This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. MEPs discussed the conclusions of the 17-18 October EU summit in plenary this morning with Presidents Juncker and Tusk. During his introductory speech, his last in Parliament as European Council President, Donald Tusk condemned Turkish unilateral military action in north-east Syria and called on […]Donald Tusk presents EU summit conclusions for last time
October 22, 2019 by Leave a Comment
This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. MEPs discussed the conclusions of the 17-18 October EU summit in plenary this morning with Presidents Juncker and Tusk. During his introductory speech, his last in Parliament as European Council President, Donald Tusk condemned Turkish unilateral military action in north-east Syria and called on […]The end of Spitzenkandidat: EU leaders concluded unexpectedly on EU top jobs
July 3, 2019 by Leave a Comment
The EU leaders finally came to a conclusion after three long days of tough negotiations where German Chancellor’s suggestion to appoint Frans Timmermans as next European Commission president has been turned down by Italy and eastern countries. The solution was given with the nomination of a woman and particularly German Defence Minister Ursula von der […]France and Germany can’t reach consensus regarding EU’s top jobs
June 26, 2019 by Leave a Comment
The EU leaders are expected to meet again on Sunday to discuss about who will be taking over the EU top jobs, while France and Germany seem unable to agree who will be the successor of Jean-Claude Juncker. Last week’s EU summit didn’t conclude on the matter, something that exerts extra pressure onto the bloc’s […]“We need to accelerate our negotiation on the China-EU Investment Treaty”, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang highlights from the 21st EU-China summit in Brussels
April 10, 2019 by Leave a Comment
The presidents of the European Commission and EU Council welcomed the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang yesterday at the 21st EU-China summit in Brussels where the two sides acknowledged their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. EU and China agreed to a joint statement confirming their strategic intent and efforts for a more resilient cooperation in the framework of […]The EU might as well go down the drain if foreign meddling corrupts May’s elections
March 13, 2019 by Leave a Comment
The EU elections will take place in about two months’ time but anti-European together with foreign parties are most likely going to try to exert influence on the upcoming outcome. Anti-establishment parties are expected to change the current balance and status quo if the two mainstream parties, the conservative EPP (European People’s Party) and the […]A backbencher Tory MP threatens both EU and UK with a no-deal Brexit
February 18, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Last Thursday’s latest vote in the British Parliament, the Commons, revealed the real forces operating in relation to the country’s Gordian Knot, Brexit. Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May’s newest proposal for a kind of a soft Brexit deal, under the name of ‘Plan B’ was rejected last Thursday in Parliament by 303 to 258 votes. […]Brexit: Is there anybody supporting a non-violent separation?
January 3, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Like Christopher Clark’s ‘Sleepwalkers’, Britain alone on the one side and the European Union led by Germany and France on the other are walking apart, without a deal to jointly settle their future relations. One and a half years have elapsed since the 23 June 2016 referendum, with endless talks and self-complacency. Still, neither side […]Britain in chaos: May stays as Tory leader and PM but none can defuse the Brexit time bomb
December 13, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Yesterday night the embattled British Prime Minister and President of the Conservative Party, Theresa May, won an intraparty no confidence vote. This was a Tory party internal procedure, triggered by members of her own parliamentary group. In the final result 200 Conservative MPs voted for May and 117 against her. In this way, she secures […]“As long as we work together through thick and thin, more benefits can be delivered to the people of Eurasia”, China’s Premier Li Keqiang highlights from ASEM in Brussels
October 19, 2018 by 1 Comment
The 12th ASEM (Asia-Europe-Meeting) Summit took place in Brussels on 18-19 October 2018, the first summit after ASEM enters its third decade. Fifty-one Eurasia leaders convened under the theme “Global Partners for Global Challenges”, which is definitely a contemporary theme given the global turbulences of our time. ASEM is the platform for dialogue between Asia and […]The EU sides with China against the US; but has Germany capitulated to America?
July 23, 2018 by 3 Comments
If billions of EU penalties on American icon companies and U.S. super tariffs on European cars are strong and aggressive trade weapons, then yes the EU and the U.S. are at all out economic war. As in all wars, the difficult or even impossible thing is to predict its end. Unavoidably, there will be victims […]EU and China to do more in common if the global scene gets worse
July 19, 2018 by Leave a Comment
At a time of global trade, and not only, disorder, caused mainly by the US President of ‘America first’ Donald Trump, on 16 July in Beijing Europe and China held their 20th Summit. Both are targets of American trade aggression, but it seems the European Union is not yet ready to decisively join forces with […]The missiles fired against Damascus, Syria divided Europe deeply
April 16, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Last Friday night till the early hours of Saturday morning the US-France-Britain alliance attacked the Assad/Putin regime of Damascus, with a precipitation of missiles. Seemingly though, the hits have had a greater political impact on Europe than in Syria itself. Germany and Italy, the other two major European Union countries with strong interests in the […]EU to Turkey: No other ties than €3+3bn to upkeep refugees
March 29, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The EU-Turkey Summit in the Black Sea city of Varna last Monday was a chance for the Brussels dignitaries to throw a long list of severe European grievances in the face of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the Commission and Donald Tusk, President of the European Council , went to the […]Germany readies to pay for the Brexit gap in EU finance
February 26, 2018 by Leave a Comment
As expected, last Friday’s informal European Council of the 27 EU leaders didn’t produce any tangible result regarding its main agenda item; the future of Europe. The EU leaders just quarreled on who is to cover the hole in the budget, after Britain’s contribution ends with Brexit. In relation to this perennial question of money […]Will the end of QE come along with ECB’s inflation target?
January 17, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The European Central Bank (ECB) will end its Quantitative Easing (QE) programme within the year as the Eurozone continues growing. However, the inflation rate which is not increasing as much as the ECB officials would like, stands as a barrier to its monetary policy. According to Reuters, sources close to the ECB mentioned that the […]Migration crisis update: lack of solidarity not only among EU leaders but also EU officials
December 20, 2017 by Leave a Comment
It was two days ago, on the anniversary of the International migration day, when the United Nations urged everyone to contribute to make migration safer in the world. The EU leaders gathered on December 14-15 in Brussels to discuss among others how to tackle refugee crisis. The key point which created disagreements was the letter from the […]Hazy ‘breakthrough’ saves PM May, leaves Ireland in limbo: Brexit
December 11, 2017 by Leave a Comment
With only a couple of hours sleep in the very early hours of last Friday, the British PM Theresa May boarded a RAF aircraft and landed in Brussels before dawn. Weary as she was, she rushed to Berlaymont building, the EU Commission headquarters. There she met Jean-Claude Juncker the President of the European Commission and […]Britain offers more money for an orderly Brexit but the Irish question resurges
November 27, 2017 by Leave a Comment
If last Friday’s Reuters report from Brussels is correct and Theresa May and Donald Tusk agreed to solve the Brexit dead-end in ten days, then the wild Brexiteers must have retreated and the orderly exit side has won the first round. Tusk, the President of the European Council said in a tweet that he told […]Do the giant banks ‘tell’ Britain to choose a good soft Brexit and ‘remain’ or else…?
November 20, 2017 by Leave a Comment
It may be true that the world is tired watching Britain being completely confused about choosing the way to exit from the European Union. Yet, the almost schizo division plaguing the Brits and their political elites alike still paralyzes to this date the divorce negotiations. Countries to be most affected by Brexit like Holland are […]Brexit: UK business fear of a no-deal scenario preparing for the worst
November 8, 2017 by Leave a Comment
The Confederation of British Industry annual conference which took place last Monday in London was a chance for Prime Minister Theresa May to ask for more patience from the business world. Something though that seems to have been lost as negotiations show no significant progress and time presses both sides. A survey by the Chartered […]EU Trust Fund for Africa: Can it be beneficial for Italy and tackle the migration crisis in the Mediterranean?
October 25, 2017 by Leave a Comment
It was last week when the EU leaders met in Brussels to discuss how to support Italy with managing the refugees’ crisis in the central Mediterranean. The increase of the financial aid in the Trust Fund for Africa is believed to be one of the main ways to deal with this long-lasting issue. However, this […]At last Britain considers a super-soft Brexit
August 17, 2017 by Leave a Comment
After more than one year, the Brexit road map has been more or less drafted between the two opposing groups of the governing Tories, the hard Brexiteers and the Bremainers. Minister for Finance, Philip Hammond, and Trade minister, Liam Fox, leaders of the Bremainers and Brexiteers respectively, jointly wrote an article published in the last […]After Brexit and Grexit, Brussels to deal with Poloust
August 10, 2017 by Leave a Comment
After Grexit and Brexit that have both been haunting the European Union for quite some time, and will continue doing so in the foreseeable future, Brussels seems obliged to ponder Poloust that is kicking Poland out. The country is steadily sliding to rightwing coercion, under the leadership of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, a rampant populist, authoritarian and […]Europe to turn the Hamburg G20 Summit into a battlefield
July 3, 2017 by Leave a Comment
This week’s G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany is expected to become a battlefield from the very first gathering. Chancellor Angela Merkel is to attack the US President Donald Trump, about his rejection of the Paris Climate Agreement. The American will reply with a demand for ‘free and fair trade’ as he ventures it, especially for […]19th EU-China Summit: A historical advance in the Chino-European rapprochement
June 8, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Mainstream media and the two EU Presidents (Donald Tusk of the Council and Jean-Claude Juncker of the Commission), during and after last week’s groundbreaking 19th EU-China Summit (1-2 June), focused on the joint and unreserved pledge of Europe and China to wholeheartedly uphold the Paris Climate Agreement. This was a direct reply to Donald Trump’s […]Twenty days that may remold the future of Europe
April 6, 2017 by 1 Comment
The next few weeks may indelibly stain the future of Europe. There are three issues which can irreparably hurt the Old Continent. Starting from Britain in the extreme northwest, this week the country showed that she risks plummeting into a jingoistic abyss. A confrontation with Spain about the Gibraltar Rock has provoked a wave of […]EU Summit: Why was Poland isolated in opposing Tusk and the ‘multi speed’ Europe
March 13, 2017 by 1 Comment
Until last week’s summit (Thursday and Friday) of the 27+1 European leaders in Brussels, the exit of Britain from the European club was the tougher test for the club’s unity, which everybody was more or less getting ready to face up to. However, the Polish Prime Minister, a stocky middle aged woman, reversed that and […]EU: Divided they stand on immigration and Trump hurricanes
February 6, 2017 by Leave a Comment
The last Friday’s Malta Summit of the 28 minus 1 EU leaders, on emigration and the future of Europe, was convened amidst a steaming wider political environment within and without Europe. The Council could only agree upon on transferring another €200 million to the one of the at least two Libyan governments, that a small […]Europe led by Germany seems vulnerable to Trump’s threats
February 2, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Trump’s America and Europe are obviously at odds. The question is how far this division will go? Unquestionably, it’s the new tenant of the White House who fuels this unseen before confrontation between the Atlantic allies, attached by a time cherished bonding that has politically and economically shaped the world as we know it so […]A shortened EU Summit admits failures, makes risky promises
December 19, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Last Thursday, 15 December, the cut down to one day European Summit, confirmed that Europe continues on the wrong path. The 27 + 1 leaders acknowledged the complete failure of key policies regarding Syria and Turkey and kept making promises to Ukraine and Georgia they cannot honor. Unfortunately, Brussels refuses to learn the lessons still […]UN member states express their will to tackle global migration but specific actions are still missing
September 21, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Last Monday the world leaders convened at the UN’s summit in New York and adopted the New York Declaration for Migrants and Refugees; a document that contains commitments about dealing with the global issue of the large movements of refugees and migrants around the globe. All 193 countries have agreed to share global responsibility in order to […]Will Merkel ever steer the EU migration Titanic and restore her power in Germany?
September 7, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Angela Merkel’s meeting with Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the sidelines of the 11th G20 Summit held in China on 4-5 September was crucial for her political future. The German Chancellor and her party seem to be losing ground, particularly in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania due to their migration policies. The Christian Democratic Union of Germany lost 4 […]Is it just visa-free travel that Erdogan demands from the EU to not break the migration deal?
August 18, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Last Monday Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkey’s Foreign Minister, mentioned in the German newspaper Bild that Turkey is most likely to step out of the refugee deal signed with the EU last March unless the latter provides to the Turks visa-free travel to the bloc in October. These comments come only a few days after the Turkish […]
