Question of Afghan criminals causes rift within German government

posted in: Germany, News

Taliban advance won’t deter German government from trying to deport Afghan criminals. In a recent interview, Armin Laschet, the CDU and CSU’s joint candidate for chancellor, surprised many observers by saying that Afghan criminals should have their asylum status revoked … Read More

EU Leaders Urge ‘Rapid and Coordinated’ Response to Terror Attacks

French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Austria’s Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, left, speak via videoconference shown on a screen in the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium, Nov. 10, 2020. PARIS – After the recent terror attacks in France and Austria, European leaders held … Read More

France and Germany push for EU border reform

France and Germany are pushing to tighten European Union borders after suspected Islamist militants killed eight people in Paris, Nice, and Vienna within a month. The attacks have refocused the EU’s attention on religious extremism, which fell off the top … Read More

EU in Talks With Egypt for Help With Curbing Flow of Migrants

Refugees could be diverted to the North-African country in return for investments, financial incentives. Sebastian Kurz, the chancellor of Austria, visited Egypt’s president General Abdel Fattah Al Sisi in Cairo for talks last weekend. PHOTO:BARBARA GINDL/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES BRUSSELS—The European Union … Read More

Germany’s political crisis is about the future of Europe

posted in: Germany, News

Can you say “No” to a German chancellor when all she is asking you for is 14 days? There is one man who did. Horst Seehofer, interior minister and chairman of the Christian Social Union, the Bavarian sister party of … Read More

Remove Barriers to Membership Talks, Turkey Tells EU Before Summit

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, accompanied by Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Minister of European Union Affairs Omer Celik, speaks during a news conference at Ataturk International airport in Istanbul, Turkey March 26, 2018. Kayhan Ozer/Presidential Palace/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS … Read More

An Austrian Jewish leader worries Israel may be embracing the far right

posted in: Israel, News

Netanyahu’s ‘realpolitik’ weakens European Jewry, Ariel Muzicant argues, vowing to fight any attempt by Jerusalem to normalize ties with Freedom Party. Austrian Jews are worried Israel may warm up to the country’s far-right Freedom Party, a prominent local community leader … Read More

Merkel refugee plan upsets many

German Chancellor Angela Merkel came to Brussels armed with a fresh demand that eastern European Union countries accept refugees and ended up sparking criticism from western allies in the bloc. At her first EU summit since striking a German coalition … Read More