All posts tagged: Ursula von der Leyen

We have other options – POLITICO

We have other options – POLITICO

Published by Sam

4. BTW, we are still into this globalization thing. At a time when Trump is touting trade tariffs and “America First,” von der Leyen’s speech seemed designed to send the opposite signal: We’re open to doing business with anyone. Von der Leyen addressed potential trading partners directly, saying: “If there are mutual benefits in sight, we are ready to engage with you.” Indeed, a key message from the speech was that Europe wants to diversify its trading relationships away from America.  While Trump is declaring an emergency on America’s southern border and gearing up for tariffs against Mexico, von der Leyen gave special mention to EU trade relations with Latin America. At a time when Trump is touting trade tariffs and “America First,” von der Leyen’s speech seemed designed to send the opposite signal. | Morry Gash/AFP via Getty Images And while acknowledging the economic threat from unfair Chinese trading practices, she also said Europe had to “engage constructively” with Beijing. 5. America? Who? Tellingly, von der Leyen spoke about Africa, the Asia-Pacific region, China …

Kallas gave top EU official the ax and governments aren’t happy – POLITICO

Kallas gave top EU official the ax and governments aren’t happy – POLITICO

Published by Sam

Juhansone, a former Latvian ambassador, who is currently the top EU official at the Commission, is a close ally of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and her chief of staff Bjoern Seibert.  Should Juhansone clinch the top job at the EEAS it could be seen as a power grab by von der Leyen, who has a highly centralized, top-down management style as Commission boss. But it would also mean that with Kallas, a second person from a Baltic country would play a key role in foreign policy, a prospect that doesn’t sit well with some governments. Tense relations Kallas’ position, officially called EU high representative, is notoriously tricky. Although one of the bloc’s 27 commissioners, the EU foreign policy chief sits institutionally somewhere between the Commission and the Council ― which represents the member countries ― and is responsible for the 2,500-plus staff working in EEAS headquarters as well as around 2,800 employees working at delegations across the world.  The decision by Kallas, the former Estonian prime minister, has ruffled feathers just a week …

Trump’s power plays overshadow global climate summit – POLITICO

Trump’s power plays overshadow global climate summit – POLITICO

Published by Sam

“I think there’s a common understanding and agreement that he’s going to start with Paris and then look at other ideas,” said the official, who was granted anonymity to discuss evolving policy considerations. Mandy Gunasekara, who was chief of staff at the EPA during the last Trump administration, has advocated that Trump follow through this time on leaving the climate framework. “I think people have a clear picture of how the U.N. process is misused to tie the hands of domestic policy,” she said, inaccurately characterizing the non-binding commitments that countries make under the Paris climate agreement. “And that … creates the type of policy motivation necessary to consider withdrawing from the UNFCCC versus just a derivative issue like the Paris Agreement.” The U.S. under Trump may still find ways to participate in global climate conversations, particularly with regard to deploying new technology such as advanced nuclear power or carbon capture, said U.S. Energy Association CEO Mark Menezes, who was No. 2 in Trump’s previous Energy Department. But contributing new sums of money to developing …

The winners and losers of the new European Commission – POLITICO

The winners and losers of the new European Commission – POLITICO

Published by Sam

The decision to give the center-right Austrian People’s Party’s Magnus Brunner the internal affairs and migration portfolio could be read as Brussels’ tacit recognition of the scale of the migration challenge Europe has faced, especially in the wake of the so-called migration crisis.  Ireland There were signs Dublin might be lumped with a tiny portfolio after Prime Minister Simon Harris was the first leader to publicly defy von der Leyen’s demand for countries to send both a male and female candidate. That, coupled with the fact members of the European Parliament from candidate Michael McGrath’s party openly campaigned against von der Leyen, built up a sense of foreboding. But in the end, McGrath received the portfolio for democracy, justice and the rule of law. Not too shabby, all things considered.  Losers Glenn Micallef  The Maltese candidate’s lack of experience as a minister and short political career led to a portfolio with little relevance at the European level and even less clout. The youngest commissioner, 35-year-old Micallef, received the intergenerational fairness, youth, culture and sport portfolio.  …

The plan to save European farming – POLITICO

The plan to save European farming – POLITICO

Published by Sam

On the other hand, this income-based program should not depend on whether farmers comply with additional environmental rules — meaning those that go beyond existing EU law, such as nitrate pollution or habitat protection rules. Instead, a separate set of payments should be distributed among farmers that use sustainable practices, and would be handled by both agricultural and environmental authorities. The participants also asked for an “annual substantial increase” in environmental support. Business as usual is no longer an option for European farmers. | Chrisophe Archambault/Getty Images 2. Sustainable food systems The next two elephants in the room were sustainable diets and meat consumption. The experts agreed that it was crucial to support ongoing reductions in the consumption of animal-based proteins — e.g. meat and dairy — in favor of plant-based alternatives.  They also called for a review of EU food labeling legislation and urged that food marketing to children be addressed, while advocating tax reductions and other social and fiscal incentives. “The sustainable choice needs to become the choice by default,” the report said. …

Citizen activists take on ‘destructive’ solar power plants in France’s Provence region

Citizen activists take on ‘destructive’ solar power plants in France’s Provence region

Published by Sam

Citizen activists in southeastern France’s Alpes-de-Hautes-Provence region have been campaigning for two years against the growing number of solar power parks in a protected natural area around the Lure mountain. The local authorities, and the parks’ investors, claim the plants are “essential” projects in the fight against climate change, and in line with the ambitions of the European Green Deal. But the activists claim these projects are “destructive” for biodiversity and the landscape.  A few hundred metres above the commune of Cruis, in the Alpes-de-Hautes-Provence region, Sylvie Bitterlin, a 62-year-old actress, stands in front of the security fence of a brand-new solar farm. “Look, they’ve destroyed everything,” she says. On the 17-hectare site, the garrigue or scrubland of Provence has been replaced by several thousand solar panels. In Cruis, the photovoltaic power plant, operated by Boralex, was scheduled to begin operating this summer. © Cyrielle Cabot, FRANCE 24 The project has been under construction for several months and is nearly finished. According to the operator, Boralex, a Canadian renewable energy company, the site will generate …

Marion Maréchal battles the woke agenda, ‘Islamification’ in European elections

Marion Maréchal battles the woke agenda, ‘Islamification’ in European elections

Published by Sam

France’s Marion Maréchal has made the “defence” of European civilisation and fighting against the “Islamification” of Europe a cornerstone of her platform as she leads the far-right Reconquest party’s candidate list in the European elections. Maréchal is the granddaughter of Jean-Marie Le Pen, who founded the far-right National Front, and the niece of Marine Le Pen, who leads the National Rally party, as the National Front was rebranded in 2018. Issued on: 31/05/2024 – 14:31 4 min In the run-up to the June 6-9 elections for the European Parliament, national tragedies and dramatic crimes have provided opportunities to send a political message. A day after two officers were killed in an armed attack on a prison van that helped drug kingpin Mohamed Amra escape, Marion Maréchal went to the Bordeaux-Gradignan prison facility, a visit she recorded on social media. Maréchal was seen chatting with officers at this notoriously overcrowded prison that houses twice the number of inmates it is designed for. Photos were quickly posted on X, Facebook and Instagram. They show the candidate listening …

The ICC should consider the new Armenian genocide petition – POLITICO

The ICC should consider the new Armenian genocide petition – POLITICO

Published by skeptic

And now, we face another: Last month, the California-based Center for Truth and Justice (CFTJ) petitioned the International Criminal Court (ICC), where I served as the first chief prosecutor, to investigate Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev for genocide against Armenians in Armenia — and it’s a petition the ICC should consider. The challenge in substantiating genocide often lies in proving intent to destroy — in whole or in part — a designated group. That’s why the massive dossier presented to the ICC on Apr. 18 by U.S. Orange County Superior Court Judge Gassia Apkarian, who represents the Center for Truth and Justice, is remarkable. It presents the consistent declarations made by Aliyev over the last decade, unequivocally demonstrating his intention to destroy ethnic Armenians. To be clear, this isn’t just about the Armenian community in Nagorno-Karabakh — a disputed, self-governing enclave within Azerbaijan. The communication is focused on different forms of genocide committed against Armenians in Armenia itself. As early as April 2015, Aliyev published a statement on the Azerbaijan government’s official website, warning ethnic Armenians: …

In Victory Day speech, Putin accuses West of ‘distorting history’ – POLITICO

In Victory Day speech, Putin accuses West of ‘distorting history’ – POLITICO

Published by skeptic

“Today we see how they’re trying to distort the truth about WWII. It interferes with those who are used to building their essentially colonial policy based on hypocrisy and lies,” the freshly (re)inaugurated president told the assembled crowd, according to the Russian press. The Red Army was part of a much broader allied coalition including the U.S., the U.K., Poland, France, Canada and others. Soviet Victory Day, commemorated a day later than the day marked by the other allies, also signals the beginning of the USSR’s half-century occupation of most of Central and Eastern Europe, mass deportations to Siberia and forced collectivization of local economies. Although Russia was only a part of the USSR, today’s Russia has tried to monopolize the Soviet victory as its own, and Putin uses the memory of the war to buttress Russian nationalism. That extends to tarring opponents of his regime as “Nazis.” “Revanchism, abuse of history, and an attempt to justify the current Nazi followers is part of an overall policy of the Western elites to stoke new regional …

European Union will soon get a new leadership team. Here are the names

European Union will soon get a new leadership team. Here are the names

Published by skeptic

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has pushed for a policy of derisking from China. Frederick Florin | Afp | Getty Images BRUSSELS, Belgium — European diplomats have already started key negotiations on who will take the main jobs at the European Union following elections next month. Voters across the 27-member EU are heading to the polls between June 6 and 9 to choose the next set of representatives in the European Parliament. The very top EU jobs, which aren’t directly elected, then get dished out in the weeks following. They hold sway over central policymaking and Brussels ultimately impacts the livelihoods of 450 million people across the region. Diplomats within the EU are already trying to figure out who will be leading the three big institutions in the coming years: The European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament. Three top officials, who did not want to be named due to the sensitivity of the talks, told CNBC that the most likely scenario is that Ursula von der Leyen, the current president …