Progressive EU politicians say French showed how to beat far-right

4 months ago 20

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In today’s news from the Capitals:

PARIS

Socialist and leftist politicians from across Europe expressed their satisfaction about the defeat of far-right Rassemblement national (RN) in the second round of the French elections on Sunday, pointing to the power of unity between leftist forces. Read more.

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BERLIN

New German defence budget slammed as ‘too low’ by critics. Experts and politicians from across the spectrum have criticised the budget agreement reached by Germany’s coalition parties, bemoaning the small increase in defence spending as insufficient to counter the threat from Russia. Read more.

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PARIS

French far-right RN set to join Orbán’s ‘Patriots for Europe’. The French far-right party Rassemblement national (RN) is set to join the “Patriots for Europe” group formed in the European Parliament by Viktor Orbán and his allies, several sources within the party and Italy’s Lega confirmed to Euractiv on Sunday. Read more.

‘Italy-style’ technocratic government in France likely to face challenges. With no French party likely to secure a majority in the National Assembly after Sunday’s votes, making coalition-building difficult, French President Emmanuel Macron’s next option – forming an ‘Italy-style’ technocrat-led government – may be too difficult to achieve. Read more.

UK & IRELAND

LONDON

NATO, European Political Community to be new PM Starmer’s first foreign engagements. Newly installed UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday announced his first trip overseas in the job will be to the NATO Summit in Washington on Tuesday (9 July), in a speech otherwise dedicated to domestic politics. Read more.

EUROPE’S SOUTH

ROME

Italy’s Salvini convinced new EU alliance with Orban will overtake Meloni’s ECR. The new alliance Patriots for Europe, led by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and seeking to form a political group in the European Parliament, will overtake Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s ECR, Matteo Salvini, who is aligning himself more closely with the new group, said on Sunday. Read more.

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MADRID

VOX joining Orbán’s new EU group makes Spanish right ‘nervous’, says leader. The recent entry of the far-right VOX party into Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s new Patriots for Europe group has made many in the right-wing Partido Popular (EPP) and Alvise Pérez’s new ‘ultra’ force SALF nervous, warned VOX leader Santiago Abascal. Read more.

EASTERN EUROPE

WARSAW

Ukraine wants Poland to protect its skies near border. Polish air defences could protect the airspace over Ukraine’s border regions, the deputy speaker of Ukraine’s Supreme Council told her Polish counterpart in Vilnius on Saturday. Read more.

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BUDAPEST

Hungary walks tightrope as ‘honest broker’ in EU presidency while pushing national priorities. Hungary promises to be an ‘honest broker’ in the presidency of the Council of the EU, amid concerns over impartiality, focusing on peace in Ukraine, combating illegal migration, family policies, and boosting competitiveness through streamlined approval processes. Read more.

NEWS FROM THE BALKANS

SOFIA

US-sanctioned Bulgarian politician emerges as main obstacle to forming government. As Bulgaria heads for its seventh general election in nearly four years, DPS co-leader Delyan Peevski, sanctioned by the US and the UK for corruption, poses several obstacles in negotiations to form a regular government in Sofia. Read more.

AGENDA:

EU: Informal meeting of competitiveness ministers convenes in Budapest, Hungary;
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Parliament President Roberta Metsola meet with Prime Minister of the Netherlands Dick Schoof;
Commission Vice President Vĕra Jourová speaks at final conference of Media Pluralism Monitor;
Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides meets with Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean, in Chisinau;

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[Edited by Sarantis Michalopoulos, Daniel Eck, Alice Taylor, Sofia Mandilara]