All posts tagged: Manfred Weber

Manfred Weber’s trusted circle shrinks as chief of staff resigns – POLITICO

Manfred Weber’s trusted circle shrinks as chief of staff resigns – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

STRASBOURG — The right-hand man of European People’s Party leader Manfred Weber, Tom Vandenkendelaere, resigned Wednesday to take a private-sector job in Belgium, he told POLITICO.   Vandenkendelaere will leave EPP headquarters at the end of May with no successor yet lined up, leaving vacant the powerful chief of staff job — which involves overseeing the party’s day-to-day operations. He quit in order to spend more time with his family, according to two people with knowledge of the decision who were granted anonymity to speak freely. The EPP is both a pan-European political party, which is where Vandenkendelaere worked, and a group in the European Parliament. Weber leads both. Source link

Liberals open to a third term for Metsola at helm of EU Parliament – POLITICO

Liberals open to a third term for Metsola at helm of EU Parliament – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

While Hayer fell short of backing Metsola, her comments signal the liberals are taking a different stance than the Socialists, whose leader Iratxe García said they have a deal that gives her group the right to name Metsola’s successor. Manfred Weber, the head of Metsola’s European People’s Party, has publicly cast doubt on whether the EPP would comply with such a deal, while MEPs say Metsola is already campaigning behind the scenes. Renew wants any presidential candidate to keep the EPP tied to the political center — despite the president representing political lawmakers of all stripes — after the center-right group repeatedly relied on the far right in both the parliamentary chamber and in the Conference of Presidents, a key decision-making body, according to two Renew officials, granted anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the discussions. “We think Metsola has genuinely been a good president, with the exception of those comments about working with the far right,” said one of the officials, referring to comments she made in October about the need to “keep …

European Commission says will ‘keep options open’ over Trump tariff threat – POLITICO

European Commission says will ‘keep options open’ over Trump tariff threat – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The chair of the European Parliament’s trade committee, meanwhile, called Trump’s tariff threat “unacceptable” and accused the U.S. of “breaking its commitments.” There have been simmering tensions between the two sides over the implementation of the Scotland deal. The U.S. has complained at how long the EU is taking to bring tariffs down, while Europe has bristled at how many of its goods are being hit with a 26 percent U.S. tariff on aluminum and steel.  EU governments are divided over whether to pursue additional safeguards, as demanded by the European Parliament, delaying an agreement on a way forward. A majority of countries have resisted a French-led push to revisit the deal.  Manfred Weber, chair of the center-right European People’s Party, the biggest political group in the European Parliament, told POLITICO that negotiations “must be concluded swiftly so that the agreement can finally enter into force.” “Our businesses cannot afford any prolonged uncertainty,” Weber said, calling for a final vote on the deal in the Parliament as early as next month. Trump’s vow to escalate …

Europe’s Socialists face far-right reckoning after Romania deal – POLITICO

Europe’s Socialists face far-right reckoning after Romania deal – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The move exposes a gap between political red lines in Brussels and messy national realities, where the far right’s rise is making it harder for mainstream parties to govern without them. Socialists in Brussels were unaware of the plans in Romania, according to two officials familiar with the matter, granted anonymity to speak frankly. Iratxe García, chair of the Socialists and Democrats (S&D), told POLITICO she expects its Romanian peers to work with pro-European forces in future. The 2024 EU election produced the most right-wing Parliament in the bloc’s history. The far-right Patriots group — home to France’s Marine Le Pen and Hungary’s Viktor Orbán — became the third-largest force, followed by the right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists, which includes France’s Giorgia Meloni, Poland’s Law and Justice, and the AUR. Socialists and Democrats chair Iratxe García, who said she expects the group’s Romanian peers to work with pro-European forces in the future, speaks at an event in Lisbon in June 2025. | Horacio Villalobos/Corbis via Getty Images Across Europe, populist right-wing parties are gaining ground …

Von der Leyen waits just 17 minutes to celebrate Orbán’s heavy defeat – POLITICO

Von der Leyen waits just 17 minutes to celebrate Orbán’s heavy defeat – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

European People’s Party leader Manfred Weber, to which the victorious Tisza opposition party belongs, also couldn’t contain his glee at Orbán’s defeat. Orbán’s populist-nationalist Fidesz party left the center-right EPP group in 2021 to join the far-right Patriots for Europe. “Tonight is the victory of the people of Hungary!” Weber wrote. “They confirm that our centre-right, people-first politics win elections.”  “Substance. Solutions. Unity — not empty slogans and fears,” he added.  Orbán’s 16-year reign ended Sunday night with a landslide victory for the center-right opposition, led by Magyar, who is on track to win around two-thirds of the 199 seats in Budapest’s parliament.  Many of the political reactions to Orbán’s loss focused on what his defeat would mean for Europe, after years in which he thwarted EU unanimity on matters such as aid for Ukraine while barracking Brussels for tougher migration rules and nationalist policies. “Hungary’s place is at the heart of Europe,” European Parliament President Roberta Metsola wrote.  French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated Magyar: “Together, let us advance a more sovereign Europe, for the security of our continent, our competitiveness, and our democracy.” Source …

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 …

Wie Merz beim Iran den Schröder macht – POLITICO

Wie Merz beim Iran den Schröder macht – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Die Bundesregierung lässt Donald Trump abblitzen: Mehrfach erteilte sie einer deutschen Beteiligung an einer Marine-Begleitung von Schiffen in der Straße von Hormus eine klare Absage. Doch die Geschichte mahnt zur Vorsicht: Gordon Repinski analysiert, warum Friedrich Merz Gefahr läuft, in eine „Schröder-Fischer-Falle“ wie im Jahr 2003 zu tappen. Damals wurde ein öffentliches „Nein“ zur Irak-Invasion hinter den Kulissen durch operative Unterstützung aufgeweicht. Droht nun erneut die Beteiligung durch die Hintertür? Und wie kann sich Merz aus dieser Falle befreien? Im 200-Sekunden-Interview spricht der außenpolitische Sprecher der SPD, Adis Ahmetovic, über Trumps strategielose und sinnlose Forderungen. Er erklärt, warum Deutschland trotz der bestehenden Mission im Roten Meer eine Ausweitung auf den Iran-Konflikt ablehnt und wie die Bundesrepublik dennoch ihre diplomatische Handlungsfähigkeit bewahren kann. Während Merz in Berlin auf Distanz zu Washington geht, brodelt es in der EVP: Berichte über eine geheime Zusammenarbeit von EVP-Mitarbeitern mit rechten Fraktionen im EU-Parlament bringen Merz und Markus Söder unter Zugzwang. Hans von der Burchard ordnet ein, wie dieser Skandal das Treffen mit EU-Parlamentspräsidentin Roberta Metsola überschattet und warum ein wackelnder …

Europe braces for an energy crisis 

Europe braces for an energy crisis 

Published by Sam Flores

Listen on Spotify Apple Music Amazon Music European leaders haunted by memories of the 2022 energy crisis are bracing for impact as the war in the Middle East begins to drive up oil and gas prices. Today on the podcast, host Zoya Sheftalovich and Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Nicholas Vinocur discuss what tools the EU has at its disposal to soften the blow for consumers — is the bloc better prepared than it was four years ago? Later on: A rocky relationship is on the mend. The European Parliament’s two largest political groups — the European People’s Party and the Socialists and Democrats — are hoping dinner dates can resolve the bad blood between them. Plus, what part of Belgium is the happiest? Stick around until the end to find out. Thoughts? Comments? Send us a message or a voice note to our WhatsApp: +32 491 05 06 29. **A message from Amazon: Across Europe, businesses are growing with the AWS Cloud to build innovative, scalable products. From Europe’s largest enterprises and government agencies to the continent’s fastest growing startups, learn more about how AWS Cloud is helping businesses across Europe grow at …

5 things to watch as EU Parliament gears up for midterm reshuffle – POLITICO

5 things to watch as EU Parliament gears up for midterm reshuffle – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The push would put Metsola and the EPP on a collision course with the Socialists and Democrats, the Parliament’s second-biggest group, which claims it should get the presidency as part of a power-sharing arrangement signed at the beginning of the term. But the EPP has remained vague about whether they committed to any such deal. The S&D hasn’t yet pushed a candidate to replace Metsola — a fact that hasn’t escaped some of the party’s own allies. One Green lawmaker, when asked whether they would support the Socialists, said “I will think about it when they have a candidate, I cannot support a vague claim for a post.” All the infighting between the EPP and S&D has opened the door for Renew Europe, the third member of the centrist coalition, to start thinking about suggesting a compromise candidate, two Renew lawmakers said. Will far right secure leadership positions? The reshuffle will again test the so-called cordon sanitaire, an informal arrangement among centrist forces to keep the far right out of decision-making. In practice, that rule no …

Europe’s push to go it alone exposes old fault lines – POLITICO

Europe’s push to go it alone exposes old fault lines – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

While the meeting is not expected to produce binding commitments, it will set a broad political direction for the European Commission, which is due to draw up proposals ahead of a formal summit in late March. “Everyone around the table must … face a moment of truth,” said Manfred Weber, leader of the European People’s Party, whose members include German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Leaders should “not complain about each other” but do their “homework” to ensure reforms can be completed, he added. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told POLITICO ahead of the summit that “Europe has lots of leverage. We just need to stick together and make decisions … instead of whining and complaining, we need to understand that through strength Europe will actually have [a firm] position.” A glaring example is the recent disagreement between EU powerhouses France and Germany, whose leaders clashed over Emmanuel Macron’s refusal to endorse the EU-Mercosur trade deal. In an interview published Tuesday by several European newspapers, the French president trumpeted the need …