The meetings, first reported by POLITICO’s Brussels Playbook, come as the fear of former U.S. President Trump returning to the White House permeates the highest echelons of power in Europe’s capital. Small groups of the 27 EU countries’ ambassadors met Thursday and Friday with Brussels’ top officials, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s … Read more
The standard playbook calls for a healthy dose of government spending that would inject money into the economy to fight the ongoing recession. In theory Berlin has plenty of fiscal room, with low debt compared to its European peers. But the rules it introduced — European and national — tie its hands. A slower rate … Read more
Israel vowed that Iran will face “consequences” for its barrage of about 200 missiles, but said joint air defenses with partners, including the U.S. and U.K., had been largely effective in intercepting the attack. “It was only thanks to the Israeli Air Defense Forces and its allies that we were able to largely repel Iran’s … Read more
Consensus has been building around holding the hearings of new commissioners between November 4 and 12, allowing the Commission to take office on December 1, as Brussels Playbook reported. But on Friday, von der Leyen put pressure on the Parliament to revert to its earlier timetable and hold the hearings in the week of October … Read more
Macron on Tuesday held talks with conservative leaders including Senate leader Gérard Larcher and conservative parliamentary leader Laurent Wauquiez, according to several people with knowledge of the talks who were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, seemingly solidifying Bertrand’s status as likely nominee. But by Tuesday afternoon, Bertrand was already facing serious … Read more
There were chants of “Oh Tommy, Tommy” — a reference to Tommy Robinson, the founder of the extreme nationalist English Defence League (EDL) group, who promoted the demonstration despite reports that he has fled the U.K. amid contempt of court hearings. Shouts of “we want our country back” and “stop the boats” also rang out. Starmer’s meeting … Read more
Der Berlin Playbook Podcast erscheint in dieser und den kommenden beiden Wochen jeweils ausschließlich donnerstags– und danach wieder wie gewohnt montags bis donnerstags. Der Vorsitzender der SPD-Bundestagsfraktion, Rolf Mützenich, spricht in diesem Interview mit Gordon Repinski unter anderem über das Urteil des Bundesverfassungsgerichts zur Wahlrechtsreform der Ampel. Er diskutiert auch die Frage der Stationierung von … Read more
“When you kick off negotiations, you don’t start by cutting off your finger and offering it on plate, you don’t give in quite so much at the beginning,” said one person familiar with the president’s thinking, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly. Choppy waters But while Attal’s move to a top position in parliament … Read more
For the loquacious, daring 46-year-old president, who is forever grabbing the limelight, coming up with new ideas, disrupting the status quo, the new reality is not a comfortable one. The Elysée bunker But like a Napoleon forced into exile, Macron has returned to the drawing board and is preparing his next battle: ruling France after … 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
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