Européennes : les déboires d’Atos parasitent les ambitions de Thierry Breton
PARIS — Thierry Breton, commissaire européen au marché intérieur, a toujours su mettre en avant son parcours de dirigeant d’entreprise, anciennement à la tête d’un fleuron français du numérique, pour...
View ArticleCollapse of Atos haunts EU industry czar Thierry Breton
PARIS — As the EU’s top official in charge of industrial affairs, Thierry Breton has often brought up his past as a tech CEO to show how he’s particularly well-suited for the job. But now that Atos,...
View ArticleSpanish turmoil hits EU stage as PM’s camp trades blows with conservatives
A political struggle over Spain’s future is spilling onto the EU stage as socialist allies of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez hit back at European conservatives, who accuse him of undermining the rule of...
View ArticleNo more ads on Elon’s X, EU Commission tells staff
The European Commission has decided to stop advertising on social media platform X, owned by Elon Musk, over “widespread concerns relating to the spread of disinformation,” according to an internal...
View ArticleHungary’s Viktor Orbán threatens to blow up EU’s Ukraine policy
BRUSSELS — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is threatening to block all European Union aid for Ukraine, as well as the country’s future accession to the bloc, unless EU leaders agree to review...
View Article‘Clash of civilizations’ looms over EU elections
Geert Wilders may be just the tip of the iceberg. Following the anti-Islam politician’s shock election win in the Netherlands, European elites are nervously scanning the political landscape for signs...
View ArticlePutin’s buddy Orbán pushes EU to the brink over Ukraine
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán regularly pushes the EU to the cliff edge, but diplomats are panicking that his hostility to Ukraine is now about to finally kick the bloc over the precipice. A...
View ArticleHow Eva met Francesco: The golden couple at the heart of Europe’s Qatargate...
How Eva met Francesco: The golden couple at the heart of Europe’s Qatargate scandal The love story behind the biggest scandal to ever hit the European Parliament — and the cozy, transactional world in...
View ArticleWestern democracies face crisis of confidence ahead of big votes, poll shows
A majority of voters across seven Western countries, including the United States, France and the United Kingdom, believe their democracy is in worse shape than it was five years ago, according to a...
View ArticleDon’t give in to Orbán’s blackmail over frozen billions, warn EU party leaders
The heads of Europe’s largest political groups are ready to warn Brussels: Don’t give Hungary billions of euros in frozen funds until the country completely resolves its rule-of-law problems. “We...
View ArticleDemocracy is in peril in the world’s bonanza year of elections
Is 2024 the year when democracy hits a tipping point and slides toward autocracy? It may seem like an odd question to ask at a time when countries representing nearly half the world’s population, or...
View ArticleWhat Charles Michel’s decision to run for EU election means for him and Europe
You’re supposed to set off fireworks on New Year’s Eve. Charles Michel waited until January 7. The president of the European Council — which brings together the leaders of EU member countries —...
View ArticlePressure grows on Ursula von der Leyen to announce run for second term
When EU ambassadors met Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, for lunch in recent days, they had one pressing question: Did she plan to run for reelection? Several national...
View ArticleAs Trump’s return looms, Europe shivers at prospect of facing Putin alone
BERLIN — Europe’s greatest security challenge since the Cold War — the chilling prospect of needing to fund and arm Ukraine without U.S. support — will expose political fault lines at a memorial...
View ArticleEurope’s conservative bloc calls for dropping ban on car engines, tripling...
BRUSSELS — Europe’s biggest conservative force, the European People’s Party, wants to massively bulk up the EU’s external guard force and drop plans to phase out the combustion engine across the bloc...
View ArticleUrsula von der Leyen under pressure to confirm reelection bid
BRUSSELS — Ursula von der Leyen is readying plans for a second five-year term as European Commission president and her party is pressing her to launch the official campaign as soon as possible,...
View ArticleHow the far right aims to ride farmers’ outrage to power in Europe
BRUSSELS — If the far right ever seizes power across Europe, it may well ride in on the back of a tractor. From Italy to the Netherlands, right-wing parties like France’s National Rally and the...
View ArticleTax Western firms doing business in Russia to help Ukraine, says EU commissioner
The EU should tax Western companies still doing business in Russia and use the proceeds to help Ukraine, a senior EU official told Brussels Playbook. “We still have companies that don’t care and...
View ArticleHow Marine Le Pen turned respectable (and why you shouldn’t be fooled)
HOW LE PEN TURNED RESPECTABLE TURNED (and why you shouldn’t be fooled) PARIS In 1987, a squinting, lipless, blond-haired politician named Jean Marie Le Pen was asked on a French radio show whether he...
View ArticleWhy the West is losing Ukraine
Why the West is losing Ukraine U.S. Republicans blocking aid. European right-wingers pushing to abandon Kyiv. Ultra-cautious leaders. What is the West’s real strategy? Illustrations by Edmon de Haro...
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