POLITICO’s 2024 Backhanded Awards There has never been a more deserving set of “winners.” By EDDY WAX Illustration by Ellie Foreman-Peck for POLITICO The Ursula von der Leyen Award for Not Being Charles Michel: António Costa Charles Michel has left office with a unique legacy: He’s the only European Council president to have quit twice. … Read more
That’s setting off alarm bells in airline lobby groups and in the tourism ministries of sunny European countries that rely on airborne tourist traffic. “For a politician to say we’re doing this in the interest of the environment … that’s complete bullshit. That’s lying,” Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association airline lobby, … Read more
“We constantly ask for sanctions against the Russian nuclear industry,” the official said, granted anonymity to speak frankly about the sensitive row. Slovakian Prime Minister Robert “Fico is among those who block those sanctions … and is one of the key blockers of [Ukraine’s] bid to join NATO, too.” Fico, who along with Hungarian Prime … Read more
They are “intelligent people — but they’re not elected,” she added. “The culture always comes from the top,” O’Reilly said, referring to a lack of transparency in the EU executive. She added that if information is being “held back for political reasons and that culture comes from the top — then yeah, it probably is … Read more
Dirty secret That’s where Germany comes in. The dirty little secret of European R&D spending is that half of it comes from Germany. And most of that investment flows into one sector: automotive. While that might seem obvious given the sector’s size (the German auto industry’s annual revenue is nearly half a trillion euros), it’s not where … Read more
Assurances of continued military support are especially critical for Ukraine now with Trump’s imminent return to Washington. The president-elect has made clear that his administration will expect Europe to take the lead in supporting Ukraine’s defense and oversee any future cease-fire deal between Kyiv and Moscow, a stark contrast to current President Joe Biden’s position. … Read more
He is due to remain in power until 2027. Macron has lost his grip on the international stage, she said. “He no longer has any influence in the European Union, and has been humiliated in the worst possible way by his ‘creature,’ [European Commission President Ursula] von der Leyen.” In early December, the EU signed … Read more
Wie geplant ist die Vertrauensfrage für Olaf Scholz verloren gegangen, jetzt steht der Neuwahl nichts mehr im Weg und damit auch nicht dem Wahlkampf. Mit der Union stellt heute die Partei ihr Wahlprogramm vor, die die besten Aussichten hat, den nächsten Kanzler zu stellen. Wie gut aber wird das Duo Merz und Söder wirklich funktionieren? … Read more
Une personne directement au fait de la position italienne, à qui l’anonymat a été accordé car elle n’est pas autorisée à s’exprimer officiellement, souligne que, malgré les apparences, Rome et Paris ne sont pas exactement sur la même longueur d’onde. L’Italie est prête à le soutenir si elle obtient des concessions. Un point que le … Read more
Markus Ferber (another German) who is the center-right coordinator for economic files, will determine Berger’s replacement within the next week. Among the names being floated to fill the role is a former Spanish central banker Fernando Navarrete Rojas. The digital euro is a virtual counterpart to euro coins and banknotes that the European Central Bank … Read more
