EU Parliament touts anti-corruption plan as political war erupts over Qatar...
Top officials in the European Parliament will propose a 10-point plan to address corruption in the chamber as political war erupted Thursday over the EU’s worst graft scandal in decades. In the wake...
View ArticleEurope’s conservatives go on the attack over Qatargate — but speak too soon
In politics, timing is everything. After days of holding fire over the corruption scandal that has engulfed the European Parliament this week, the center-right European People’s Party went on the...
View ArticleEurope turns on TikTok
In the United States, TikTok is a favorite punching bag for lawmakers who’ve compared the Chinese-owned app to “digital fentanyl” and say it should be banned. Now that hostility is spreading to...
View ArticleThe radicalization of Michel Houellebecq
Has Michel Houellebecq, France’s favorite literary bad boy, become an apologist for far-right terrorism? In an interview with a niche periodical late last year, Houellebecq predicted that “native”...
View ArticleEurope’s conservatives want a piece of Giorgia Meloni
With European socialists reeling over the Qatargate scandal, the Continent’s mainstream conservatives are plotting to join forces with hard-right politicians they hope will help them keep power in...
View ArticleThe European Parliament’s ‘glass house’ syndrome
The European Parliament’s ‘glass house’ syndrome Even after Qatargate, MEPs are resisting efforts to clean up the chamber. By SARAH WHEATON and NICHOLAS VINCOUR Photo-illustration by Delcan & Co....
View ArticlePutin is not mad, just ‘radically rational,’ says former French president
PARIS — Vladimir Putin is a “radically rational” leader who is betting that Western countries will grow tired of backing Ukraine and agree a negotiated end to the conflict that will be favorable to...
View ArticleEuropean conservatives face internal revolt over Berlusconi’s anti-Zelenskyy...
The head of Europe’s conservative parties faced an internal revolt Tuesday over comments by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi criticizing Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy....
View ArticleTheater or Zelenskyy? How Macron keeps failing to lead European response to...
When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Western Europe last week to drum up support for his country’s fight against Russia, he made a last-minute stopover in Paris. French President...
View ArticleToo close to the sun: The making and unmaking of Eva Kaili
Too close to the sun:The making and unmaking of Eva Kaili How the Greek celebrity politician soared to the top of EU politics — and crashed into jail. By NICHOLAS VINOCUR NEKTARIA STAMOULIEDDY WAX...
View ArticleEU ‘foreign agents’ law spooks NGOs
BRUSSELS — The European Union is working on a law that would force nongovernmental groups, consultancies and academic institutions to disclose any non-EU funding as part of a crackdown on foreign...
View ArticleEU transport chief should step aside over free Qatar flights, insiders say
The EU’s embattled top transport official, Henrik Hololei, is facing calls from his own colleagues to step aside pending an inquiry into his decision to accept free flights to Qatar while his team...
View ArticleAfter Macron, le déluge
Anyone looking at France right now could be forgiven for thinking the country was on the edge of a revolution. Major cities from Paris to Lyon erupted in riots overnight on Thursday, with black-clad...
View ArticleEU transport chief quits his post over free Qatar flights
BRUSSELS — A top European Union official is leaving his role in charge of transport policy, following POLITICO’s revelations that he accepted free flights on Qatar Airways while his team negotiated a...
View ArticleAre you not entertained? Macron comments spark global backlash — again
Oops, he’s done it again. In an interview on his way back from a state visit to China, French President Emmanuel Macron set foreign policy circles alight by saying that Europe should avoid being...
View ArticleEU clamps down on corruption in wake of Qatargate cash-for-influence scandal
BRUSSELS — The European Union on Wednesday promoted new rules to clamp down on corruption across the bloc in the wake of the alleged cash-for-influence Qatargate scandal in the European Parliament....
View ArticleAll hail Queen Ursula!
Move over, King Charles III. The European Union is getting ready to crown its own monarch: Ursula von der Leyen. But there’s nothing symbolic about the power she wields. As president of the bloc’s...
View ArticleDozen EU countries blast Commission’s deal to restrict Ukrainian grain
Agriculture ministers from 12 EU countries have raised “serious concerns” over a recent compromise reached by Brussels and five Eastern members of the bloc to restrict imports of Ukrainian...
View Article‘Complete denial’: Europe largely blind to Chinese influence, says EU adviser
BRUSSELS — China is ramping up efforts to influence policy and public opinion in the EU — but much of the bloc is blind to what’s happening, a special adviser to the European Commission told POLITICO....
View ArticleIn wake of Qatargate, Commission releases binding ethics accord
BRUSSELS — Six months after the Qatargate bribery scandal broke, the European Union has unveiled its solution to address unethical behavior across its institutions: An advisory board that will...
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