A look back at the ups and downs of the relationship between Barack Obama and Angela Merkel.
Germany’s EU commissioner criticised for flying to Hungary in Kremlin-linked lobbyist’s plane.
Europe fought hard to achieve the prosperity it enjoys today. As the dust settles on Brexit and negotiations get under way, neither the UK nor the EU should take these achievements for granted, writes Susan Danger.
Donald Trump is just the latest incarnation of an anti-democratic archetype taking over the West’s political echelon. Powered by prejudice and the demonisation of ethnic and sexual minorities, every conceivable anxiety about its power is justified, writes Tomasz Kitlinski.
The pro-Russian winner of Moldova’s presidential election said today (15 November) the country would not cut ties with the European Union, appearing to row back on campaign comments that it should move closer to Moscow.
As France launches an investigation into Carrefour’s unfair business practices, a new Brussels report has called for the relationship between farmers and supermarkets to be rebalanced
The British government has no Brexit strategy, and may not have one before triggering Article 50 in March 2017, according to a leaked memo published by The Times today (15 November).
Candidates who are seen as pro-Russian won the presidential elections in both Bulgaria and the Republic of Moldova on Sunday. The opposition candidate Rumen Radev won in Bulgaria – prompting Prime Minister Boyko Borisov to announce his resignation. In Moldova the election winner Igor Dodon has announced that his first trip as president will be to Moscow. The press is keeping a close eye on developments.
By Richard Milne
In these times of severe political turbulence, it can be tempting to look for relief in a Nordic region long renowned for its stability. But even those peaceful northern European states are not living up to their reputation.
Former French economy minister Emmanuel Macron has announced he will run in next year’s presidential election. Macron, a 38-year-old former investment banker, said he wanted a “deep democratic revolution”. He created his own political movement earlier this year and said he was from neither left nor right.
In the wake of populist successes in the UK and the US, Viviane Gravey examines the prospects for a Front National victory in the upcoming 2017 French presidential election. She argues that, while the institutional structure of French politics would limit the room for manoeuvre of Marine Le Pen, it is ultimately the responsibility of other political actors to provide convincing alternative leadership, rather than solely rely on the checking power of institutions.
République française, lisecher, CC-BY-NC-2.0After the double shocks of Brexit and Trump’s election, people are wondering when and where the next electoral shock will come. Will it be on 4 December, with the rerun of the Austrian presidential election and the Italian constitutional referendum? Will it come later, in early 2017 with the French presidential election, or in late 2017 with the German General Election? As we ponder where this populist wave will strike next, one key element is often left out of the discussion: the role of political institutions, of constitutional arrangements. Behind the catch-all label of ‘Western democracies’ lies a great diversity of institutional rules, which may limit the success of populist candidates.
Magnum photographer Patrick Zachmann is commemorating the Paris attacks
Sting warms up for his concert which will reopen the Bataclan in Paris for the first time since the 2015 terror attack.
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