The EU’s new power pyramid and migration escalation
Listen on Spotify Apple Music Amazon Music Live from Strasbourg… and Paris… and Berlin… and London, it’s EU Confidential. In this week’s episode, we catch you up on a dizzying week of news. We start...
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5 things to know about regions boss Raffaele Fitto’s hearing
BRUSSELS — Italian Commissioner-designate Raffaele Fitto’s hearing was expected to be full of political fireworks. In the end, however, he stayed true to his image as a calm and mild-mannered...
View Article5 things to know about Teresa Ribera’s hearing
Was it a “shit show” or a “troll show”? By EU confirmation hearing standards, it was both … and more. Groans, moans, applause, scolding. It was more open-mic night than august debate. And at the...
View ArticleHere’s the timeline for the new European Commission
BRUSSELS — It’s not over yet. European Parliament lawmakers have put Ursula von der Leyen’s 26 commissioner nominees through the wringer for nearly 80 hours and counting, but the ordeal has yet to...
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The hard right is mainstream in Brussels now
BRUSSELS — An inevitable truth is emerging: The hard-right populists are here to stay and are calling the shots in EU politics. Two recent major political decisions — the appointment of the new...
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Von der Leyen’s final hurdle: How to get her new Commission started by Dec. 1
It’s been a long, winding road for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to assemble her team of 26 commissioners since the start of her second term. In September, von der Leyen announced...
View ArticleSecond von der Leyen era on track to start Dec. 1
BRUSSELS — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s second term is on course to begin Dec. 1 after the bloc’s political families on Wednesday struck a long-awaited deal to complete her top...
View ArticleMEPs poised to decide fate of Fitto, Ribera and other commissioners
BRUSSELS — After a long delay, members of the European Parliament will meet at 7 p.m. to decide whether to green-light the seven pending commissioner nominees. Those nominees include Italy’s...
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Teresa Ribera
Spain’s Teresa Ribera is used to taking on tough jobs. For the better part of this century, the jurist has participated in the world’s most important climate negotiations, tirelessly working to obtain...
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Trump 2.0 will hurt planet, open door for America’s green rivals: EU climate...
BRUSSELS — Donald Trump trashing United States climate efforts will empower rivals to control the industries of tomorrow, Europe’s top competition and climate official said Thursday. “It is not good...
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POLITICO’s 2024 Backhanded Awards
POLITICO’s 2024 Backhanded Awards There has never been a more deserving set of “winners.” By EDDY WAX Illustration by Ellie Foreman-Peck for POLITICO The Ursula von der Leyen Award for Not Being...
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The biggest battles headed for Brussels
Get ready for Ursula von der Leyen 2.0. After a first term marked by a pandemic and the outbreak of war on Europe’s doorstep, the European Commission president is gearing up for another spin as the...
View ArticleTeresa Ribera comes after VDL in the European Commission’s line of succession
The next person in the European Commission’s line of succession if President Ursula von der Leyen is incapacitated is Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera, the EU executive’s spokesperson said...
View ArticleTeresa Ribera to lead commissioners’ meeting in von der Leyen’s absence
European Commission Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera will preside over the weekly meeting of her fellow commissioners next week if her boss, Ursula von der Leyen, hasn’t recovered from her bout...
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EU’s Clean Industrial Deal to cover 6 themes from energy prices to trade
BRUSSELS — The European Union’s upcoming industrial decarbonization strategy will revolve around six thematic “pillars” ranging from energy prices and workforce issues to recycling and trade, a senior...
View ArticleGerman conservatives back Weber for second term as EPP leader
Germany’s conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its leader, Friedrich Merz, support a second term for Manfred Weber as the head of the European People’s Party, giving the incumbent the...
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EU shoots down rumors it will revive divisive gas price cap
BRUSSELS — The European Union is not planning to include a gas price cap in its upcoming strategy to slash energy prices, a European Commission official said, pushing back on chatter that the EU...
View ArticleLooser state aid rules aim to stoke clean tech demand
The European Commission’s state aid rules for the Clean Industrial Deal aim to stoke demand for clean-tech products and ease investments from “risk averse” pension funds, according to a draft obtained...
View ArticleBrussels considers major U-turn on green reporting rules
BRUSSELS — A rule forcing companies to measure and report the environmental damage they cause is at risk in the European Union’s deregulation drive, three people briefed on the discussions told...
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Internal backlash saved EU green finance rules from extinction
ANTWERP, Belgium — Only a rearguard weekend fight by senior European Commission officials prevented the rollback of major green finance rules this week, documents seen by POLITICO show, highlighting...
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EU tech chiefs say they don’t target US tech
BRUSSELS — The European Union’s digital competition law “does not target U.S. companies,” the European Commission’s technology and competition chiefs told a U.S. congressman in an effort to soothe a...
View ArticleThe EU and its sovereignty: Almaraz power plant is a turning point
These are difficult times for Europe. They are times that compel us to focus on policies that guarantee our autonomy and sovereignty. The plan to finance European rearmament announced recently by the...
View ArticleEU social media law isn’t censorship, tech chief tells US critic
The European Union’s social media law “does not regulate speech,” EU tech boss Henna Virkkunen told a key U.S. lawmaker who had criticized the bloc’s tech rules as censorship. A regulation that...
View ArticleEU plans to boost medicines manufacturing in drug shortages bill
Europe has a plan to avert drug shortages — to make more of them and tie their contracts to their availability. The Critical Medicines Act, to be presented Tuesday afternoon in Strasbourg by European...
View ArticleEU lays out state aid push to stoke green investments
BRUSSELS – New European Union state aid rules would allow governments to speed up aid to renewable energy, help pay the costs of industrial decarbonization and stoke demand for clean-tech products....
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EU conservative chief will be back — because no one can be bothered to force...
German politician Manfred Weber will run unopposed for another three-year term atop Europe’s largest and most powerful faction, the center-right European People’s Party. It’s a decisive victory for...
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EU risks more Trump tariffs in looming Big Tech crackdown
There may be a more politically incendiary moment for the European Union to crack down on Big Tech. But it’s hard to think of one. Starting Wednesday, the European Commission is staring down a series...
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EU throws down gauntlet to Trump with Apple, Google rulings
The European Commission has put Apple and Google on notice: Change your products so they’re in line with the European Union’s digital competition rules, or face the consequences. The EU executive...
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EU set to fine Apple and Meta amid escalating trade war
The European Commission is expected to fine Apple and Meta this week for violating the EU’s digital competition rules, thrusting Big Tech into the escalating trade war between the United States and...
View ArticleEU fines big carmakers €458M for green cartel
The EU has doled out €458 million in fines to Volkswagen, Stellantis and 13 other automakers for colluding on their vehicle recycling programs. The European Commission said the 15 major carmakers and...
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