European Union (EU): A union in crisis

[FearlessRoar]

The European Union, once a symbol of hope and unity, has lost its way. It's become a distant, bureaucratic machine that prioritizes the interests of the powerful over the needs of everyday people.

The EU's economic policies have left many feeling left behind, struggling to make ends meet as the wealthy few reap the benefits. Its handling of the refugee crisis has been a moral failure, leaving families stranded in limbo. And its obsession with corporate interests has crushed small businesses and exploited workers.

The EU's democratic deficit is a slap in the face to the very people it's supposed to serve. Unelected officials make decisions that affect our lives, while our voices are ignored. And when some member states brazenly flout basic human rights, the EU turns a blind eye.

The UK's departure from the EU was a wake-up call, exposing the flaws in the EU's architecture. But instead of listening to the concerns of its citizens, the EU has doubled down on its failed policies.

 

[FearlessRoar]

Ursula von der Leyen secures five more years in top EU job​

Ursula von der Leyen has been re-elected as the President of the European Commission following a secret ballot among MEPs.

She secured the backing of 401 Members of the European Parliament at a vote in Strasbourg on Thursday - 40 more than she needed.

Ms von der Leyen, of the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), was first elected in 2019.

She will now serve another five years at the helm of the EU.

In a speech to MEPs ahead of the vote, Ms von der Leyen said she would champion European defence with increased military spending, and committed to sticking to climate targets.

She also spoke out against what she called the "demagogues and extremists" that "destroy our European way of life" and promised to collaborate with "all the democratic forces" in the Parliament.

"The last five years have shown what we can do together. Let us do it again. Let us make the choice of strength," she said.

Ursula von der Leyen secures five more years top EU job

Ursula von der Leyen is re-elected as European Commission president after a secret ballot among MEPs.

www.bbc.com

 

[Bhaijaan]

Europe is just living on its past legacy. These are the last few decades of their dominance and we are seeing the fall of Europe right in front of our eyes.

Russia has exposed them to the core.

They’re just gonna get reduced to a travel destination in the future.

 

[FearlessRoar]

Border zone to be expanded ahead of new EU rules​

The French border control zone at the Port of Dover is to be expanded to reduce the risk of queues at peak times when new EU rules come into force in November, the government says.

Under the EU's Entry/Exit System (EES), travellers entering from the UK and other non-EU countries will have to register their details at the EU border and provide biometric data.

Home Office minister Seema Malhotra will lay a Statutory Instrument in Parliament on Monday to allow French border officials to operate in an expanded zone at the Port of Dover.

It will commit the Home Office to working with the French government, local authorities and businesses to streamline EU border checks at the port.

The law change is part of the preparations to minimise the risk of traffic disruption and to create more space to process passengers.

The port plans to change the location of passport control for passengers arriving to board ferries from Dover's Eastern Docks to a new border control zone at its Western Docks.

The port has also been making major upgrades to its port infrastructure, including building bespoke facilities to carry out the checks.

It will have 24 kiosks for coach passengers to complete the checks, and will register passengers in cars using agents and tablets.

Ms Malhotra says the checks will be a "major change" to the EU border so the public should prepare for some queues during peak times when they are first introduced.

She said Home Office ministers were working to minimise the risk of excessive queue times as much as possible.

Port of Dover: Border control zone to be expanded ahead of new EU rules

The port plans to change the location of passport control for passengers arriving to board ferries.

www.bbc.com

 

[FearlessRoar]

France’s Breton quits EU commission citing reappointment row with von der Leyen​

France’s Thierry Breton announced Monday he was quitting the European Commission with immediate effect, claiming EU chief Ursula von der Leyen had asked Paris to withdraw his candidacy for the incoming executive.

The shock resignation of the bloc’s powerful internal market commissioner comes a day before von der Leyen was expected to unveil the makeup of her next commission, in the wake of EU-wide elections in June.

French President Emmanuel Macron had put forward Breton’s name for France’s spot on the commission, and his reappointment to a major role -- reflecting the country’s weight within the 27-nation EU -- had been taken as a given.

“In the very final stretch of negotiations on the composition of the future College, you asked France to withdraw my name,” Breton wrote in a letter to von der Leyen, posted on X.

The European Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Breton, whose strained relationship with his EU boss was no secret during her first five-year mandate, said the request was made “for personal reasons that in no instance you have discussed directly with me.”

He said von der Leyen had “offered, as a political trade-off, an allegedly more influential portfolio for France in the future College.”

“You will now be proposed a different candidate,” he said.

“In light of these latest developments -- further testimony to questionable governance -- I have to conclude that I can no longer exercise my duties in the College,” Breton wrote.

“I am therefore resigning from my position as European Commissioner, effective immediately.”

One of the EU’s most influential figures, Breton has been the bloc’s internal market commissioner since 2019 and has taken a hard line against abuses by the world’s biggest digital platforms.

His portfolio also included defense and space, overseeing a defense industry push and marshalling the production of Covid jabs.

The former CEO of France Telecom had been tipped to get a promotion to be a commission vice president stewarding industrial growth.

Counterweight

The 69-year-old was seen by Paris as a key counterweight to Berlin’s influence at the heart of the EU.

“Over the past five years, I have relentlessly striven to uphold and advance the common European good, above national and party interests,” Breton wrote in announcing his resignation.

“It has been an honor.”

How the 27-member commission’s portfolios are divvied up will send a strong signal regarding the EU’s political direction and the relative influence of each member state -- after EU parliament elections marked by far right gains.

Von der Leyen has been leaning on member countries to put forward more women to make up the bloc’s executive arm, after most -- including France -- ignored her request for a choice between one man and one woman candidate.

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2024/09/16/france-s-breton-quits-eu-commission-citing-reappointment-row-with-von-der-leyen