All posts tagged: Brussels bubble

Orbán’s EU fixer faces becoming Hungary’s ‘fall guy’ – POLITICO

Orbán’s EU fixer faces becoming Hungary’s ‘fall guy’ – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“By definition, everybody understands of each other that the loyalty is to your political bosses and to delivering results to their instructions,” said Ivan Rogers, about national ambassadors to the EU, a role he performed for the U.K. in Brussels until 2017. And, whatever Ódor thought about these instructions personally, he followed them to the letter. While even those who worked closely with Ódor were uncertain about whether he was simply following orders or shared Orbán’s desire to bash Brussels, his reputation as the outgoing prime minister’s fixer may well be his downfall, according to five diplomats and officials from countries other than Hungary who worked with him closely, and who were granted anonymity to speak to POLITICO. It would be easy to think that, given Orbán’s loud anti-EU stance, his man in Brussels would be a blunt instrument. Quite the opposite. Ódor is an expert on its treaties and has a PhD in international relations. Universities back home use his books to teach students how Europe works. Hungary’s ambassador to the EU Bálint Ódor, …

Hungary’s election enters crucial final days – POLITICO

Hungary’s election enters crucial final days – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

It’s three days until the Hungarian election, and opposition leader Péter Magyar appears poised to end PM Viktor Orbán’s 16-year rule. If that happens, some in the Brussels bubble hope Magyar will take steps to improve Hungary’s strained relationship with the EU. But on today’s episode, host Zoya Sheftalovich and EU Policy Editor Sarah Wheaton explain why that won’t be easy — with the chore of unblocking billions of euros in frozen EU funds representing just one example. Then, the latest developments from the war in Iran suggest Europe may again be left footing the bill for controversial actions by U.S. President Donald Trump. Last, the Commission’s DiscoverEU initiative is offering free train passes to 18-year-olds who correctly answer a short quiz. Sarah tests Zoya on one of last year’s questions. Do you have a harrowing or pleasant train travel experience within Europe? Send us a WhatsApp message here or dial +32 491 05 06 29. Source link

French MEP Rima Hassan files lawsuit over leaks following arrest – POLITICO

French MEP Rima Hassan files lawsuit over leaks following arrest – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The French daily Le Parisien reported — as Hassan was questioned by police — that “a few grams of synthetic drugs” had been found in her handbag. On Wednesday, French outlet Le Canard Enchaîné reported that a justice ministry spokesperson, Sacha Straub-Kahn, had been in contact with members of the press during Hassan’s questioning, “discussing with them the details of her detention.” Straub-Kahn and his office did not immediately respond to POLITICO’s request for comment about the allegations contained in the report. He told Le Canard Enchaîné that he had only discussed journalists’ questions about Hassan’s parliamentary immunity. During questions in parliament Wednesday, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin announced that Straub-Kahn had filed a complaint for defamation following the publication of the report. Darmanin also said he had requested an internal audit at the justice ministry to verify if any leaks had occurred. Hassan’s lawyer, Vincent Brengarth, wrote in a statement Wednesday: “In light of the very serious revelations … regarding the massive, real-time disclosure in the press of information covered by the confidentiality of legal …

Fällt die Brandmauer im Europaparlament? – POLITICO

Fällt die Brandmauer im Europaparlament? – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Die politische Brandmauer soll die AfD auch im EU-Parlament isolieren. Eine neue Recherche enthüllt nun einen geheimen Austausch: In Chatgruppen kommunizierten Mitarbeiter von Abgeordneten der Christdemokraten (EVP) mit dem rechten Rand. Ist die Brandmauer in Brüssel und Straßburg in Wahrheit nur noch eine Fassade? Pauline und Frederik analysieren die Tragweite dieser informellen Zusammenarbeit auf Mitarbeiterebene. Alice Weidel erzielt Rekordreichweiten in den sozialen Netzwerken. Der Rückenwind kommt jedoch teils von Bot-Accounts aus dem Ausland. Ihr hört, wie die AfD die Grauzonen der Algorithmen nutzt und warum die Parteichefin bei Fragen dazu schmallippig reagiert. Der AfD-Abgeordnete Manuel Krauthausen aus Nordrhein-Westfalen sorgt mit bizarren Postings für Kopfschütteln – selbst beim eigenen Fraktionsvorstand. Auf einen antisemitischen Verschwörungsmythos zum Untergang der Titanic und die Selbstbezeichnung als „arischer Talahon“ folgt eine ungemütliche Quittung für den Nachwuchspolitiker. Die Talksendung Lanz mit Frederik Schindler und AfD-Chef Tino Chrupalla im Streitgespräch ⁠seht ihr hier in der ZDF-Mediathek⁠. „Inside AfD“ ist der POLITICO-Deutschland-Podcast über die umstrittenste Partei des Landes. Trotz Radikalisierung und Beobachtung durch den Verfassungsschutz wächst die AfD weiter. Wie ist das möglich? Was …

Hungary’s election enters crucial final days – POLITICO

Europe’s balancing act on Iran – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

After a weekend of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran — and the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei — Brussels is moving to coordinate its diplomatic response. EU ambassadors convened, foreign ministers met online and Ursula von der Leyen called the Defense College. But as tensions escalate across the region, is Europe shaping events — or reacting to them? Zoya Sheftalovich and Nick Vinocur unpack the EU’s balancing act: condemning Iran’s retaliation, avoiding direct criticism of Washington and trying to remain strategically relevant in a crisis unfolding beyond its borders. Plus: Emmanuel Macron unveils his vision for Europe’s nuclear future from France’s submarine base — and in Brussels, a debate over whether 250,000 EU citizens living in the Belgian capital should get the right to vote in regional elections. You can reach us on our WhatsApp at: +32 491 05 06 29. **A message for Amazon: Today’s episode is presented by Amazon. Sixty percent of sales on Amazon come from independent sellers. Across Europe, over two hundred and eighty thousand Small and Medium Enterprises …

Orbán’s nemesis turns his nationalist playbook against him – POLITICO

Orbán’s nemesis turns his nationalist playbook against him – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Magyar’s aim, his allies say, is to get voters asking what Orbán’s nationalist rhetoric has actually delivered. “It’s not that we turned his nationalist language against him,” said Márton Hajdu, the Tisza party’s chief of staff in the European Parliament. “We turn his lies about protecting Hungarian national interests against him.”  Outflanking Orbán Magyar — a former insider in Orbán’s nationalist Fidesz party — has moved to outflank Orbán on some of the most sensitive nationalist terrain: ethnic Hungarians living beyond Hungary’s borders, and the country’s Roma minority. Fidesz has historically secured strong support among ethnic Hungarians by granting them citizenship and voting rights, enshrining their protection in the constitution, and funding Hungarian-language schools and media outlets that promote the ruling party’s narrative outside Hungary. But recent missteps by Orbán have given Magyar an opening. One flashpoint came late last year after Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico pushed through legislation penalizing public criticism of the postwar Beneš decrees, a set of World War II–era laws that stripped ethnic Hungarians and Germans in former Czechoslovakia of …

5 key questions about the EU’s most important election of 2026 – POLITICO

5 key questions about the EU’s most important election of 2026 – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“State propaganda smears, AI-generated fakes, doctored videos, potential staged incidents, blackmail, and exploiting the rigged electoral system. They will mobilize everything because they have so much to lose,” Tarr said. Speaking at Fidesz’s party congress on Saturday, Orbán lambasted Tisza as a pro-EU stooge. “If you vote for Tisza or DK [the social-democratic Democratic Coalition], you are voting against your own future. Tisza and DK will carry out Brussels’ demands without batting an eyelid. Do not forget that Tisza’s boss is Herr Weber, Europe’s biggest warmonger,” Orbán said, referring to the German chief of the European People’s Party, Manfred Weber. 3. How and when does the election take place? The national elections will take place on Sunday, April 12. Voters will choose a new 199-seat National Assembly under Hungary’s mixed electoral system, with 106 MPs elected in single-member constituencies and 93 from national party lists. The long-suffering opposition hopes that Péter Magyar — conservative leader of the Tisza party — can overturn what Orbán himself styles as Hungary’s “illiberal democracy.” | Noémi Bruzák/EPA POLITICO’s Poll …

Iranian diplomats banned from European Parliament  – POLITICO

Iranian diplomats banned from European Parliament  – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The ban comes amid a growing international outcry at Tehran’s crackdown on huge demonstrations that have swept across the country over the past two weeks.  At the weekend, Metsola raised the prospect of fresh EU sanctions as she expressed her support for the plight of the demonstrators, many of whom have demanded the end of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s rule. Sanctions are now formally being considered by the bloc’s diplomatic service. But the EU is still facing questions over what urgent action it will take beyond expressions of sympathy, in the face of an escalating crisis.  “Those braving the streets, those political prisoners still detained, need more than just solidarity,” Metsola said. “I have taken the decision to ban all diplomats, staff of diplomatic missions, government officials and representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran from entering any premises of the European Parliament.” One idea that has won support in the past is to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization and “to further extend EU sanctions to cover all those individuals engaging …