European Commission

Money laundering failures signal policy headaches for new Commission

In the twilight of its five-year administration, Jean-Claude Juncker's Commission on Wednesday released a package of reports that reveal how and why the EU failed to prevent a slew of…

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European Commission issues series of infringement decisions against Member States, including Malta

In its monthly package of infringement decisions, the European Commission pursues legal action against Member States for failing to comply with their obligations under EU law. These decisions, covering various…

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Brussels takes Hungary to court for criminalising activities that help asylum seekers

The European Commission is referring Hungary to the EU’s highest court after Budapest further tightened eligibility requirements for asylum seekers and made it a criminal offense to help refugees. The 2018 law…

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Helena Dalli nominated as Malta’s European Commissioner

European Affairs and Equality Minister Helena Dalli has been nominated for the post of European Commissioner. A Department of Information statement said that during the past days, Prime Minister Joseph…

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EC President starts visit in Malta

The relationship between Malta and the EU Commission has never been as good as it is now, outgoing Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said on Monday. Speaking at Castille, Juncker said…

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European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker will visit Malta on Monday

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will be in Malta on Monday and Tuesday on an official visit, the government said. He will have talks in Castille with Prime Minister Joseph…

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Austria, Greece and Slovenia ignore Von Der Leyen request for two Commissioner nominations

Ursula von der Leyen pledged to form a gender-balanced European Commission — but it's looking like an uphill battle. And some EU officials are bracing for the possibility that a…

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European Commission’s chief spokesperson nominated as Greek EU commissioner

European Commission chief spokesperson Margaritis Schinas has been nominated by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis as the country's next commissioner, the prime minister's office wrote in a statement Thursday. Schinas,…

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Austria confirms Hahn as its European commissioner

Austria confirmed that it wants Johannes Hahn, the current European Commissioner for enlargement, to stay on as its member of the next commission, headed by Ursula von der Leyen. The…

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Ursula von der Leyen warns hard Brexit would be massive blow for both sides

In an exclusive interview with The Guardian and four other European newspapers the European commission’s new president has said a hard Brexit would have “massively negative consequences” for both Britain…

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EU Commission announces new measures to protect Rule of Law in member states

The European Commission on Wednesday announced new measures aimed at protecting the rule of law in EU member states. The package, whose central feature is an annual EU-wide rule-of-law review,…

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Ursula Von Der Leyen elected as President of European Commission

Ursula Von Der Leyen has been elected as President of the European Commission. Von Der Leyen will be the first female President of the Commission. Her nomination as a compromise…

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Von Der Leyen makes final pitch ahead of decisive vote

Ursula von der Leyen delivered her final pitch to members of the European Parliament on Tuesday, offering socialists and liberals a constellation of policy promises as she sought to win…

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On Von der Leyen’s D-Day, confirmation vote is anything but sure

Unhappy socialist and liberal MEPs could upset Ursula von der Leyen's bid to be the next European Commission president in a vote this week, the EU Observer reports. However she…

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Central and Eastern Europe countries expecting important Commission portfolios

Central and Eastern Europe was shut out in last week's race for senior EU positions, so the region's governments are eyeing important Commission portfolios and a vice presidency as compensation. “The…

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Brussels shake-up

The European Parliamentary elections are an interesting exercise in the democratic expression of more than half a billion people across Europe. From the chilly Nordic nations in the north to…

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PM Muscat expected to nominate Ministers Helena Dalli and Edward Scicluna to European Commission

The Malta Independent on Sunday reports that Prime Minister Joseph Muscat is expected to nominate Ministers Helena Dalli and Edward Scicluna to the European Commission. The nominated Commission President Von…

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Ready, set ……. wait

Cartoon by Rytis Daukantas was first published on POLITICO.eu, Belgium on July 13, 2019. Cartoon by Oliver Schopf was first published in Der Standard, Austria, July 6, 2019 and cartoon…

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Will von der Leyen win the needed absolute majority?

To become Commission president, von der Leyen must win an absolute majority of Parliament in the vote scheduled for Tuesday evening in Strasbourg. That means, in practical terms, the conservative…

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Changes in Juncker’s commission

Romania and Estonia wrote to Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne expressing their desire to continue to be represented in Brussels, and thus change their Commissioners. Estonia’s Vice-President Andrus Ansip and Romania’s European…

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Ursula Von Der Leyen faces MEPs’ skepticism during severe hearings at the European Parliament

Ursula von der Leyen's drive to get the European Parliament behind her nomination for the top job in Brussels hit a wall of skepticism on Wednesday, including calls to delay…

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Washington Post on Malta’s role in the Mediterranean migrants’ rescue operations

With Italy firmly blocking its seaports, the tiny island country of Malta has emerged as an unlikely and reluctant lifeline for migrants making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean Sea.…

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Eu Commission President nominee von der Leyen meets transition team

Urusula von der Leyen is currently preparing for the eventuality that her nomination as President of the European Commission is approved. The nomination still requires the approval of the European…

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Corporate Dispatch – Europe Explained – Agenda Europe – The Week Ahead

Good morning This is our weekly overview of the main forthcoming events in the European Union including EU Council, Commission and Parliament meetings and other EU-related conferences and events. Events…

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CDU leader warns against blocking von der Leyen nomination

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, head of Merkel's Christian Democrat party (CDU), warned her junior coalition partners against blocking the appointment of a German, Ursula von der Leyen, to head the European Commission,…

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Who killed the SpitzenKandidat?

Accusations are flying over the death of the "lead candidate" system for choosing the president of the European Commission, the EU's most powerful job. It's a crime story that's also…

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Opinion Poll – Will Von der Leyen be confirmed as EU Commission President?

The nomination of German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen as European Commission president came as a surprise. And many are unhappy. It not only undermines efforts to make the…

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Poland criticises the way EU is dealing with North Macedonia and Albania accession

Polish President Andrzej Duda scolded the European Union on Friday for delaying accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia, days after the EU’s current eastern European members lost out in…

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Juncker complains about von der Leyen nomination

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the process to appoint his successor, Germany's Ursula von der Leyen, was not transparent and marked an unwelcome break with the practice of choosing…

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Opposition grows in Germany for Ursula von der Leyen’s nomination for EU President

Only one third of Germans believe their defense minister, Ursula von der Leyen, is a good choice to lead the EU Commission, according to a Deutschlandtrend survey, organized by Germany's…

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Von der Leyen nomination met with resistance and frustration from the MEPs

Members of the European Parliament expressed their anger at the EU leaders for their handling of nominations for the bloc's top jobs as the battle to confirm Ursula von der Leyen as…

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Tusk asks European Parliament to approve von der Leyen

European Council President Donald Tusk on Thursday asked the European Parliament to approve Germany’s Ursula von der Leyen as the next head of the European Commission. He emphasised that for…

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Political storm in Germany over choice of von der Leyen for European Commission chief

The nomination of German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen as new European Commission chief has sparked fresh tensions within Chancellor Angela Merkel's fragile coalition that threatened to split her…

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Malta’s Prime Minister Joseph Muscat pledges to continue his work with more vigour

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has pledged to continue working as Prime Minister "with more vigour". These comments followed the decision on the nominations for the EU institutions' Leadership positions. Earlier…

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The darker side of the EU leaders’ nomination process

In the unkindest analysis, the leaders chose von der Leyen, a largely unknown quantity in Brussels who has been dogged by misspending and mismanagement allegations in Berlin, not because of…

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Europe Explained – Who is Ursula von der Leyen – European Commission president

Ursula von der Leyen (1958) is a German politician from the CDU. Since 2013, she has been the minister of defence of Germany and the first woman in that function.…

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German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen nominated as EU Commission president – UPDATED

German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen has been tapped to succeed Jean-Claude Juncker and lead the European Commission following marathon negotiations among EU leaders. The European Council, which is…

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From Spitzenkandidat to Splitting candidate… the intrigues and backroom politics

The Spitzenkandidat, or "lead candidate," created in 2014 seems all but dead. Under that system, pan-European political groups nominated lead candidates for the European Parliament election who were also their…

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Corporate Dispatch Europe Explained – AgendaEurope – The Week Ahead

A quick glance at the main forthcoming events in the European Union including EU Council, Commission and Parliament meetings and other EU-related conferences and events. Events for the week of…

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Hungary’s lessons, applied in Poland… is it late for the EU’s championing of the Rule of Law?

Michael Meyer-Resende writes on the The Guardian that perhaps one day the spring of 2019 will be remembered as the moment when the European Union halted the destruction of democratic institutions in…

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Merkel backs ‘real’ lead candidates, tipping Timmermans and Weber for top EU jobs – Updated

Update: POLITICO reports that Merkel backs ‘real’ lead candidates, tipping Timmermans and Weber for top EU jobs In what is described as a slap at Macron, German chancellor focuses on…

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Spain’s Sanchez speaks of the need for political change at European Commission’s presidency

Spain’s acting Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Saturday called for a political change at the presidency of the European Commission, a post held by a conservative, a day before…

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EU working on solution for Sea-Watch saga

European Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said Thursday that the European Union was working to find a solution for the 42 migrants on the Sea-Watch 3 ship but added that…

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Denmark’s new prime minister wants Margrethe Vestager to stay on as the country’s European commissioner

Denmark's new prime minister wants Margrethe Vestager to stay on as the country's European commissioner. Mette Frederiksen told Danish broadcaster TV 2 Wednesday “we will propose that the commissioner that we have already…

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Weber determined to become Commission President

The European People's Party (EPP) candidate for EU Commission President Manfred Weber isn't backing down from his bid and urged the European Parliament not to let the decision take place in…

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Corporate Dispatch Europe Explained – agendaEurope – The Week Ahead

A quick glance at the main forthcoming events in the European Union including EU Council, Commission and Parliament meetings and other EU-related conferences and events. Events for the week of…

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EU Member States agree to support Irish beef producers

EU Member States this week agreed to a proposal from the European Commission to make €50 million available to Irish beef farmers, which can be matched by national funds to…

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Poland’s new retirement rules for judges break EU laws

Poland’s new retirement rules for judges, introduced in 2017, break European Union law, the advocate general for the EU’s top court said in an opinion on Thursday in a blow…

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Italian Prime Minister Conte says that Italy will lower deficit next year and is not seeking favours from EU

Italy will lower its structural deficit next year and is not seeking favors from the European Union, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has written in a letter to EU leaders as…

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No one has the upper hand on who will lead European institutions

As the European Council convenes Thursday to try to select a new slate of EU leaders, one thing is clear: Nobody has the upper hand. POLITICO reports that while in…

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Italy believes it can satisfy EC demands on public accounts

Italy believes it can satisfy the European Commission’s demands over its public accounts for this year, but the real sticking point in negotiations is now about 2020, government sources say.…

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Russia denies EU’s accusation that it interfered in EP elections

An official from Russia’s security council described as absurd accusations that Moscow used disinformation to sway voters towards right-wing parties in last month’s European Union elections, Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper reported…

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Conte in favour of Merkel as the next president of the European Commission

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said that German Chancellor Angela Merkel would be a good candidate to be the next president of the European Commission, while adding that he does…

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Macron ready to back Merkel for new European Commission President post

French President Emmanuel Macron told Swiss TV station RTS that he would back German Chancellor Angela Merkel for European Commission president. Politico reports that Macron, when asked about his…

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EU warns that a new Prime Minister will not be able to change negotiated Brexit deal

The appointment of a new prime minister in the UK will not be able to change the Brexit deal negotiated by Theresa May, the EU Commission has confirmed. A spokesperson…

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Conte tells Weber that next European appointments should be ‘balanced’

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is reported to have told Manfred Weber that the next round of European appointments should be "balanced". A statement from the premier's office said that…

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EU reviewing past money-laundering cases at banks in the EU

The European Commission is reviewing past money-laundering cases at EU banks to assess what went wrong and decide possible tweaks to rules. Under the plan, the European Commission is assessing…

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