Germany’s Greens make Merz sweat over massive spending plan – POLITICO Europe
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Germany’s Greens make Merz sweat over massive spending plan POLITICO Europe
Europe Watch
Zelenskyy sees post-Trump polling bump. What about other world leaders? – National– globalnews.ca
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U.S. President Donald Trump’s attacks on world leaders have given many of them a boost in their approval ratings, as allies contend with what experts say is an “external threat” posed by the Trump administration.
Leaders who were suffering polling slumps in recent months and years — including outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his incumbent Liberal Party, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — have seen their popularity rebound since Trump returned to the White House in January, according to recent polls.
“Donald Trump is making other countries rally around their leaders in opposition,” said Matthew Lebo, a political science professor at Western University.
EU chief calls for defence ‘surge’, says ‘time of illusions’ over– www.channelnewsasia.com
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Stating that Russian President Vladimir Putin “cannot be trusted” but only “deterred”, von der Leyen noted that the Kremlin was spending more on its military “than all of Europe combined”.
“We all wish we could live in more peaceful times. But I am confident that, if we unleash our industrial power, we can restore deterrence against those who seek to do us harm,” she said.
“It is time to build a European Defence Union that ensures peace on our continent through unity and strength.”
The commission plan also allows member states to repurpose so-called “cohesion” funds intended for the development of poorer European countries and lifts curbs on defence investments by the bloc’s lending arm, the European Investment Bank.
Brussels ‘must take position’ on Romanian presidential election controversy one way or another, warns Slovak PM Fico– rmx.news
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The European Commission is under increasing pressure to address the unfolding political crisis in Romania after Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico called for clarity on the rejection of Calin Georgescu’s presidential candidacy.
Fico’s remarks, shared on social media, warn that the Commission’s silence would further undermine trust in the European Union.
Fico emphasized that the European Commission “must take a position” on the situation one way or another, asserting that either Georgescu, a nationalist and NATO-skeptic, is right, or the Romanian authorities’ decision to bar him from running is justified.
“The European Commission (EC) must take a position on the presidential elections in Romania — and take responsibility for it. If Mr. Georgescu is being wronged simply because he has a different opinion, he must be given European protection. If the EC is convinced that the Romanian authorities are doing the right thing, it must stand up for them. The only thing the EC cannot do is to remain silent,” Fico declared.
The controversy erupted after Romania’s Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) rejected Georgescu’s candidacy for the upcoming presidential elections on Sunday evening. The decision, taken with 10 votes in favor out of the 14-member committee, sparked protests in Bucharest, where demonstrators clashed with police, waving national flags and chanting slogans calling for “revolution.” Riot police used tear gas to disperse the crowd, and multiple arrests were made.
Chaos in Romania’s capital after far-right Calin Georgescu barred from presidential redo – The Washington Post
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Chaos broke out in Romania’s capital Sunday evening as incensed supporters of the far-right populist Calin Georgescu protested the electoral body’s decision to reject his candidacy in a presidential election redo. He won the first round of last year’s race before a top court annulled the election.
Press statement by President von der Leyen on the defence package – European Commission
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We are living in the most momentous and dangerous of times. I do not need to describe the grave nature of the threats that we face. Or the devastating consequences that we will have to endure if those threats would come to pass. Because the question is no longer whether Europe’s security is threatened in a very real way. Or whether Europe should shoulder more of the responsibility for its own security. In truth, we have long known the answers to those questions. The real question in front of us is whether Europe is prepared to act as decisively as the situation dictates. And whether Europe is ready and able to act with the speed and the ambition that is needed. In the various meetings in the last few weeks – most recently two days ago in London – the answer from European capitals has been as resounding as it is clear. We are in an era of rearmament. And Europe is ready to massively boost its defence spending. Both, to respond to the short-term urgency to act and to support Ukraine but also to address the long-term need to take on much more responsibility for our own European security.
This is why today I have written a letter to Leaders ahead of Thursday’s European Council. This is why we are here together today. And I have outlined in this letter to the leaders the ReArm Europe Plan. This set of proposals focuses on how to use all of the financial levers at our disposal – in order to help Member States to quickly and significantly increase expenditures in defence capabilities. Urgently now but also over a longer time over this decade. There are five parts to this.
Romania Expels Two Russian Diplomats After ‘Interference’ Claim– www.themoscowtimes.com
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Romania on Wednesday ordered two Russian diplomats expelled, after slamming Russian “interference” and criticism of an indictment of far-right presidential candidate Calin Georgescu.
Russia’s military attache and his deputy in Bucharest were declared “persona non grata” by Foreign Ministry of Romania, which is a NATO member country.
It said the two carried out activities contravening the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations, without giving details.
Local media reported that the deputy attache’s name appeared in an investigation into Georgescu. Allegedly, one of Georgescu’s associates telephoned the Russian embassy, seeking to contact the deputy.
Russian Lawmakers Pass Local Government Reform Bill Designed to Further Strengthen Kremlin Control– www.themoscowtimes.com
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Russia’s State Duma passed a bill Wednesday overhauling the country’s constitutionally mandated two-tier system of local self-government, further consolidating the Kremlin’s control six years after President Vladimir Putin proposed the reforms.
The bill, which has been amended over 1,000 times since its introduction in 2021, allows regional authorities to decide whether to abolish lower-tier urban and rural municipal governments, shifting toward a single-tier system.
One of the bill’s co-authors said that more than half of Russia’s regions, as well as four partially occupied Ukrainian regions and annexed Crimea, have already adopted or plan to adopt the new system.
The remaining regions — primarily ethnic republics — are expected to either retain the two-tier system or partially transition to the new model.
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EU Parliament wants to deprive Hungary of voting rights – Politico – RBC-Ukraine
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MEPs from the Volt party are calling for Hungary’s voting rights in the EU to be revoked because it blocks joint decisions. They will send a corresponding plan to European leaders, Politico reports.
According to the agency, their plan consists of 9 points. The document, in addition to calling for the deprivation of Hungary’s voting rights, proposes to appoint the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, as a full-fledged EU Foreign Minister.
The authors of the text also seek to create a common European army and to ensure that EU treaties can be revised to include new defense competencies and prepare for enlargement.
Trump’s lack of faith in NATO stokes concern for America’s continued commitment to the 75-year-old alliance– www.washingtonexaminer.com
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TRUMP ‘NOT SO SURE’ NATO WOULD PROTECT US: In his ongoing like-hate relationship with NATO, President Donald Trump fired off another series of brickbats Thursday, casting doubt on the trans-Atlantic alliance’s core commitment, namely that an attack on one is an attack on all.
“The biggest problem I have with NATO,” Trump said during another executive order signing press event, “[is] if the United States was in trouble and we called them, we said, ‘We got a problem. France, we got a problem.’ A couple of others I won’t mention. Do you think they’re going to come and protect us? They’re supposed to. I’m not so sure.”
The offhand comment reflects Trump’s long-standing disdain for the most successful military alliance in history, which he continues to see as a group of freeloading nations, failing to pay their fair share of defense costs. “It’s very unfair what’s been happening. Until I came along, we were paying close to 100% of NATO,” Trump said, repeating one of the many claims he makes about NATO that can easily be proven false.
German parties agree historic debt overhaul to revamp military and economy – Reuters
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The parties hoping to form Germany’s next government on Tuesday agreed to create a 500 billion euro infrastructure fund and overhaul borrowing rules in a tectonic spending shift to revamp the military and revive growth in Europe’s largest economy.Friedrich Merz’s conservatives and the Social Democrats (SPD), who are in negotiations to form a coalition after a national election last month, will put their proposals to the German parliament next week.Germany’s likely next chancellor, Merz, has seized the moment after the return of Donald Trump to the White House put the transatlantic alliance in turmoil and underlined the urgency for Europe to strengthen its own defences.Trump froze military aid to Ukraine after a bitter clash last week with its President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, reinforcing fears he could strike a deal with Russia to end the war in Ukraine while disengaging from Europe.Economists and investors have urged Germany to reform its constitutionally enshrined state borrowing limits – known as the “debt brake” – in order to free up investment and support an economy that has contracted for the past two years.
Starmer praises sacrifice of British troops in Afghanistan and Iraq in oblique rebuke to Vance– abcnews.go.com
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LONDON — U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday praised the hundreds of British troops who died fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq “alongside our allies,” in an oblique rebuke of U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who has questioned the merits of a potential European peacekeeping force in Ukraine following the signing of any peace agreement between the country and Russia.
In his opening remarks before the start of a weekly parliamentary question session, Starmer specifically paid tribute to six British soldiers who died on patrol in Afghanistan when their vehicle was struck by an explosive. Thursday marks the 13-year anniversary of their deaths.
“These men fought and died for their country, our country,” Starmer told the House of Commons. “And across the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, 642 individuals died fighting for Britain alongside our allies, many more were wounded.”
Without directly referencing Vance, the prime minister said he and all lawmakers will “never forget their bravery and their sacrifice.”
EU leaders open emergency talks on defense and Ukraine aid as US support wanes– abcnews.go.com
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BRUSSELS — Facing the possibility of a fundamental disengagement under U.S. President Donald Trump, European Union leaders opened a day of emergency summit talks Thursday to beef up their own military defenses and make sure that Ukraine will still be properly protected by its allies….
It all underscored the sea change that has happened in the two months since Trump took office and immediately started questioning the cornerstones of cooperation between the United States and Europe which had been the bedrock of Western security since World War II.
“Given these profound shifts in US policy, and the existential threat of another war on the continent, Europe, must manage its essential defence tasks,” the European Policy Center think tank said in a commentary.
The bloc of 27 will “take decisive steps forward,” Macron told the French nation Wednesday evening. “Member states will be able to increase their military spending” and “massive joint funding will be provided to buy and produce some of the most innovative munitions, tanks, weapons and equipment in Europe.”
Adding to the ebullient message he said that “Europe’s future does not have to be decided in Washington or Moscow.”
Ukraine’s ambassador to the uk says the US is “destroying” world order– BBC
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The US is “destroying” the established world order, Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK has claimed.
Valerii Zaluzhnyi said the White House had “questioned the unity of the Western world” and was “taking more and more steps towards” Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The comments come as the US puts pressure on Ukraine to make concessions ahead of any peace talks, and after a public clash between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his US counterpart Donald Trump.
Zelensky has since said he is “ready to work” under Trump’s “strong leadership”, an apparent cooling in tensions welcomed by Trump – and which comes after the US paused military aid to Kyiv.
Elon Musk DEFENDS free speech for hundreds of Britons as it’s revealed he REFUSED to hand over account details to police amid Southport unrest – GB News
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Elon Musk’s social media platform refused to hand the account details of hundreds of British people to police during and after last summer’s unrest.
New figures published by X showed that Musk’s firm turned down over half of UK Government information requests in the second half of 2024, The Telegraph revealed on Friday.
X said it shared user information in 379 out of 806 cases, a disclosure rate of 47 per cent – significantly lower than those of other firms like Google, Meta, TikTok and LinkedIn.
Musk’s figures cover requests from police and other official bodies and can include data including email and internet addresses or even private messages.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance stood before world leaders in a Munich, Germany speech in which he challenged Europe’s resistance to free speech. He highlighted the arrest of a British citizen for silently praying outside an abortion clinic.
Vance stated, “I can tell you plainly: There can be no security if you are afraid of the voices, the opinions, and the conscience that guide your own people. What I worry about is the threat from within, the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values.”
JD Vance rebukes anti-free speech, anti-Christian discrimination in Munich speech – The Christian Post
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Delivering a speech in Germany, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance criticized European governments for suppressing free speech and discriminating against Christians. He urged leaders across Europe to reverse the ongoing crackdown on conservative voices and religious freedoms.
In his address at the Munich Security Conference in Munich on Friday, Vance noted that conservatives have been investigated, arrested, prosecuted or fined for protesting abortion and posting views on social media.
He also criticized attempts to exclude populist parties from political collaboration, saying they pose a threat to democracy.
Last month, the European Union introduced fresh measures to enforce the Digital Services Act, which limits American speech on social media platforms. While EU lawmakers claimed the initiative was to target “foreign interference” and “illegal content,” it raised concerns among free speech advocates in the U.S. The Act compels social media companies to remove “illegal content” or face penalties of up to 6% of their global annual turnover.
Paul Coleman, executive director of the legal advocacy group ADF International, warned at the time that a “new bipolar order of speech” was unfolding. “On the one hand, Europe is doubling down on censorship, while the U.S. is recommitting to its free speech heritage.”
“I can tell you plainly: There can be no security if you are afraid of the voices, the opinions, and the conscience that guide your own people,” Vance said in Munich. “What I worry about is the threat from within, the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values.”
European Leaders Call Emergency Meeting: “We Need To Respond” to President Trump– wltreport.com
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With all that is happening in Europe, you would think the need to buck against a legitimate push for peace might take a backseat to a few higher priorities.
But apparently President Trump’s big moves and bold tactics in addressing the war in Ukraine is ruffling a few feathers among the upper crust of Europe’s leaders.
Top administration officials from the United States are preparing to sit down with their Russian counterparts in a serious bid to stop the fighting.
But instead of getting behind President Trump’s push, European leaders seem more fixated on continuing the status-quo of the conflict.
Or, at best, they are intent on pushing their own plans for Ukraine simply because they don’t like President Trump’s big decisive methodology.
Germany rushes to be war ready as it warns: ‘We are no longer living in peacetime’ | World | News– www.express.co.uk
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While British Army numbers have been cut, Germany is going the other way with a large expansion of troops to defend the homeland in the event of a Russian invasion.
The so-called Heimatschutz will consist of six regiments, each containing around 6,000 to 8,000 personnel by 2026. Their training is robust, ranging from shooting and survival skills to a raft of scenarios involving conflict and natural disasters.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to a pledge by Chancellor Olaf Scholz to transform Germany’s Bundeswehr, or armed forces, which had been reduced by 40% after the Cold War.
According to German Chief of Defence General Carsten Breuer, Germany has “five to eight years” to prepare for a situation where “an attack against Nato territory might be possible”.
According to current figures, Germany has just over 179,000 troops in uniform. This gives Germany the sixth-largest armed forces in NATO, after the US, Turkey, Poland, France and the UK. But Germany is the EU’s most populous nation, boasting a population of 84.5 million. German chiefs know they can do better and plan to expand this to 203,000 by 2031.
Belgium moves to the right as new prime minister De Wever sworn in – Borneo Bulletin
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Conservative Bart De Wever was sworn in yesterday as Belgium’s new prime minister, after striking a hard-fought coalition deal that moves the country to the right.
Struck late Friday after seven months of tortuous negotiations, the agreement makes De Wever the first nationalist from Dutch-speaking Flanders to be named Belgian premier.
The 54-year-old – who in recent years has backed off on calls for Flanders to become an independent country – took the oath of office before King Philippe, in a ceremony at the royal palace in Brussels.
From there, he headed straight to a gathering of European Union (EU) leaders a few blocks away, for talks on defence and transatlantic relations.
Split between French- and Dutch-speaking communities and with a highly complex political system, Belgium has an unenviable record of painfully protracted coalition discussions – reaching 541 days back in 2010-2011.
EU to test social media safeguards ahead of German elections – Dig Watch Updates
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EU to test social media safeguards ahead of German elections Dig Watch Updates
Google reportedly rejects European Union fact-checking law – Fox Business
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Google has told the European Union (EU) it will not comply with its new fact-checking law, according to a new report saying the massive search engine will not incorporate the measures into its search function nor YouTube video results.
Axios pointed out that this is not a practice that Google has ever engaged in and reported that the company had previously signaled to the international body that it would unlikely be integrating its new fact-checking practices.
Fox News Digital could not immediately reach Google to confirm what steps it takes to ensure the most legitimate posts are found through its search engine, given previous concerns over the effects of disinformation campaigns.
German institutions depart X, a day after Musk’s Weidel talk – DW (English)
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German institutions depart X, a day after Musk’s Weidel talk DW (English)
The EU will be without cheap Russian gas following a decision by Ukraine to no longer allow Russia’s gas transferal to occur on Ukraine soil. President Volodymyr Zelensky called the decision “one of Moscow’s biggest defeats.” The “Brotherhood pipeline” shutdown will allegedly cause Russian gas giant Gazprom more than $6 billion yearly.
EU on brink of gas war after Ukraine cuts off Russia’s £5bn supply | World | News– www.express.co.uk
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Ukraine will no longer allow Russian gas to pass through en route to European neighbours in a move that will hurt both the Kremlin and EU states dependent on Putin’s energy supply.
On January 1, the 2019 deal, which saw gas transit through Ukraine to states like Slovakia and Austria, expired.
President Zelensky heralded the move as “one of Moscow’s biggest defeats”, while his energy minister branded it “historic”.
The closure of the Urengoy–Pomary–Uzhhorod, which is also known as the Brotherhood pipeline, will cost Russian gas company Gazprom around £5bn a year – a bitter blow for Putin’s creaking war economy.
However, it’s not just Russia that is reeling following the expiration of the gas deal. Several European states are heavily dependent on Russian gas transported through Ukraine.
Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, as well as Moldova, are reliant on the steady flow of energy through Ukraine. Now that that is no longer possible, the only route remaining into Europe from Russia is via the TurkStream pipeline and the BlueSteam pipeline, under the Black Sea.