Afghan migrants rest while they wait for transport by smugglers after crossing the Iran-Turkish border | Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images

The mere prospect of Afghan migrants heading to Europe’s shores is forcing the Continent to confront its Achilles’ heel: It has never settled a bitter dispute over how to handle asylum seekers.

Six years ago, the European Union descended into in-fighting as it struggled to process asylum seekers fleeing war-torn Syria. Over 1 million refugees and migrants crossed the sea to reach Europe in 2015.

Officials vowed to reform, to create a system that would process and distribute asylum seekers efficiently across the Continent. Next time, they wanted to be prepared.

That never happened.

Now, as Taliban militants seize control in Afghanistan, that failure is looming over European leaders. And it’s led to officials and diplomats floating disparate ideas for how to handle an expected increase in Afghan asylum seekers.

The proposals are as varied as they are piecemeal — build border fencing, fund refugee resettlement in non-EU countries like Turkey and Pakistan, offer immediate but temporary EU protection to Afghans.

In some instances, countries have moved ahead unilaterally. Greece has already installed 40 kilometers of fencing and surveillance along its border.

Greece has increased its ability to track and limit migrant crossings | Byron Smith/Getty Images

EU ambassadors are also expected to meet this week to discuss a collective approach, according to a diplomat. On Saturday, EU leaders offered a preview of their own plan — a mixture of funding for member countries that resettle refugees and partnerships with outside nations.

The throughline, though, is that migration has, once again, seized the EU. And human rights workers warn that the focus could actually harm the bloc. For starters, officials working on migration say the majority of fleeing Afghans will likely stay in neighboring countries, not come to the EU. Additionally, NGOs argue that framing the Afghan crisis as a migration problem will give an advantage to neighboring countries — including Turkey, Belarus and Morocco — that use migrants as leverage or blackmail with the EU, not to mention the far-right political parties within the bloc itself.

“It’s almost playing into the hands of the far right to look at this crisis through that lens,” said Imogen Sudbery, executive director of policy and advocacy for Europe for the International Rescue Committee, an NGO that has worked in Afghanistan since 1988.

An intractable subject

Since 2015, EU countries have repeatedly tried — and failed — to set up a system to evenly redistribute asylum seekers who arrive in the EU.

Last year, the European Commission offered a new redistribution proposal, but there’s little optimism it will advance any time soon.

Instead, the bloc has often outsourced the asylum process to countries beyond its borders. In 2016, amid the Syrian refugee surge, the EU struck a deal with Turkey, under which Ankara pledged to work to stop migrants crossing the Aegean for Greece in exchange for the EU funding several billion euros worth of aid projects in Turkey.

On Friday, rumors started circulating of another incipient EU deal with Turkey. While Turkey doesn’t share a direct border with Afghanistan, diplomats have discussed the possibility that it could play a role in hosting Afghan refugees.

A Turkish official denied the rumors: “There’s no deal between Turkey and the EU on Afghan refugees.”

Migrants from Afghanistan wash themselves on the roadside on the outskirts of Tatvan City, Turkey | Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Still, a second EU diplomat said he expects high-level discussions on the issue between the two sides in the coming days. And sure enough, European Council President Charles Michel tweeted on Sunday that he had discussed the matter with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Turkey isn’t the only country expected to play a role, however. On Friday, Filippo Grandi, the U.N. high commissioner for refugees, predicted that “any exodus” of Afghan refugees would likely go to the country’s immediate neighbors, including Pakistan, Iran and Tajikistan. He emphasized the need for humanitarian aid to go to these places if the global community wants to keep Afghan refugees closer to home.

“If the aid to these countries were not consistent, then there would be a strong risk that the movements would continue towards Europe,” he said.

EU leaders spoke directly to such partnerships during a Saturday appearance at a Spanish facility hosting evacuated Afghans who had worked for the EU. Michel called migration a “thorny” topic in the EU and pointed to the possibility of working with non-EU countries on the matter. And Commission President Ursula von der Leyen vowed to raise a global refugee resettlement program at an upcoming gathering of leaders of the G7 group of wealthy nations.

Von der Leyen also said the EU would boost humanitarian aid for Afghanistan above the current €57 million earmarked for 2021. Working in Afghanistan itself poses considerable challenges, of course. EU leaders have stressed that any humanitarian assistance can’t go through the local authorities.

“One option could be to see whether the Taliban can help, but that’s hard to believe,” the second diplomat said.

Build that wall?

Despite long-standing protestations from some EU leaders, fencing has started cropping up along some of the EU’s border states — and some diplomats are discussing whether walling people out should become a more common approach.

The prospect is a touchy one for the EU.

When Hungary built a barrier in 2015 along its border with Serbia and Croatia, the structure quickly became a symbol of a populist shortcut for a multifaceted problem like migration. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, Donald Trump was vowing to build a border wall as an insurgent candidate for U.S. president.

At the time, then-Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker admonished the Hungarian move, saying “walls and fences have no place in an EU member state.”

That reluctance seems to have slowly eroded over time — as long as EU money is not involved.

The Commission didn’t criticize Lithuania when it recently announced a border fence to prevent neighboring Belarus, run by the autocratic Alexander Lukashenko, from intentionally sending migrants across the border. In fact, a Commission spokesperson said, “in the situation that Lithuania faces, such a barrier could indeed be a good idea,” while clarifying that EU money wouldn’t finance “fences as such.”

Migrants are seen through a fence at a camp near the border town of Kapciamiestis, Lithuania | Petras Malukas/AFP via Getty Images

Now Greece has turned its fence-building efforts toward Afghan migrants.

On Friday, Greek Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis visited the country’s border with Turkey and vowed to keep the dividing line “secure and impenetrable.” He said Greece would move before the EU acted.

“We, as a European country, participate in the institutions of the European Union,” he said. “However, as a country, we cannot wait idly for the possible consequences.”

Observers point to a key moment that occurred last year in March, when von der Leyen, newly installed as Commission president, went to Greece. While there, she thanked the country “for being our European shield in these times.”

Immediate protection — for now

There is also a push within the EU to help Afghans actually come to Europe, swiftly and legally.

In recent days, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson has called on member states “to increase resettlement quotas” for Afghans. And von der Leyen echoed that call on Saturday, describing it as “our duty” to resettle Afghan migrants. She offered “the necessary budget means” for EU countries that “step up and help resettle refugees.”

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has floated an even more ambitious idea.

During an appearance before the European Parliament on Thursday, Borrell, a socialist, mentioned the possibility of invoking a never-before-used EU clause known as the Temporary Protection directive.

The measure, introduced in 2001 following the refugee crisis in Kosovo, offers instant protection to a refugee category and allows EU countries to redistribute those refugees on a voluntary basis. And unlike many EU initiatives, the directive does not require unanimity. The Council, which comprises the 27 member states, can trigger it with just a majority vote after the Commission proposes it.

“This might be the occasion to use it,” Borrell said Thursday.

Yet EU officials are skeptical. They stressed that the directive was floated during the Arab Spring uprisings 10 years ago and failed to gain enough support among EU member states.

“We should work on it now,” urged one official, saying public opinion might be in favor this time.

“But,” he added, “I’m afraid it is a very limited window of opportunity.”

Nektaria Stamouli contributed reporting.

Source: https://www.politico.eu/article/afghanistan-migrants-europe-no-eu-refugee-plan/

The post Afghan takeover reminds Europe: It has no unified refugee plan first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The post Trump claims the EU has ‘no choice’ but to agree a new trade deal first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Boris Johnson has accepted that he has until the end of the week to save his Brexit plan, it is understood.

French President Emmanuel Macron told the prime minister on Sunday that the EU will decide within days whether an agreement is possible, as it will need to be signed off by leaders at next week’s European Council summit.

Responding, a senior government source said on Monday: “Everyone understands that we need to know by the end of this week where this is heading.

“It is understood by all sides what the time pressures are.”

It came as Dutch foreign minister Stef Blok called for “more realism and clarity” from the UK after a meeting with Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay.

But Britain made clear it would refuse any demands to compromise on its customs proposals for Northern Ireland, one of the key issues standing in the way of a deal.

Under the so-called “two borders, four years” scheme put forward by Johnson, Northern Ireland would leave the European customs territory along with the rest of the UK, requiring some checks on goods leaving and entering the six counties.

When asked whether the UK would compromise and allow Northern Ireland to remain in the same customs territory as Ireland and the EU in order to get a deal, Number 10 ruled it out.

The PM’s spokesman said: “The prime minister set out in his letter on Wednesday to Jean-Claude Juncker that we believed this provided a broad landing zone and that we were willing to engage in further discussions of our proposals.

“But if your question is are we prepared for Northern Ireland to be in a different customs union territory to the United Kingdom, the answer is a very firm no.”

Johnson was continuing his round of telephone diplomacy on Monday, holding talks with the leaders of Sweden, Denmark, and Poland.

There are currently no plans for the PM to travel to Europe to meet other leaders, although face-to-face talks with Leo Varadkar may be in the offing later this week.

On a visit to Watford General Hospital, Johnson urged the EU to make concessions.

PA WIRE/PA IMAGES

---

“We’ve gone a long way. We’re talking about keeping Northern Ireland in alignment with Ireland by consent, whether over agri-foods or over industrial products and standards,” the PM said.

“Now that’s a big concession by the UK. The issue is what is the EU’s objections to that? What’re their suggestions? Where are they coming from? We haven’t really heard the detail from them about what they think the problems are.

“It’s time for us to get together and really thrash this thing out. And I think we can.”

---

RELATED…

• Court Rules Judges Cannot Force Boris Johnson To Request Brexit Delay
• Brexit Has Left EU Citizens Dealing With The Same Mental Health Symptoms As Refugees, Psychotherapist Claims
• Boris Johnson Tells Emmanuel Macron There Will Be No Brexit Delay – Despite Legislation To Block No-Deal Exit||

---

Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/boris-johnson-accepts-emmanuel-macrons-deadline-for-a-brexit-deal_uk_5d9b275fe4b0fc935edd94f9

[Disclaimer]

The post Boris Johnson Accepts Emmanuel Macron’s Deadline For A Brexit Deal first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker listens Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019 in Strasbourg, eastern France, as members of the European Parliament discuss the current state of play of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The post EU’s Juncker: Irish Border Controls Needed in No-Deal Brexit first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

“I’m convinced that Brexit will happen,” he told Sky News in an interview last week, before he had seen the ideas Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government sent to Brussels to try to push Brexit talks forward.

Asked whether there would be a new border between the British province of Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland if there was a no-deal Brexit, Juncker said: “Yes … We have to make sure that the interests of the European Union and of the internal market will be preserved.” (Reporting by Elizabeth Piper and William James; Editing by Dale Hudson)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Source: http://news.trust.org/item/20190922072927-0if8b

The post EU’s Juncker says he is convinced Brexit will happen – Sky first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

German news site Der Tagesspiegel warned several hard-hiring factors are playing a part in Berlin dragging down the rest of the EU by weakening the Eurozone. Examples of these are the bitter trade spat between the US and China in which Germany is also now embroiled in as well as engineering companies in Berlin which have received nine percent fewer orders than in the previous year. US President Donald Trump’s further protectionism of the US economy and tariffs on EU products of which the majority spawn from Germany, is causing a mass economic slowdown, as well as the effects of Brexit and talks of a no-deal.

Added to that, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has ruffled feathers by demanding other EU states first introduce structural reforms for the euro area fiscal policy.

Daniel Gros, director of the Brussels think tank Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) said: “This tension seems to dissipate.”

Mrs. Merkel’s orders have specifically affected her relationship with French President Emmanuel Macron, who according to the publication is watching the demise of Germany’s economy like a hawk.

The young Frenchman, who earlier this year battled Mrs. Merkel for Jean-Claude Juncker’s role before it was offered to Ursula von der Leyen, eve made a prediction the Chancellor’s economic model for the power state would soon fail.

Germany is in the midst of an economic crisis that is now bleeding into the EU (Image: GETTY)

Mrs. Merkel’s health has also suffered (Image: GETTY)

In spring, he said Germany had reached “the end of a growth model” that had “profited greatly from the imbalances in the eurozone”.

Economist Rémi Bourgeot from the Paris Institute for International and Strategic Relations (IRIS) told TV broadcaster BFM-TV the German export model has so far had a detrimental effect to neighboring nations.

He said: “With the economic downturn of recent months, it has also become a disadvantage for Germany itself.”

Though other countries such as the Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary remain unaffected by Mrs. Merkel’s choices.

The young Frenchman earlier this year battled Mrs. Merkel for Jean-Claude Juncker’s role (Image: GETTY)

This, the publication reports, is down to their eastern European positioning in the EU.

Today, it emerged Germany is on the bank of recession – despite having fight one off at the start of the year.

Mrs. Merkel is facing a stalling German economy which could leave her struggling against a potentially destabilizing no-deal Brexit.

The bloc has recently taken a hard stance against Boris Johnson, as the new Prime Minister prepares to exit the bloc without a deal.

The trade war between the US and China has also affected Germany (Image: GETTY)

Mr. Johnson has drafted a team of specialists to negotiate a potentially fraught exit (Image: GETTY)

Mr. Johnson has drafted a team of specialists to negotiate a potentially fraught exit from the EU by October 31, which has struck fear into the hearts of business leaders and politicians.

Should a no-deal Brexit come to fruition, Angela Merkel could be left in a desperate situation, as the German economy is trending towards a technical recession.

According to industry analysts, the German economy suffered a slow July, as expansion in the country faltered alongside a decline in business optimism.

Global researchers with IHS Markit noted German economic expansion of 54.5 percent in July, down 0.9 percent from the preliminary 55.4 percent predictions.

Source: https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1162466/germany-economy-crash-angela-merkel-eurozone-US-trump-china-trade-brexit-macron

The post Merkel crisis: Germany recession threat bleeds into EU economy – shock warning first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Emmanuel Macron has been one of the most outspoken proponents of a European Union-wide army to help the bloc stop relying on military support from the United States. But security expert Alexandre Vautravers has warned the French president his eagerness could actually backfire as smaller EU countries are growing “concerned” about the implications of such a project. Speaking to France 24, Mr. Vautravers said: “European countries, perhaps some of the smaller countries, are concerned with the fact that France – which has been an extremely interventionist country throughout the world – would be placed essentially at the helm of such a foreign policy of defense and security.

“There are many neutral countries within the European Union – how would this affect their constitution? Another problematic is nuclear weapons.”

At least five countries in the EU – namely Austria, Malta, Ireland, Finland, and Sweden – have repeatedly claimed they remain “militarily non-aligned” despite Brussels increasing efforts to establish a common military response force.

Mr Vautravers continued: “The previous initiative by President Macron has been to tie, link closer, the French with the German seat at the UN Security Council, or having the possibility to share it, and this was linked to the possibility of sharing strategic forces which means nuclear deterrence capabilities that are in the hands of France.

“That would technically constitute a violation of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.”

Macron has been warned his plans for a EU Army have sparked “concerns” (Image: FRANCE 24•GETTY)

Macron has long been calling for a united military front in Europe (Image: GETTY)

The security expert added: “A number of countries are very concerned because it’s not clear what this initiative is going to look like in one year’s time or five year’s time.”

Mr. Macron last year claimed the EU would not be “protected” until all European Union members states agreed to the need for a “real European army”.

Speaking to Europe 1 to defend his support for the EU Army project, the French President said in November: “I believe in a project of a sovereign Europe, a powerful Europe.

“We won’t protect Europeans if we don’t settle on having a real European Army.”

Macron had previously attempted to secure the support of Germany at the UN (Image: GETTY)

Despite the concern Mr. Vautravers highlighted, it has been suggested the Ursula von Der Leyen, currently, Germany’s Defence Minister and a top candidate to take over the European Commission leadership at the end of Jean-Claude Juncker‘s term, could turn out to be a powerful ally to Mr. Macron.

Brexit Party MEP Michael Heaver told podcast Brexbox: “I do think it’s significant the fact that she’s the German Defence Minister. I think that shows clearly, and we’ve heard it from Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel: a full EU army; that’s what they’re focusing on.

“And that’s, I think, why they’re trying to bring her in.”

Ms von der Leyen has expressed her support for strengthening military cooperation across the EU but also insisted a European force would not compete with NATO.

DON’T MISS:

What ails Germany is bad news for its friends and allies [COMMENT] Macron booed by a furious crowd demanding he resigns at Bastille Day parade [VIDEO] Even Germans are angry with Juncker’s (German) replacement [POLL]

Source: https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1153562/Macron-European-Union-army-eu-military-defence-Ursula-von-der-Leyen-germany-latest

The post Emmanuel Macron’s EU army plans dealt huge blow – ‘Countries are concerned’ first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Ms von der Leyen, a German defense minister, told MEPs she is ready to “fight” for Europe after becoming the first woman nominated to lead the Commission.

She told MEPs, in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, that the EU must take “bold steps together” in order to fight climate change, authoritarian regimes, and protectionism.

The 60-year-old added: “The founding fathers and mothers of Europe from ruins and ashes of the world war created a fantastic new world of peace with a stronger common market.

“Today is is clear we are going to have to fight, rise up for this Europe of ours, the whole world is called up upon.”

Wanting to display her pro-Brussels attitude, she claimed she knew she was a European citizen before understanding she was German.

Ms von der Leyen called for a renewed “unity” among EU countries in order to bring the bloc back to life under her leadership.

She warned that some member states are turning to authoritarian regimes and protectionism as an answer to the EU’s problems.

“We must first rediscover our unity, if we are united on the inside nobody will divide us from the outside,” she said.

“If we close the gaps between us, we can turn tomorrow’s challenges into tomorrow’s opportunities.”

Ursula von der Leyen enters the European Parliament in Strasbourg (Image: EbS)

The Commission president-in-waiting requires the support of at least 376 MEPs, so set about trying to please individual political blocs in the Parliament.

She pledged to make the EU climate neutral by 2050 in a bid to secure the backing of the European Greens and to finalize the so-called “monetary union” in order to please those wanting for fiscal powers in Brussels.

In a bid to win the socialist vote, she offered a Europe-wide unemployment benefit to protect the EU’s citizens against the next economic “shock” to the bloc.

As the first female European Commission president, Ms von der Leyen vowed to make gender equality mandatory across the EU’s other top jobs.

She said she would force member states to propose more women as members of her team of European commissioners.

Ms von der Leyen said: “I will ensure full gender equality in my college of commissioners.

“If member states do not propose enough female commissioners I will not hesitate to ask for new names.”

The German, who supports a united states of Europe, is also seeking to introduce a “common migration pact”, in a bid to protect the EU’s external borders.

She vowed to fast-track Jean-Claude Juncker’s pledge to introduce 10,000 new border guards, introducing the extra staff by 2024.

At Brexit Party MEPs jeered, Ms von der Leyen said she was prepared to delay Brexit if Britain’s next prime minister has a “good reason”.

“For the first time in 2016, a member state decided to leave the European Union,” she said.

“This is a serious decision, we regret it but respect it.”

She added: “I stand ready for further extension of the withdrawal date should more time be required for a good reason.”

Ms von der Leyen promised to protect peace and stability on the island of Ireland by supporting the hated Nothern Ireland backstop.

At the end of her speech, she proclaimed: “Long live Europe.”

Source: https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1153845/EU-news-Ursula-von-der-Leyen-European-Commission-president-Parliament-live

The post Ursula von der Leyen unveils plot for united states of Europe in bid to rule EU first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The center-right defense minister will replace Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on 1 November.

She secured the backing of more than half of the members of the European Parliament on Tuesday evening.

The Commission drafts EU laws enforces EU rules and has the power to impose fines on member states if necessary.

“The trust you placed in me is the confidence you placed in Europe,” Mrs von der Leyen, who is the first woman to be elected president of the European Commission, said in a speech immediately after the vote.

“Your confidence in a united and strong Europe, from east to west, from south to north.”

“It is a big responsibility and my work starts now,” she added. “Let us work together constructively.”

• EU Commission: What is it and what does it do?
• Merkel ally chosen for EU top job

She was confirmed by a margin of 383 votes to 327. She needed the backing of 374 out of 747 MEPs to win.

A total of 751 MEPs were elected in May, but four were absent for Tuesday’s vote.

Born in Brussels, Mrs von der Leyen has seven children and trained as a gynecologist before entering politics.

The 60-year-old defense minister has been criticized in Germany over the armed forces’ persistent equipment shortages and what some consider to be her aloof management style.

She has promised to push for the EU to play a bigger role in social welfare, to tackle poverty, and has stressed that she would stand up for women’s rights.

She has also pledged in the past to allow a further extension of the UK’s withdrawal date from the EU “should more time be required for a good reason”.

In a speech in the European parliament earlier on Tuesday, Mrs von der Leyen made some other significant pledges:

• She would push to give the European Parliament “the right of initiative” – meaning the Commission would have to legislate on MEPs’ resolutions; currently, only the Commission can draft laws
• On irregular migration to the EU, she said she would boost the EU’s border force Frontex to 10,000 staff by 2024, but said “we need to preserve the right to asylum through humanitarian corridors”
• She offered an EU “reinsurance scheme” to bolster national insurance schemes for the unemployed.

Narrow victory could cause problems

Analysis by Damian Grammaticas, Europe Correspondent, BBC News

European leaders will be breathing a sigh of relief.

It took days of fraught negotiations and a difficult compromise among EU countries to nominate Mrs von der Leyen, a German conservative and close ally of Angela Merkel.

She scraped through with 383 votes, just nine more than the minimum. That may leave her in a weakened position, as it seems she was helped over the line by votes from Eurosceptic and right-wing MEPs in Poland and Italy.

Greens, on the other hand, did not vote for her. They said her commitments on climate change and saving the lives of refugees trying to cross the Mediterranean were too weak. Socialists, too, were angered that their preferred candidate was overlooked by EU leaders.

So what does all this division mean? For a start, the European Commission Mrs von der Leyen will lead from November may have problems passing legislation through the parliament.

What is the reaction?

Figures from across the bloc have been quick to congratulate Mrs von der Leyen on her election victory.

“This job is a huge responsibility and a challenge. I am sure you will make a great president,” outgoing Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker wrote on Twitter.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel paid tribute to her outgoing defense minister, who she described as a “committed and convincing European”.

“Even if I lose a long-standing minister today, I win a new partner in Brussels,” she said in a statement. “I am therefore looking forward to good co-operation.”

“About time we get a woman in that important position,” Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said in a tweet. “Time to continue work on the crucial issues: jobs, climate change, migration and security in Europe.”

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez offered his congratulations and said: “Europe has to move forward. In this we have to work together, addressing the changes that the common project needs.”

Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, tweeted a simple message:

Belgium’s leader – and incoming head of the European Council – Charles Michel said: “I wish to congratulate [Mrs von der Leyen]. Let’s work together in the interest of all Europeans.”

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-49010801

The post Von der Leyen elected EU Commission head after MEPs vote first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

The European Union’s leaders have thrown their weight behind German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen to become the new president of the European Commission, a development that came after a marathon of contentious talks that saw Europe’s political heavyweights abandon the Spitzenkanindaten system that brought incumbent Commission head, Jean-Claude Juncker, to power in 2014.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel abstained from voting in order to avoid a political crisis. Her decision was influenced by the fact that the Social Democratic Party (SPD) of Germany is split over Merkel’s decision remain on the sidelines during the voting process.

The European Council elected outgoing Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel to take over for Donald Tusk.

Europe’s leaders also agreed to nominate International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde to become the next president of the European Central Bank and Josep Borrell Fontelles to be in charge of the bloc’s foreign policy.

Source: https://www.neweurope.eu/article/eu-leaders-back-germanys-von-der-leyen-to-be-new-commission-president/

The post EU heads back Germany’s von der Leyen to be new Commission president first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.