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European Union Tag

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on July 27, 2017 20 Comments

EU’s highest court, the European Court of Justice (ECJ), may be set to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Hungary and Slovakia to challenge the EU’s migrant quota scheme, European media reports suggest.

The Advocate General for the European Court of Justice, Yves Bot, who is advising the judges on the case, proposed to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Hungary and Slovakia. His recommendations are not binding, but the top EU court usually follows the opinion presented by the advocate general. Earlier this year, Hungary and Slovakia approached the top EU court to challenge the Brussels’ decision to impose a continent-wide migrant relocation scheme. “Europe's top court looks set to throw out Eastern European objections to enforced migrant quotas,” reported the UK’s Daily Express. “EU strikes double blow against Poland, Hungary and Czech Republic over refugee quotas,” wrote the London-based Financial Times.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 24, 2017 16 Comments
Terminally ill baby Charlie Gard has captured the hearts of everyone across the world as his parents have fought tooth and nail against bureaucracy to do what they can to save their child. But now the parents have decided to end the legal fight. From Fox News:
"As Charlie's devoted and loving parents we have decided that it's no longer in Charlie's best interests to pursue treatment and we will let our son go and bewith the angels," Yates said in court.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on July 19, 2017 9 Comments
As I noted in Morning Insurrection last week, I will be spending 18 days touring Central Europe and the Balkans. During our stop in Budapest, Hungary, motorcades are rolling down our street continuously and Israeli flags are flying high. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in town, and he is now making news with a rather stark assessment about his country's relationship with the European Union.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a blistering attack against the European Union during a closed-session meeting Wednesday morning in the Hungarian capital of Budapest, telling the premiers of Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia that the EU's behavior toward Israel is crazy.

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 06, 2017 6 Comments
President Donald Trump began his second overseas trip in Poland, a country that has been battered and torn throughout history. But Poland has taken a stance against the European Union when it comes to migrants and those they fear can damage the country. Trump addressed Poles in Warsaw's Krasinski Square, stating that "nations must have the will to protect borders and preserve civilization from those who would destroy it."

Posted by Mary Chastain on July 04, 2017 18 Comments
Last week, the European Court of Human Rights caused international outrage when the judges decided to side with British courts to remove life support for 10-month-old Charlie Gard, refusing to allow his parents to take him to America for trial therapy, even though they raised more than $1 million for it. Gard suffers from a rare genetic condition, which has caused brain damage, and he cannot breathe on his own. The Vatican's Pontifical Academy for Life also decided to side with the UK courts instead of taking a stand for Gard's life. After immense criticism, Pope Francis released a statement urging Gard's parents to do everything they can to save their child's life.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on June 14, 2017 5 Comments
Despite the risk of litigation, the German newspaper Bild Zeitung has gone ahead with the streaming of an investigative documentary that exposed the extent of Antisemitism in Europe. The French-German broadcaster ARTE had previously shelved the 90-minute documentary that uncovered the complicity of the European Union and Germany government in financing antisemitic groups posing as charities and NGOs. On Tuesday, the German language documentary was streamed for 24 hours on the newspaper’s website. French-German ARTE and German broadcaster WDR, both funded by German taxpayers, commissioned the documentary "Chosen and Ostracised -- The hatred of Jews in Europe," but got cold feet after seeing the finished work. The broadcasters confined the documentary to the archives, hoping to dodge a bitter public reception.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on June 01, 2017 12 Comments
With the Greek debt crisis still unresolved and Brexit yet to be negotiated, European Union is rolling out plans to tie up the remaining 27 member states tighter together. In a policy paper released yesterday, the European Commission, the EU's political arm, lays out the roadmap for “completing a genuine financial union” by 2025. The 40-page policy paper calls for "further political integration" as well as a banking union," and a "more integrated Economic and Fiscal Union". Furthermore, the document calls for a unified "Euro Area Treasury" to be headed by a powerful "EU Finance Minister," "who would also be Chair of the Eurogroup." The EU policy paper does not see the need for any national ratification or referenda over this irreversible political-economic union paraded as "reform" -- making it perhaps the biggest ever power garb by an unelected bureaucracy.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on May 28, 2017 54 Comments
With Europe in the grip of Jihadi terrorism and an ever-worsening migrant crisis, German Chancellor Angela Merkel wants to isolate Germany and take rest of the Europe with her. "The times in which we could completely depend on others are on the way out. I have experienced that in the last few days," Chancellor Merkel said at an election rally in the city of Munich. "We Europeans must really take our destiny in our own hands." Chancellor Merkel's defiant talk was "applauded by 2,000 listeners" present in a Munich beer tent, local media reported. "Merkel doesn't consider the U.S. a reliable partner anymore," wrote the German newspaper Die Welt.  Merkel "has no confidence in transatlantic relationship writes Munich's Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on May 25, 2017 32 Comments
While President Donald Trump had a busy day getting all the 28 NATO partners on board the global anti-ISIS alliance, former President Barak Obama appeared at a youth rally in Berlin alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The event in Berlin was organised to mark the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Taking a swipe at his successor’s immigration policy, Obama got cheers from audiences in Berlin with meaningless platitudes like “we can’t hide behind a wall.” Yes, Obama decried walls as he sat fenced behind a security cover with “helicopters patrol[ling] the skies and snipers with balaclavas watch[ing] the scene from nearby rooftops” -- as one news-outlet described it.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on May 25, 2017 7 Comments
President Donald Trump seems to have achieved a significant foreign policy aim ahead of his meeting with the leaders of 28 NATO member states. According to the reports in German media, France and Germany have formally agreed to join the US-led coalition against the Islamic State. "After sustained pressure from Washington, NATO will be joining the international coalition," German newspaper Stuttgarter Zeitung wrote. Other reports suggest that Manchester’s deadly terror attack, for which ISIS claimed responsibility, may have played a role in convincing Germany and France in joining the global alliance to destroy the Islamist terror group. Despite Germany’s consent, there is trouble brewing in Merkel’s camp. Her second-in-command, German Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, has placed conditions on the proposed alliance, telling reporters that "combat operations were not part of NATO agreement. [NATO] is a defense alliance."

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on May 18, 2017 30 Comments

In a rare move, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has threatened the British government with "consequences" if it were to restrict immigration from the EU member states after the country formally breaks away from the union. “If the British government says that free movement of people is no longer valid, that will have its price," German Chancellor said. "Merkel threatens the Brits," reported the leading German newspaper, Die Welt.

If Britain were to put a cap on the number of EU immigrants allowed into the country, "we would have to think about what obstacle we create from the European side," Merkel warned. German Chancellor's latest threats came in the backdrop of recent reports that British Prime Minister Theresa May was planning to end the open immigration from the EU countries, once Britain leaves the union following the Brexit negotiations.

Posted by Mary Chastain on May 12, 2017 17 Comments
Earlier this week, U.S. officials began discussions over banning electronics larger than a cell phone on flights to America from Europe as a way to deter terrorism. Our officials have already placed this ban on flights from ten airports in the Middle East and North Africa. Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly discussed this ban today after many European officials expressed worry about the ban and want to persuade Kelly to change his mind.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on May 11, 2017 3 Comments
The governments of Hungary and Slovakia have filed a case against the EU's refugee distribution plan. "Hungary and Slovakia have accused the EU of negligence and violations with regard to its decision to distribute up to 120,000 refugees across Europe," German newspaper Die Welt reported. Defending his government’s decision to challenge the EU's migrant policy in the European Court of Justice (ECJ), Hungary's Justice Minister Laszlo Trocsanyi told Die Welt, "We have compiled a ten-point list of reasons we believe this decision to be illegal." Minister Trocsanyi criticised EU's plans of redistributing migrants for incentivising illegal immigration. The EU was telling migrants to "go ahead and come to Europe, and we will handle the distribution," Trocsanyi said.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on May 08, 2017 14 Comments
Nowhere has the victory of the establishment candidate Emmanuel Macron in the French presidential election been cheered more fervently than in Berlin and Brussels. Last night, President-elect Macron received a ‘warm call’ from German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French news agency AFP reported. "Congratulations, Emmanuel Macron. Your victory is a victory for a strong and united Europe and for French-German friendship," Merkel's spokesman said on Twitter. Merkel's Chief of Staff Peter Altmaier was quoted saying “[Macron’s] success is a great opportunity for Franco-German friendship.”

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on May 04, 2017 17 Comments
"France will be led by a woman, either me or Angela Merkel," Marine Le Pen said last night as she clashed with the pro-EU candidate Emmanuel Macron in the final debate ahead of Sunday's presidential run-off. Le Pen's statement points to the long shadow of the German Chancellor that looms large over the establishment candidate Macron. Merkel, hoping to boost Macron's chances, had endorsed him last week, praising his "consistently pro-European policy." "I would be very pleased if Emmanuel Macron were to win, because he stands for consistently pro-European policy," Merkel said in an interview last week, claiming that he will be a "strong president for France" and "his victory would be a good sign for the political center, whose strength we would like to maintain here in Germany, as well."

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on April 23, 2017 19 Comments
Centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron and Front National's Marine Le Pen have qualified for the second round in the French presidential election securing 23.7 and 21.7 percent of votes respectively, French news agency AFP reports. Conservative François Fillon conceded defeat after getting 19.5 percent of the votes. Fillon endorsed Macron and called his supporters to vote for his rival in the final round. A fact that should cheer liberals and feminists alike: with today's result, France is just one step away from getting its first female president.

Posted by Mary Chastain on April 18, 2017 11 Comments
British Prime Minister Theresa May stunned many British politicians on Tuesday morning when she called for a snap election on June 8 as a way to help her negotiate through the Brexit process with the European Union. May had said before that she would not hold a general election, but opposition from within the government over Brexit negotiations forced her hand. The London Times reported:
“The country is coming together but Westminster is not,” she said.
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