TAG: Enlargement

2023: The year in figures and charts

2023 was marked by crisis, transition and conflict.As the war in Ukraine dragged into its second yea...

8 months ago

Will the EU get a war budget?

BRUSSELS — War is raging on its doorstep, the economy is in the doldrums, a European-wide election looks set to deliver a massive blow to its establishment — and now the EU is gearing up for what will be its bitterest battle yet: over its finances.Few thi...

5 months ago

EU shouldn’t leave newer members behind, Dombrovskis says on enlargement anniversary

Expanding the EU’s ranks has been an “overall” success — but an economic chasm between member countries persists, the bloc’s trade and economics chief said Wednesday.Twenty years after 10 Central and Eastern European countries joined the EU, it’s clear en...

5 months ago

Von der Leyen is in! Let the fighting over the next European Commission begin.

STRASBOURG — Ursula von der Leyen will spend the next five years as president of the European Commission. But getting the approval of EU leaders and MEPs is just the start. Now, she needs to start work on a puzzle so complicated it'll make solving a Rubik...

2 months ago

Tusk names ally Piotr Serafin as Poland’s next EU commissioner pick

BRUSSELS — Piotr Serafin, a senior Polish diplomat and close confidant to Prime Minister Donald Tusk, will be Warsaw's nominee for its next European commissioner.Polish public service broadcaster TVP suggested that Serafin is eyeing a budget portfolio. Se...

2 months ago

German chancellor says Ukraine aid will continue despite savings push

CHIȘINĂU — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz defended his country's aid to Ukraine on Wednesday, after his government came under fire for cutting funds in a savings push.“Germany will not let up in its support for Ukraine. We will continue to support Ukraine...

1 month ago

EU Commission mulls delaying budget proposal until after German election

BRUSSELS ― The European Commission is considering postponing setting out plans for its €1.2 trillion seven-year budget until after next year's German national election.With Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats trailing in the polls behind the Christi...

1 month ago

The frontrunners for the best jobs in von der Leyen’s next Commission

BRUSSELS — In the scramble for the most wanted portfolios in the next European Commission, only a few countries can win the biggest prizes. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is due to announce next week which of the 26 nominated future commissione...

1 month ago

Czeching in — Jozef Síkela’s star rises in EU jobs race

BRUSSELS — The frontrunner for the trade portfolio in the next European Commission is now Czech nominee Jozef Síkela, instead of Dutch commissioner Wopke Hoekstra, an EU diplomat and an official told POLITICO. “The Czech Republic has aimed for a strong ec...

1 month ago

It’s that man again! Veteran Dombrovskis as EU economy boss will reassure Germany.

BRUSSELS — The appointment of Valdis Dombrovskis — already a European commissioner for a decade — as the European Union’s economy chief is welcome news for the high priests of tight spending. By choosing the former Latvian prime minister for the role, Eu...

4 weeks ago

Von der Leyen’s first 100 days: What she’s promised, what it means and what she’ll really deliver

Ever since U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt referred to his “first 100 days” as a key milestone way back in 1933, global leaders have referenced the occasion to promise electrifying changes to their electorate.Now it’s Ursula von der Leyen’s turn....

3 weeks ago