At its congress in Rome, the European Socialist Party (PES) family officially selected Nicolas Schmit as its lead candidate for the European elections. The Luxembourg Social Affairs Commissioner is running to become Commission President. In their manifesto for the election, the Socialists call for equality, the rule of law and good jobs.
By Marc Winkelmann
Umwelthilfe received around €5 million from donations and gifts in 2021. The organization refuses to be transparent about 15 of 17 major donations, although it was required to do so according to the rules of the lobby register in the Bundestag. These are donations from natural and legal persons with a total volume of €1.5 million.
By Markus Grabitz
A blocking clause for European elections in Germany does not violate the constitution. This decision was made by the Federal Constitutional Court. The party "Die Partei" had filed a lawsuit.
By Markus Grabitz
The Commission releases €137 billion for Poland. The money had been frozen due to breaches of the rule of law by the previous PIS government. The Commission intends to publish its decision next week.
By Markus Grabitz
In a compromise package for the trilogue on the Packaging Ordinance on Monday, rapporteur Frédérique Ries (Renew) proposes an exemption: In countries that have already achieved recycling targets, bans on certain single-use packaging should not apply.
By Leonie Düngefeld
Jordan Bardella, MEP and lead candidate of the French far-right party Rassemblement National for the European elections, will hold his first campaign event in Marseille this Sunday.
By Claire Stam
The European Parliament has criticized the appointment of Markus Pieper (CDU) as the Commission's SME Envoy. MEPs want to know whether candidates performed better in the application process. They wonder whether Ursula von der Leyen preferred a party colleague.
By Markus Grabitz
Gifts for the people, threats of nuclear weapons for the West – in his State of the Nation address, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West against sending troops to Ukraine that could invade Russia. What is new is not the content of his speech, but the ultimate tone of the threat.
By Viktor Funk
The EU member states are still learning how to defend against and deal with major digital disasters – an ENISA study now shows that the 27 different approaches also contain some good ideas for the others.
By Falk Steiner
In a joint letter to the EU Commission, ministers from nine European countries warn against an intra-EU subsidy race.
By Marc Winkelmann
