Spanish minister’s bike stunt backfires at energy summit
Spain’s ecology minister Teresa Ribera struck what appeared to be an environmentally conscious stance by arriving at a climate summit on a bicycle on July 11.
From the capitals
Latest reporting and analysis on from the capitals.
Poland ‘ready to send troops to Ukraine’ should peace deal be struck
Poland said if a peace agreement is negotiated between Ukraine and Russia it would be prepared to help ensure its success by sending peace-keeping troops to Ukraine,…
Former Irish PM now frontrunner to replace von der Leyen, insiders claim
Sources within Ireland's Government have reportedly claimed that Micheál Martin, the country's former prime minister, is a frontrunner to replace Ursula von der…
Dutch PM Rutte announces his exit from politics
After dissolving his government on July 7, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on July 10 told parliament he will end his own political career entirely.
Spain’s Left could implode as Greece’s did: That might please conservatives but loss of effective opposition doesn’t help anyone
The Left in Europe is experiencing a serious wobbly moment.
Ireland to delay talks on proposed hate-speech law
The Irish Government will postpone discussions over the country’s proposed legislation on hate speech.
China cancels planned trip by Europe’s top diplomat
China has cancelled a trip by European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell scheduled for next week, an EU spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Germany and Poland haggle over future of Patriot missiles
German and Polish defence ministers yesterday discussed the future of a Patriot missile launcher battery that Germany stationed in Poland in January.
Left furious as GoFundMe for accused French police officer tops €1.4 million
Left-wing politicians in France have expressed outrage over a GoFundMe fundraising push for the French police officer accused of killing Nahel M, an incident which…
If the establishment is secretly trying to boost Germany’s AfD, they are certainly going the right way about it
French president Emmanuel Macron is postponing his long anticipated state visit to Germany due to ongoing riots in major French cities, while the German establishment…
Call for protests across France after attack on family home of mayor
French mayors have urged citizens and elected representatives to convene at town halls nationwide on July 3 to express collective outrage at the riots that have…
Sunak ‘no’ to Gibraltar compromise as UK-Spain talks stall
UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has leapt to the defence of British territory Gibraltar as treaty talks between his government and Spain stalled following a Spanish…
Germany is blocking use of frozen Russian assets – fearing World War Two compensation claims
German government fears that EU plan for Russian assets to go to Ukraine could bolster reparation demands made by Poland and Greece of Germany
Poland accuses EPP of trying to bring down government
The Polish Government spokesman, Piotr Müller, has slammed the leader of the European People's Party (EPP) for interfering in Poland’s national election process.
EU fails to broker Kosovo-Serbia agreement
The European Union has failed to smooth tensions between Kosovo and Serbia, being unable to mediate an agreement to 'normalise' relations' between the two as they…
Emmanuel Macron is on the hunt for his elusive Nobel Peace Prize — that explains his appetite for launching new grandiose, global schemes
They’ve been at it for months.
Not so much Zeitenwende as progressive puffery: Germany’s first national security strategy is long on modish clichés and short on military thinking
Not since Willy Brandt’s 1970s Ostpolitik has a German geopolitical term made such waves as Olaf Scholz’s Zeitenwende.
Belgian government struggling with fallout from Tehran mayoral visit
Belgian politics is still reeling over the controversial recent visit to Brussels of the hard-line Iranian Islamist Mayor of Tehran, Alireza Zakani.
Twitter boss Musk folds on free speech in India, claiming he has ‘no choice’
US billionaire and Twitter owner, Elon Musk, seems less of a free-speech advocate than he would like the world’s public to think.
The honeymoon is over: Ukraine snubs Poland and pivots west
Further signs of growing tension between Poland and Ukraine have emerged, this time over Ukrainian monuments in Poland. Speaking to Ukrainian portal glavcom.
Hardline Tehran mayor brought ‘secret agents’ to Brussels
The Islamist mayor of Tehran, Alireza Zakani, invited by State Secretary of the Brussels-Capital Region, Pascal Smet, to City Hall in Brussels on June 13, arrived…
Will Meloni’s party benefit from Berlusconi’s death?
Berlusconi's death has raised the immediate question of where his voters would go, it appeared on Tuesday.
Erdogan demands recognition of Northern Cyprus, tells EU to stay out
Turkish President Recep Erdoğan called on Greek Cypriots to “face reality” and recognise Northern Cyprus, in his first overseas trip since re-election.
Presidentialism: What Giorgia Meloni has, and other Right-wing leaders would do well to emulate
Many Right-wing populists in the West, from Donald Trump in the US, to Matteo Salvini in Italy, and Marine Le Pen in France, are known for their abrasive and direct…
‘Bunga no more’ – Silvio Berlusconi 1936-2023
At the age of 86, Silvio Berlusconi has died following a battle against leukaemia.
Meloni’s party seeks to ban mosques in warehouses and garages
The Brothers of Italy party of Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has proposed a new law to ban mosques set up on sites such as industrial warehouses and garages…
Does Hungary debacle mean we should abolish rotating EU Council Presidency?
Furious debate has erupted over Hungary's upcoming presidency of the Council of the European Union, spurring demands to kill off the six-month rotating EU Council…
Learn to live with rats, says Paris city council
In what late film star James Cagney might refer to as a case of, “You dirty rats!
EC cavalry riding to rescue Tusk?
The European Commission has ratcheted up the pressure on Poland's ruling conservatives by launching legal action over a law establishing a special commission…
Leftist greenery is unscientific and failing – but conservatism goes together with true conservation
Sir Keir Starmer, the British Labour party leader — an organisation organically linked to the country’s major unions — is the latest of many European politicians,…