Latest Ursula Von Der Leyen News
EU lawmakers seal a deal to rubber-stamp one of the bloc's most right-leaning executives
BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union lawmakers on Wednesday ended a week of bickering to rubber-stamp a new team of policy commissioners that will head one of the most rightward-leaning executive branches ever chosen in the bloc for the next five years. The main centrist pro-European...
Russia's Gazprom stops the flow of natural gas to Austria, OMV utility says
VIENNA (AP) — Russia’s state-owned natural gas company Gazprom stopped supplies to Austria early Saturday, according to the Vienna-based utility OMV, after OMV said it would stop payments for the gas following an arbitration award. The official cutoff of supplies before dawn...
EU top jobs hearings stalled by political infighting over hard right alliances
BRUSSELS (AP) — The process of vetting candidates for some of the European Union’s most important jobs bogged down in acrimony on Wednesday as the biggest political faction in the bloc’s parliament was accused of collaborating with the hard right. Since Nov. 4, senior lawmakers...
French farmers protest EU-Mercosur deal that will increase South American imports
PARIS (AP) — French farmers protested Tuesday against a trade deal that would increase agricultural imports from South America, saying it hurt their livelihoods. The European Union and the Mercosur trade bloc, composed of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia, reached...
Israeli soccer fans were attacked in Amsterdam. The violence was condemned as antisemitic
AMSTERDAM (AP) — Israeli fans were assaulted after a soccer game in Amsterdam by hordes of young people apparently riled up by calls on social media to target Jewish people, Dutch authorities said Friday. Five people were treated at hospitals and dozens were arrested after the attacks, which were...
European summit will focus on how to accommodate Trump during his second term as president
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Dozens of European leaders will be assessing a new global outlook on Thursday, during a one-day summit bound to center on the concerns of many and the jubilation of a few in the wake of the election of Donald Trump as the next U.S. president that could have far-reaching...
EU lawmakers grill candidates who will drive policy for the next 5 years
BRUSSELS (AP) — Nominees for some of the European Union’s top jobs faced parliamentary hearings on Monday, as lawmakers start to vet would-be commissioners to oversee Europe-wide policies ranging from agriculture to trade for the next five years. Four of the 26 new members of the...
Moldova’s pro-Western president wins 2nd term in runoff overshadowed by Russian meddling claims
CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — Moldova’s pro-Western President Maia Sandu has won a second term in a pivotal presidential runoff against a Russia-friendly opponent, in a race that was overshadowed by claims of Russian interference, voter fraud, and intimidation in the European Union candidate...
Lawmakers are vetting the EU chief's new team. It might be tough but she has the right on her side
BRUSSELS (AP) — Five months after the European Union lurched to the political right, the influence of nationalist and populist parties will go on public display in Brussels on Monday when lawmakers vet the proposed new members of the EU’s increasingly powerful executive branch. ...
Greece seeks tougher EU migration policies as it braces for impact of Mideast wars
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece is seeking stricter European Union migration policies as it braces for a potential surge in migrants and refugees due to ongoing war in the Middle East, a senior government official said Wednesday. Migration Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos said the...