If France and Germany managed to get along, Europe would look very different—and so would the Western Balkans. This is not a good time for countries in the Western Balkans. Or for supporters of “more Europe” in general. Both have become unwitting victims of a messy falling-out between French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor…
GERMANY is in the midst of an economic crisis that is now bleeding into the EU in the months before Brexit. 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…
EMMANUEL MACRON’s attempts to build an ever-closer European Union with a common EU army could fail due to concerns France has sparked among smaller countries, security expert Alexandre Vautravers has said. 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…
URSULA von der Leyen today set out her plans for a united states of Europe in one final effort to convince MEPs to support her bid for the European Commission presidency. Ms von der Leyen, a German defense minister, told MEPs she is ready to “fight” for Europe after becoming the first woman nominated to…
Germany’s Ursula von der Leyen has been narrowly elected president of the EU Commission following a secret ballot among MEPs. 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…
Christine Lagarde has been proposed for the presidency of the European Central Bank ( AFP/Getty Images ) European Union leaders have agreed on who should next fill the bloc’s top positions following a marathon summit. European Council President Donald Tusk announced the news Tuesday after hours of talks that exposed deepening divisions among member states. “The…
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…
Germany and the Netherlands come together to build TEN (Tactical Edge Networking). German minister of defense Ursula von der Leyen and Dutch minister of defense Ank Bijleveld sign the TEN collaboration agreement. Image: Dutch MOD Government officials from Germany and the Netherlands have signed an agreement this week to build the first-ever joint military internet….
Many EU member states did not agree with her refugee policies, others criticized her austerity stance. Brussels now regards Angela Merkel’s step-by-step withdrawal as a chance for new beginnings, says DW’s Bernd Riegert. For many observers in Brussels, the twilight of Angela Merkel’s chancellorship in Berlin, which has now begun with her decision not to run again for…
While both governing parties supported the idea, the SPD said that citizenship must be given to new soldiers to avoid the risk of it becoming a mercenary army. Germany’s long-understaffed army has a new plan to boost recruitment: allowing foreigners from other European Union countries to serve in the unified armed forces (Bundeswehr). The defense…