Latest Ursula Von Der Leyen News

EU lawmakers grill candidates who will drive policy for the next 5 years

Nov. 04, 2024 11:47 AM EST

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

Nov. 03, 2024 19:20 PM EST

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

Nov. 03, 2024 02:11 AM EST

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

Oct. 30, 2024 07:45 AM EDT

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...

EU leader denounces Russia's 'hybrid war' aiming to destabilize Western Balkan democracies

Oct. 26, 2024 09:32 AM EDT

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday denounced Russia's hybrid attacks against democracies, saying the European Union is fighting daily to debunk misinformation. Von der Leyen was in Kosovo as part of a trip this week to aspiring EU...

EU leader praises Serbia for its advances in EU membership bid despite growing Russian influence

Oct. 25, 2024 12:26 PM EDT

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday praised the Serbian president for meeting her and other European Union leaders instead of attending a Russia-organized summit of developing economies held earlier this week. Serbia has close ties...

Hungary's Orbán claims Poland's center-right government was installed by the EU

Oct. 25, 2024 07:13 AM EDT

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán suggested on Friday that Poland's government and its prime minister, Donald Tusk, were installed by the European Union as part of a plot to remove the country's previous right-wing populist leadership. Orbán provided...

EU Commission chief urges North Macedonia's political parties to cooperate on accession push

Oct. 24, 2024 12:12 PM EDT

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised North Macedonia’s reform efforts Thursday, but stressed the need for progress on constitutional changes if the country was to make progress with its bid to join the EU. North Macedonia's...

EU stays on the sidelines over migrant deal between Italy and Albania

Oct. 23, 2024 14:18 PM EDT

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — A top European Union official on Wednesday refused to be drawn on an opinion of an agreement between Italy and Albania to process some migrants in centers set up in the tiny Western Balkan country, saying only that it was being closely monitored. European...

European Commission chief assures Western Balkans of the bloc's enlargement progress

Oct. 23, 2024 12:21 PM EDT

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen began a tour of the Western Balkan countries on Wednesday, assuring them that the enlargement of the trade bloc remained one of its priorities. The Western Balkans countrie s — Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo,...