Section: European Voice (EU)
Juncker still has some explaining to do
History will judge Jean-Claude Juncker’s State of the Union speech more kindly than I can. Partly, that is because what will go down in history will be the text that he was supposed to deliver, rather than the messy reality of what he actually said. The importance of the content will soon transcend the detail of its delivery — the...
Deal or die for EU industry at climate talks
Striking an ambitious deal at this December’s global climate talks is about more than saving the planet — it could also prevent Europe’s heavy industries from being left behind by competitors in regions less saddled with costly emissions restrictions, Maroš Sefčovič, who is in charge of implementing an EU energy union, told POLITICO....
Juncker urges ‘immediate action’ on migration
The European Commission will introduce a new proposal for legal migration into the EU in 2016, Jean-Claude Juncker announced Wednesday, in one of several measures he offered to deal with the refugee crisis. Juncker, in his State of the Union speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, said the Commission would urge EU member states to act...
Juncker: EU ‘not in a good place’
STRASBOURG — European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the EU is “not in a good place” and that it needed to move beyond “business as usual” to address the daunting political challenges facing the bloc. “Now is not the time to go ahead willy-nilly, business-as-usual,” Juncker told members of the European Parliament and other EU...
Europe returns to the 1930s
Czech police intercepted a group of Syrian asylum-seekers on a train headed for Germany. Upon being detained, the 200 or so refugees were marked with ink numbers on their forearms. While clearly a mishap, it was not the first time that Europeans were reminded of a period many would rather forget. In July of this year, a Polish Member of the...
BBC enters Putin’s media war
LONDON — Europe’s floundering campaign to counter misleading Russian media coverage is about to get a boost from Britain’s public broadcaster. The BBC said Monday it wants to set up a Russian-language TV channel to promote “democracy and liberty” and counteract the Kremlin’s crackdown on domestic media. The broadcaster will also...
Šefčovič to press Russia on Ukraine gas talks
Maroš Šefčovič will urge Russia to return to EU-brokered talks with Ukraine when he meets Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak this Friday, he told POLITICO today. The trilateral talks fell apart in June. Šefčovič, the EU’s energy union vice president, is set to meet Novak, and hopes that Gazprom representatives will be there too. “We...
Šefčovič warns energy firms over Nord Stream II participation
Gazprom’s deal with European energy companies to double the Nord Stream gas pipeline’s capacity raises a “host” of questions on how the project fits with the EU’s energy security and regulatory priorities, Maroš Šefčovič, the EU’s energy union vice president, told POLITICO today. “How is it in compliance with our strategy...
POLITICO Pro’s Morning Energy: From Bonn to Paris — Gazprom’s squeeze
By Sara Stefanini | @SaraStefaninii | Send tips to [email protected]| Subscribe for this daily column http://politico.eu/registration | If you prefer to read this on your desktop click here Hello and welcome to POLITICO Pro’s Morning Energy. Iran locks up some LNG technology, Russia tightens its grip on Europe and turns up the Asian...
State of Juncker’s union
The EU’s political credibility will take center stage along with one of its leading politicians when Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker delivers the “State of the Union” address Wednesday, an annual event taking on heightened importance this year as Europe grapples with several ongoing crises. Unlike his predecessor José Manuel...
