Macron rattled as EU election defeat looms – POLITICO

One MP belonging to Macron’s Renaissance party, said targeting the National Rally “helps rally” voters, but he was more in favor of a “50/50” approach that also focused on other issues. “We need to insist on our European credibility and send press the idea that we succeeded on many issues” such as the CAP, Frontex … Read more

Germany’s Scholz wants European allies to up defense spending – POLITICO

He said Germany, often criticized in the past for not spending enough on defense, would meet NATO’s target of spending 2 percent of GDP on the military through “the 2020s, 2030s and beyond.” Germany is, by far, Ukraine’s leading supporter in terms of military aid in Europe, according to data compiled by the Kiel Institute. … Read more

Western aid to Ukraine exceeds Marshall Plan, EBRD boss says – POLITICO

EU leaders finally approved €50 billion in funding for Kyiv until 2027 in early February after Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán had blocked the package in a previous December meeting. U.S. President Joe Biden, meanwhile, has had trouble passing a military aid package to Ukraine through Congress, where it is opposed by a significant share of … Read more

Calls grow for EU farm chief to quit as protests spread – POLITICO

Kaczyński spoke to Wojciechowski on Friday afternoon and asked him to resign, people in the European Commission told POLITICO, adding that Wojciechowski was “seriously considering” doing so. Farmers in Poland blockaded roads and major border crossings with Ukraine on Friday at the start of a month-long series of protests across the country. The farmers demand … Read more

Zelenskyy invites Trump to Kyiv – POLITICO

LONDON — Volodymyr Zelenskyy has invited Donald Trump to Kyiv, but on one condition. The Ukrainian president said the former U.S. president would be welcome to visit him in the capital — as long as Trump is able to stop the war with Russia within 24 hours, as he once promised. Trump has boasted that, … Read more

Blairites take on Brussels – POLITICO

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

Top 10 behind-the-paywall stories of 2023 – POLITICO

It’s been a busy year in EU policy land as lawmakers, leaders and officials raced to tie up loose ends before the European Parliament election next June, with some efforts more successful than others. The EU’s green ambitions became the center of a right-wing backlash as the real-life impact of proposed reforms started to bite. … Read more

EU failed to tackle corruption in Parliament, MEPs say – POLITICO

Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. BRUSSELS — One year into the biggest corruption scandal ever to hit the European Parliament and the Qatargate questions keep coming.  Members of the European Parliament on Wednesday spent an hour discussing the cash-for-influence allegations during a debate in Strasbourg, with many suggesting they’re … Read more