Russian President Vladimir Putin and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras agreed on closer cooperation at Wednesday’s meeting, but financial help for the highly indebted euro state was not up for discussion. Some commentators explain this as Putin’s desperate reaction to the EU’s increasingly united stance. Others see the meeting as a clever move by the Kremlin chief aimed at easing EU sanctions.
During a press conference with Vladimir Putin on Wednesday (8 April), Greek PM Alexis Tsipras expressed his country’s will to play a big role in the Turkish Stream pipeline project aiming to boost investments in the cash-strapped economy. EurActiv Greece reports.
Without more forward looking political leadership and an ambitious Telecoms Single Market, the European digital single market will remain only a virtual reality.
Although Podemos are unlikely to win an outright majority in the general election, they have galvanised the opposition to the conservative government, while simultaneously challenging the parties of the old left.
Ciudadanos have been portrayed by the media as the ‘Podemos of the right’. However, an analysis of the party and its policies reveal this is far from the case.
France’s conservative camp under ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy emerged the clear winner of France’s departmental elections on Sunday. The far-right Front National won fewer votes than expected. The conservatives must decide whether they want to make deals with the far right in future, some commentators write. Others already see Sarkozy as the winner of the 2017 presidential elections.
What should the attitude of the European Union be towards the rise of the radical Left?
Preparing the ground for a much-discussed visit in Moscow (8-9 April), Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras reiterated his opposition to EU sanctions against Moscow, adding that debt-ridden country’s ambition is to upgrade its relations with Russia.
French local elections: Winners and losers
Nicolas Sarkozy’s centre-right alliance won a landslide victory in the French departmental elections, making yesterday a terrible election night for President Francois Hollande’s Socialist Party. Front National performed below recent expectations, but made gains that shouldn’t be underestimated. Our policy analyst Vincenzo Scarpetta highlights the key lessons from the vote.