France’s Macron calls for ‘historic reconstruction’ of Europe
France’s new president, Emmanuel Macron, has called for a “historic reconstruction” of Europe, saying it is “the only reaction” to fight populism. Speaking in Berlin on the first full day of his presidency, he was joined by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. She said the pair had a “joint conviction” that they needed to “deepen the […]
China and Europe have responsibility to avert North Korea crisis
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini expressed concern Thursday about rising tensions over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, and said China and Europe have a common responsibility to avoid a military escalation on the Korean Peninsula. In a speech at Tsinghua University on her final day of a three-day trip to Beijing, Mogherini warned of […]
U.S. Campuses Lead Rise in Global Anti-Semitism
A report released by Israeli researchers says violent attacks on Jews dropped for a second straight year in 2016, while other forms of anti-Semitism are on the rise worldwide, particularly on U.S. campuses. Researchers at Tel Aviv University said Sunday that assaults specifically targeting Jews, vandalism and other violent incidents fell 12 percent last year. […]
How France’s presidential election could break – or make – the EU
With two convinced Eurosceptics and an equally fervent pro-European among the four contenders with a chance of reaching the run-off, France’s too-tight-to-call presidential election could conceivably break – or make – the EU. European officials and diplomats appear generally unconvinced that France, a core member of the bloc, will actually leave – an idea touted, […]
Ukraine president says sanctions keep Russian tanks out of central Europe
Ukraine’s president, Petro Poroshenko, has appealed for the Trump administration to maintain sanctions against Russia, saying it is the only way to keep Vladimir Putin at the negotiating table and Russian tanks away from central Europe. He said continued support for Ukraine was a test of whether the west was in decline, as Moscow has […]
Germany warns Turkey not to ‘end the European dream’
Germany on Monday warned Turkey against further distancing itself from Europe by reinstating the death penalty after a disputed referendum and urged authorities to seek “respectful dialogue” to heal a divided society. Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said that if Ankara were to bring back the death penalty, the move would be “synonymous with the end […]
Differentiate or bust: Europe’s future is multi-speed and multi-tier
IS EUROPE READY to embrace a new model built around not sameness but difference? Although the recent commission white paper and several national leaders have come out for a multi-speed Europe, they really have in mind a way for small groups of countries to go forward in such areas as defence or taxation, without having […]
‘If antisemitic parties rise to power, we will call on European Jews to flee’
A European Jewish leader said Monday that the rise of extremist parties in Europe could ultimately lead to an exodus of Jews from countries where antisemitism is becoming increasingly visible. Speaking at the annual conference of the Rabbinical Center of Europe in Pomezia, Italy, the organization’s director, Rabbi Menachem Margolin, warned that it will not […]
Charlemagne: Italy is Europe’s leaden-toed boot
THE European Union may be a Franco-German construction, but when the project needs a dose of grandiosity it invariably turns to Italy. This weekend the leaders of 27 EU countries (all bar Britain) will convene in Rome’s glorious Palazzo dei Conservatori, beneath 17th-century frescoes and flanked by sculptures of sundry popes, to proclaim their unity—60 […]
Erdogan: Soon Europeans ‘Will Not Walk Safely on Their Streets’
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has warned the European Union (EU) that if the diplomatic spat between Turkey and several European countries continues, Europeans won’t be able to walk their own streets safely. President Erdoğan made the comments Wednesday in what is another increase of tensions between Turkey and the EU that began when Germany and […]