It was the last EU summit before the start of the European election campaign. Five months before the vote in May 2019, the heads of state and government wanted to show that the EU works – and that it works for the citizens. But the proof is hard. At best, there are sham solutions. Mehr
How they celebrated themselves, the 27 EU countries. In all friendship, Brexit-Land was offered the “best possible” deal, the leaders said two weeks ago at the special Brexit summit in Brussels. Now it turns out: this deal is unacceptable, Prime Minister May pulls the emergency brake. Mehr
After the massive protests of the “yellow vests”, the government in Paris has started the retreat. The eco-tax on petrol is put on ice, electricity and gas are not to become more expensive either. For President Macron it is a debacle – but Chancellor Merkel should also be on her guard. Mehr
Hardly a week passes without President Macron and Chancellor Merkel appearing in public together. Finance Ministers Scholz and Le Maire also present themselves as a team. But that’s misleading, says a French author. Macron is fooling himself (and us). Mehr
One hundred years after the end of World War I, tensions are growing between Europe and the USA. France’s Macron calls for a European army, US President Trump is offended, Russia’s Tsar Putin reacts calmly. Mehr
And it made “psscht”. That’s how French people would describe the EU’s non-response to the new US sanctions against Iran. Nothing but hot air came from Brussels – Europe is defenceless in the struggle with President Trump. Mehr
Now it’s official: The EU Commission rejects the Italian government’s draft budget. This is a precedent in the history of the euro monetary union – and a serious encroachment on the sovereignty of an EU founding country. Mehr
