All posts tagged: MEP

Influencer MEP Fidias Panayiotou turns down Cypriot seat to stay in European Parliament – POLITICO

Influencer MEP Fidias Panayiotou turns down Cypriot seat to stay in European Parliament – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The center-right Democratic Rally party scored the most votes in Sunday’s elections, which saw the ultranationalist National Popular Front double its share of seats in the 56-member parliament. “Fidias,” as Panayiotou styles himself, has gained some 2.6 million subscribers on his YouTube channel since he began posting in 2019. The 26-year old influencer shot to fame after embarking on a mission to hug tech billionaire Elon Musk, and in 2024 launched a successful bid to become a lawmaker in the European Parliament. Since his election, Panayiotou has raised eyebrows with a visit to Russia and caused uproar by referring to paralympians with intellectual disabilities as “loonies.” He created the anti-establishment Direct Democracy party six months ago, and in the lead up to Sunday’s vote he regularly campaigned wearing a clown nose. Panayiotou’s group ultimately finished in sixth place, securing four seats. “We could’ve done better but we’re happy with what has happened, this is a small victory,” he said. Yiannis Laouris, a neuroscientist considered by some as Panayiotou’s ideological mentor — a label he rejects — …

Secret memo advises French center-left MEP to avoid poor voters in presidential run – POLITICO

Secret memo advises French center-left MEP to avoid poor voters in presidential run – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The document advises avoiding “for now” voters ages 18 to 25, single parents and those with lower incomes, all of whom are deemed “more difficult to mobilize.” It also recommends not trying too hard to woo voters from poorer, multicultural suburbs surrounding major French cities with strong immigrant populations, who are likely to support hard-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon. He announced his campaign earlier this month. Those internal findings risk reinforcing the image of Glucksmann, the romantic partner of one of France’s most famous journalists and the son of a prominent philosopher, as a member of high society who is out of touch with the middle class. But Glucksmann’s team downplayed the memo’s significance and stressed that it was merely a “working document.” Campaign strategist Mathieu Lefèvre-Marton, who drafted the memo, said that Glucksmann himself rejected the conclusions about which voters should be avoided, stressing the importance of “speaking to everyone,” including “those who don’t vote for the left.” Polls show that Glucksmann and Mélenchon are currently the strongest left-wing candidates in the field, though a …

Luxembourgish MEP leads recruitment drive for trip to Russia – POLITICO

Luxembourgish MEP leads recruitment drive for trip to Russia – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“Assistance with finding suitable accommodation can be provided, and personalized invitations to the St. Petersburg Economic Forum will follow in due course,” reads the letter, which was sent to a broad list of EU lawmakers. Kartheiser’s outreach is controversial due to restrictions on cooperation between the European Parliament and its Russian counterpart. The European Parliament officially suspended official dialogue with Russian parliamentary bodies in 2014, while Russian and Belarusian officials have been barred from accessing the European Parliament since shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. There have been 20 rounds of EU sanctions against Russia. None of this has deterred Kartheiser, who traveled to Moscow last June despite facing expulsion from the ECR group. In response to questions from POLITICO, Kartheiser defended his St Petersburg trip — which he said was privately funded — saying its relevance was “undisputable.” Petras Auštrevičius, a Lithuanian lawmaker with the centrist Renew Europe group, called the recruitment push “an open attempt to recruit” MEPs “for working for Russia as informants, influencers and more.” | Martin Bertrand/Hans …

MEP hits back at ‘fake’ octopus dish served in EU Parliament canteen – POLITICO

MEP hits back at ‘fake’ octopus dish served in EU Parliament canteen – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“Everything was wrong with that fake ‘Galician-style octopus.’ Octopus mixed with squid and broccoli — that’s never been eaten in Galicia. That octopus was as Galician as the Parliament building is Renaissance: not at all,” Vázquez said. His dinner’s guest list includes Galician President Alfonso Rueda and Suso Pereira, head of the association of traditional octopus cooks. In an April email to MEPs and assistants seen by POLITICO, Vázquez made clear this is more than a culinary gripe, pointing to Galicia’s fishing sector. “Following the notorious fake polbo á feira that we discovered in the canteen, the time has come to put this sector back in the spotlight,” Vázquez writes. “In the spirit of this sacred mission, I am delighted to invite you to a real Galician feira.” “We promised that in Parliament they would get to know the traditional recipe, and we are delivering,” Vázquez told POLITICO, pointing to plans to scale back fisheries policy. “Galicia is Europe’s leading fishing power, and we cannot stop fighting every battle to ensure it remains so,” he added. It’s not …

Czechia’s media overhaul plan echoes ‘Orbán-style model of governance,’ says MEP – POLITICO

Czechia’s media overhaul plan echoes ‘Orbán-style model of governance,’ says MEP – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The architect of the EMFA, former Commission Vice President Věra Jourová, told Czech outlet Irozhlas.cz that the whole point of the EU legislation was to strengthen the independence of public service media. “I know what we wanted because I drafted it … the Czech law, as it has been proposed, gives me the impression that it rather seeks to dismantle a functioning system and eliminate them,” Jourová said. The draft law is a key promise of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s right-wing government and would end license fees from 2027 and reduce funding for Czech Television and Czech Radio by about €57 million (1.4 billion Czech crowns). The plan has sparked concerns from the opposition, journalists and media organizations over financial and editorial independence, an argument refuted by the government. “Czech Television and Czech Radio remain independent legal entities, subordinate neither to the ministry nor to any state authority,” Czech Culture Minister Oto Klempíř said at a press conference Tuesday. Babiš had frequently criticized media coverage by public broadcasters and independent media. Last month, local editors-in-chief …

After Orbán Loss, Polish MEP Warns EU Set To “Subjugate Everything And Everyone” As VDL Moves Quickly To Abolish Veto Power

After Orbán Loss, Polish MEP Warns EU Set To “Subjugate Everything And Everyone” As VDL Moves Quickly To Abolish Veto Power

Published by Jenni Sidey

Via Remix News, On the back of Péter Magyar’s victory in Hungary, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says the EU needs to work on getting rid of member states’ veto powers. For many who backed Viktor Orbán, one of their greatest fears was exactly what von der Leyen is now advancing: an unconstrained EU able to take action on foreign policy, health, and migration without the threat of a veto. It is widely assumed that the incoming prime minister of Hungary will seek a fast resolution of Brussels’ key issues with Hungary in order to unlock some €35 billion in funding. While Magyar is still seen as right of center and has already insisted border protection will remain a top priority, he has also made it clear that he will work to build a more constructive relationship with Brussels and make Hungary more a part of the European community. One way Viktor Orbán previously served as a constant thorn in the side of other member states was via use of the veto power, …

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 …

MEP Rima Hassan hits back after police detention – POLITICO

MEP Rima Hassan hits back after police detention – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

She was again questioned by the police on Friday morning as part of an investigation into a social media post she wrote last week expressing solidarity with Japanese terrorist Kōzō Okamoto. Okamoto was convicted of a terrorist attack that killed 26 people at Ben Gurion International Airport in 1972. In her post on Friday, Hassan, who is an MEP with the hard-left France Unbowed party, said she had two types of CBD, a chemical that is found in the cannabis plant but does not have the same intoxicating effects as THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. The first type complied with legal norms, but the second, she wrote, contained “traces of synthetic drugs,” according to investigators. “I told them where I had legally bought this CBD. Simple checks are ongoing into the origin of the CBD,” Hassan added. Hassan also criticized the probe into her now-deleted post on X, accusing the “pro-Israeli lobby in France” of targeting her “political opinions on the genocide in Gaza and Palestine.” She said that 13 out of 16 …

Leading MEP Van Overtveldt was offensive to female security guard, union tells Metsola – POLITICO

Leading MEP Van Overtveldt was offensive to female security guard, union tells Metsola – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

According to the letter from USPE, which represents staff working in the Parliament, a security officer working on the gates of the institution’s Brussels building challenged Van Overtveldt as he attempted to enter with his wife, whose entourage pass for family members had expired. “In response to the security staff’s insistence that he should comply with the institutional rules, he asked to see the badge of the security officer in charge in order to identify her, then angrily threw her document on the floor,” the letter to Metsola, dated, Feb. 16, said. “Subsequently, when the security guard asked him to be respectful, pointing out that he was talking to a human being, the MEP responded with an offensive remark, comparing her to a pet (his own dog) and thereby humiliating and demeaning her in front of others,” the letter said. Van Overtveldt said that he doesn’t have a dog or a pet of any kind and is “practically sure I didn’t use that kind of words.” “If I did so, then certainly that was not …

MEP Fidias Panayiotou announces he will run for Cypriot parliament – POLITICO

MEP Fidias Panayiotou announces he will run for Cypriot parliament – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Based on Cypriot electoral law, he cannot keep both seats. Cyprus’ parliamentary election will take place in May. “Fidias,” as Panayiotou styles himself, has gained some 2.6 million subscribers on his YouTube channel since he began posting in 2019. He shot to fame by embarking on a mission to hug Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of the X platform (he eventually succeeded).  His election to the European Parliament in 2024 came as a shock, as he was elected to public office with no political experience but said he can’t abide the continued rule of “nerds” in Brussels. The MEP is also preparing to create a new political group in the European Parliament, together with Slovak MEPs close to pro-Russia Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. Fidias stirred controversy last May when he attended Russia’s “Victory Day” celebrations along with some other German and Slovak MEPs. His party in Cyprus received provisional approval for the elections from the Cypriot Interior Ministry on Thursday, after taking the name “Direct Democracy of Cyprus.” The original title “Direct Democracy” could …