Humour and humility as Tusk unleashes charm offensive
There was no shortage of self-deprecation in Donald Tusk’s first public outing as president of what is arguably the European Union’s most powerful institution. After struggling through a paragraph in...
View ArticleLeo Tindemans, Belgian prime minister and EU champion, dies
European Union leaders have been paying tribute to Leo Tindemans, whose death at the age of 92 was announced on 26 December. A prime minister of Belgium in the 1970s, he later became a leading figure...
View ArticleMarianne Thyssen – self-starter
As the European commissioner for employment, social affairs, skills and labour mobility, Marianne Thyssen is charged with getting more European citizens into work and increasing career opportunities....
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The EU grows up (on foreign policy)
Federica Mogherini will next week clock up one year in office as the European Union’s foreign policy chief. That anniversary looks insignificant beside the geo-political crisis that is unfolding in...
View ArticleAngela Merkel: David Cameron must win friends and influence people
Pressure is mounting on British Prime Minister David Cameron ahead of Thursday’s EU leaders’ summit, after the German chancellor rebuffed his attempt to limit migrant benefits, and new polling showed...
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Herman Van Rompuy: ‘I wouldn’t want to be in Tusk’s shoes’
Since Donald Tusk’s predecessor Herman Van Rompuy left office, the European Union has gone through a series of crises testing countries’ willingness to work together for the common good. As president...
View Article‘From Donald, with love’
European Council President Donald Tusk Wednesday evening sent what must have seemed like a very last-minute invitation to EU leaders to join him the next day in Brussels for a summit — a meeting...
View ArticleHerman Van Rompuy to UK: Want single market, accept free movement
If Britain wants to stay in the single market, it must accept the EU’s free movement rules without exception, according to former European Council president Herman Van Rompuy. “I cannot imagine special...
View ArticleEU ambassador: CETA hasn’t killed Australia trade deal hopes
CANBERRA — The EU’s rough path towards forging a trade agreement with Canada and the growing backlash against globalization in European countries has not sunk Australia’s chance of forging a pact with...
View ArticleHerman Van Rompuy records anti-terrorism song
Former European Council President Herman Van Rompuy’s dulcet tones can be heard on a song by Flemish singer Dana Winner, recorded to commemorate those who lost their lives in the terror attacks in...
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Europe Calling! Maastricht, 25 years on
On December 9, 1991, one of the final steps was taken in the creation of the European Union. On that day 25 years ago, the heads of state of the dozen members of what was then the European Community...
View ArticleHerman Van Rompuy: Trump, May alliance is ‘quite sad’
Herman Van Rompuy, Donald Tusk’s predecessor as European Council president, told Belgian TV program Terzake it was “unworthy” of the U.K. to invite U.S. President Donald Trump for a state visit. Van...
View Article6 best European Parliament bust-ups
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker let loose on the European Parliament during a plenary session in Strasbourg on Tuesday, where only a handful of the 750 MEPs showed up to hear Maltese...
View ArticleEU Confidential Episode 25: Herman Van Rompuy — Brexit haiku — May’s manic...
To listen to the podcast now, click on the player below or click here to get it on iTunes. Episode 25 of POLITICO’s EU Confidential podcast has just been released, featuring former European Council...
View ArticleZoran Zaev gets the result, loses the bet as ‘heavy clouds’ loom over...
Greece The referendum in Macedonia over its plan to change its name to end a decades-old dispute with Athens dominated Greek headlines. Efsyn reported that the government of Prime Minister Zoran Zaev...
View ArticleLabour says EU would renegotiate Brexit withdrawal agreement
The business secretary of Britain’s opposition Labour Party said the EU would be willing to renegotiate the proposed withdrawal agreement with her party. “The EU have renegotiated many deals in the...
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How the European Parliament found its voice
This article is part of POLITICO’s MEP Survival Guide, an introduction to the Brussels bubble and the European Parliament. In the western political tradition, a parliament serves several purposes. It...
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Europe’s conservatives look east
ZAGREB — The biggest political family in Europe has pivoted to the East — and away from Germany. The center-right European People’s Party on Wednesday picked as its new president Donald Tusk, a former...
View ArticleHungarian ruling party to remain suspended from EPP
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party will remain suspended from the center-right European People’s Party, EPP President Donald Tusk told a meeting of the alliance’s MEPs on Wednesday....
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4 big fights in Europe’s budget battle
After nearly two years of shadow-boxing, EU leaders are ready to rumble. Fights over the bloc’s long-term budget are always brutal. But a special summit on the next spending plan, beginning Thursday in...
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