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How serious is Timmermans’ brave talk? The Commission’s only weapon is the threat of removing Poland’ vote in the European Council of Heads of States and Governments. But it is very unlikely that such a move would get the backing of all EU member countries.

Commission’s Christmas Carol for Poland

By: N. Peter Kramer | Friday, December 23, 2016

Three days before Christmas, Commission VP Frans Timmermans gave Poland’s rightwing government another two months to reverse changes to its constitutional court or face sanctions.

The next parliamentarian elections in Austria are foreseen for 2018; there could be a serious chance that Hofer’s Freedom party winning more seats than its rivals. The Christian-Democrats anticipated already on this possible result by saying that they don’t exclude a coalition with Hofer’s party in 2018!

The blinkers of EU leaders

By: N. Peter Kramer | Friday, December 9, 2016

Austrian voters rejected the far-right, anti-EU and anti-immigrant, candidate Norbert Hofer’s bid to become president

Other EU countries are anyhow unwilling to intervene for fear it would achieve sour relations with Warsaw. Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker hinted already that proposing sanctions would be pointless ‘because some member states are already saying they will refuse to invoke it’. After the Brexit vote member states don’t want to risk alienating another big EU country.

Who is afraid of the Commission?

By: N. Peter Kramer | Monday, November 21, 2016

Poland’s ruling Law & Justice party, has for a year ignored the European Commission’s threatening demands for it to roll back reforms that neutered the country’s constitutional court, designed to check parliamentarian power

Trump, initially derided as an outsider, actually led an anti-establishment movement. He made a hostile takeover of the Republican platform and then hatched a burglary of the Democratic electorate, especially in the Rust Belt with states like Ohio and Michigan. Democrats are for immigration. Result: low wages.

Brexit, Trump, what’s next?

By: N. Peter Kramer | Monday, November 14, 2016

Donald Trump’s election and Britain’s rejection of the EU surprised everyone and in similar ways. Hillary Clinton campaigned with the message ‘Stronger Together’ while the Remain campaign promoted a ‘Britain Stronger In Europe’

Maybe you remember the exhortation from Jean Claude-Juncker that this will be the “Commission of the last chance,” which needed more than ever to be accountable for its actions. At Monday’s Commission midday briefing for EU correspondents that accountability was missing-in-action. Margaritis Schinas, Commission chief-spokesperson, fended off a barrage of questions, repeatedly refusing to condemn Oettinger’s remarks and insisting there was nothing more to say about them.

European Commission: Insult and be promoted!

By: N. Peter Kramer | Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Last week, Günther Oettinger, Germany’s EU Commissioner for digital economy, unleashed a storm of criticism by referring to Chinese people as ‘slant eyes’ and ‘rascals’, seriously denigrating women and mocking gay marriage

One major area of concern is the inclusion in CETA of ICS – the Investment Court System – which gives foreign investors privileged rights.

CETA’s future lies in doubt: trade or democracy?

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, October 19, 2016

CETA, a controversial EU-Canada trade deal, has suffered a major political setback

Insiders think that Mrs May’s speech indicates that the UK is heading for a hard Brexit.

Is UK heading for a hard Brexit?

By: N. Peter Kramer | Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Sunday October 2, Prime Minister Theresa May told the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham that the begin of the formal Brexit negotiation process will not be later than the end of March next year

Meanwhile, pressure is growing on Ms Merkel at home. In a recent survey, published by the Bild am Sonntag, 50% of the people surveyed said they opposed another term for her after the elections in October 2017. In turn, 42% would like her to stand again next year.

50% of Germans oppose 4th term for Merkel

By: N. Peter Kramer | Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Whilst German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged EU’s eastern memberstates that have refused to take on a share of the refugee stream, it became clear that half of her compatriots don’t want her for another, a 4th term

Theresa May showed solidarity to Cameron in the Remain campaign, but stayed in the background during the hectic period. The fresh Prime Minister, as said by insiders, always had a quite sceptical approach of the EU.

Fresh UK PM May let EU leaders wait and appoints Boris as foreign minister…

By: N. Peter Kramer | Monday, July 18, 2016

Straight after her confirmation as Britain’s new Prime Minister, Theresa May showed her EU colleagues that the rumours that she is going her own way are right.

At the end the EU could be the biggest loser from the British referendum.

Brexit brings chaos

By: N. Peter Kramer | Monday, June 27, 2016

Four days after the majority of the British people voted to leave the European Union, the chaos in the UK and in the EU is prevalent

But what else can you expect from the EPP, Juncker’s own party, that catapulted him in the Commission President’s Chair two years ago.

The question is: Does the Juncker Plan really work?

By: N. Peter Kramer | Friday, June 10, 2016

EFSI stands for European Fund for Strategic Investments. Better known as the ‘Juncker Plan’

All the commotion has been heightened because the possible Putin-Juncker meeting in St Petersburg will take place a few days before the Brussels’ summit of EU leaders (28-29 June), where the subject of ‘whether to extend sanctions against Russia’ is one of the most important points on the agenda.

Juncker plans to meet Putin in St Petersburg

By: N. Peter Kramer | Tuesday, May 31, 2016

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker plans to take part in the St Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 16

After that the Turkish President took the decision to change the Prime-Minister. Meanwhile it seems that Erdogan is proposing his own son as a candidate.

Turkish Prime-Minister Davutoglu’s exit

By: N. Peter Kramer | Tuesday, May 24, 2016

The package of the EU-Turkey agreement to solve the refugee crisis was tied to visa liberalisation, to ease the deal for Turkey. This was what Turkey’s Prime-Minister Davutoglu’s achieved during the negotiations

The Greek government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are still at odds over ”contingency” austerity measures worth €3.6 billion in the event that Athens misses its budget target for a 3.5% surplus in 2018.

Debt relief for Greece comes closer

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, May 11, 2016

In their last meeting on Monday May 9, Eurozone finance ministers (the Eurogroup) talked about releasing the next tranche of Greece's current € 68 billion bailout package

That is why the Greek Prime Minister Tsipras, who always said he would do’ nothing more and nothing less’ than was agreed last summer, is trying to bring the discussion now back to the level were the agreement was signed, the Eurozone leaders.

Amid an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, the Greek bailout drama continues

By: N. Peter Kramer | Thursday, April 28, 2016

While Greece has to coop with the presence of thousands of refugees, amid an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, talks to conclude the first review of the Greek bailout and to unblock more than €5 billion, resumed

As soon as Merkel allowed the case to proceed, the question was: what will Erdogan demand next?

Merkel sends the wrong signal

By: N. Peter Kramer | Thursday, April 21, 2016

German Bundeskanzlerin Merkel gave President Erdogan the chance to silence also his critics outside his country

SP ministers, among them Onkelinx, refused to take the warning seriously. The (Liberal) Prime-Minister Guy Verhofstadt asked his Minister of Justice, Marc Verwilghen (also a Liberal), who raised some proposals, to drop the case, afraid that the PS would trip the government up. Verwilghen was called a ‘populist’ by Onkelinx and a ‘racist’ by Philippe Moureaux, a PS senator and Mayor of Molenbeek for some 20 years!

A Belgian tragedy

By: N. Peter Kramer | Friday, April 1, 2016

While the country is still paralysed and in mourning for the terrorists attacks and its many victims, some Belgian politicians don’t feel ashamed to lash out at their political opponents ’hitting below the belt’

The idea of spending millions on luxury cars and drivers did not go down well with some MEPs. So the vote was held off.

MEPs prefer private drivers in EP uniform above staff checking their expenses…

By: N. Peter Kramer | Monday, March 14, 2016

The top civil servant of the European Parliament, Secretary-General Klaus Welle, wants to revamp the cars service, hiring 110 full time drivers in fancy uniforms and ending the practice of using contractors.

The refugee crisis has tugged at the EU delicate unity like nothing before and has exposed the differences between EU member states that will linger long after the immediate danger has passed.

Are the refugees disturbing the quest for the US of Europe?

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Since 1957 the phrase ‘ever closer union among the peoples of Europe’ has survived every change to the EU treaties. Nearly 60 years ago it was inserted in the preamble of the Treaty of Rome, the EU founding document.

British voters are staggered that European leaders have such a problem with so little, whilst these Presidents and Prime-Ministers are, at the same time, completely incompetent and unable to find solutions for the refugee crisis that is overwhelming the EU and its neighbours.

How European leaders handle major matters

By: N. Peter Kramer | Sunday, February 21, 2016

Friday night the EU leadership has decided that David Cameron could go home with his prize. That happened after a 2 days show of shocking national egotism and a complete lack of a European spirit

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EU Actually

Russia and China warn the EU about Euroclear billions

By: N. Peter Kramer

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin went on a working visit to Cina. After a meeting with his Chinese colleague Li Qiang in the city of Hangzhou, an extensive press release was published yesterday.

Europe

Can the EU Meet the Trump Moment?

The second term of U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing Europeans to strengthen their capacity for collective action. But their biggest challenge comes from within: U.S.-backed radical-right parties that want to weaken the EU.

Business

China to loosen chip export ban to Europe after Netherlands row

Beijing has said it will loosen a chip export ban it imposed after Dutch authorities took over Nexperia, a Chinese-owned chipmaker based in the Netherlands.