Polis struck down a half-dozen bills to close this year’s legislative session. But a revived proposal to fight wage theft — potentially with his backing — shows that the defeats aren’t necessarily permanent. House Majority Leader Monica Duran, a Wheat Ridge Democrat, was one of the prime sponsors of House Bill 1008. The … Read more
The party, which has dominated Swedish politics for a century, is now facing an alarming reality in old heartlands like Uddevalla, just over an hour’s drive north of Gothenburg on Sweden’s west coast: Blue-collar voters, and those who have come of age since the docklands’ heyday, have begun turning toward the political right for economic … Read more
