Tag: Ursula von der Leyen

EU plans Sept 30 summit to greenlight emergency energy plans

– September 13, 2022

European Union energy ministers will attempt to approve new bloc-wide measures to pull down soaring gas and power prices at an emergency summit on Sept. 30, after Brussels announces the proposals this week.

The European Commission is drafting a package of measures aimed at cushioning individuals and businesses from surging energy costs that are stoking record-high inflation, hampering industrial activity and inflicting sky-high bills upon households ahead of winter.

Czech Industry Minister Jozef Sikela said on Tuesday EU countries’ energy ministers will hold an emergency summit, giving countries an opportunity to sign off on the EU proposals – and overcome the divisions between countries on the best way to tackle the crisis.

“On September 30, we will finish what we started last week,” Czech Industry Minister Jozef Sikela said in a tweet, referring to a meeting where EU ministers debated the energy measures.

“I have just convened another extraordinary Energy Council to discuss the Commission’s proposals for dealing with high energy prices,” Sikela said.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen is expected to unveil the proposals in a speech on Wednesday – firing the starting gun on two weeks of intense negotiations, in which the EU’s 27 member countries will attempt to redraft the proposals into final laws that they can all approve.

A draft of the Commission proposals, seen by Reuters, would impose a cap on the revenues non-gas fuelled generators can make from selling their electricity, and force fossil fuel firms to share excess profits. Governments would be required to use the cash to help consumers and companies facing sky-high energy bills.

EU diplomats say there is broad support for the revenue cap for non-gas generators, as well as plans to impose electricity demand cuts. But countries are split over other ideas – including a gas price cap, which was not included in the draft Commission proposals.

https://www.ibtimes.co.uk

EU Chief Von der Leyen Says Europe Must Build the ‘Political Will’ for an EU Army

Kurt Zindulka – September 16, 2021

The European Union needs to build the “political will” to craft an army of its own, President Ursula von der Leyen said in her State of the Union speech on Wednesday.

Addressing the European Parliament in Brussels, the EU Commission chief said that in the wake of President Joe Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, the bloc should look towards the formation of a “European Defence Union”.

“In the last weeks, there have been many discussions on expeditionary forces. On what type and how many we need: battlegroups or EU entry forces. This is no doubt part of the debate – and I believe it will be part of the solution,” von der Leyen said.

“But the more fundamental issue is why this has not worked in the past… What has held us back until now is not just a shortfall of capacity – it is the lack of political will.

“And if we develop this political will, there is a lot that we can do at EU level.”

The former German defense minister argued for a more centralized command structure of the militaries of Europe rather than what she termed as the “fragmented” system in place now, saying: “This is why the EU could consider its own Joint Situational Awareness Centre to fuse all the different pieces of information.”

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Germany’s current defence minister, hailed the speech, writing: “Ursula von der Leyen is right… Real EU defence depends on the political will of member states. That’s why Germany and France must lead.”

The speech from the EU President comes amid a growing consensus in Brussels for a fully-fledged EU Army in the wake of Afghanistan.

https://www.breitbart.com

Brexit: Some progress, more gaps as UK, EU race to lock down trade deal

DW – December 18, 2020

Leaders from Britain and the European Commission did not take an overly optimistic tone following talks late Thursday over a trade deal that would keep the UK from crashing out of a transition period with the EU without a deal in place.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said “substantial progress” had been made on several issues, but fishing rights remained a point of contention. At the same time, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that a no-deal outcome was becoming “very likely.”

“We welcomed substantial progress on many issues. Yet big differences remain to be bridged, in particular on fisheries. Bridging them will be very challenging,” von der Leyen said following Thursday’s talks, adding that negotiations will continue on Friday.

With just days to go before the end-of-year deadline, Downing Street opted for a more pessimistic tone.

“The prime minister repeated that little time was left,” a spokesman for the British PM said. “He said that, if no agreement could be reached, the UK and the EU would part as friends, with the UK trading with the EU on Australian-style terms.”

Australia doesn’t have a free trade deal with the bloc.

https://www.dw.com

EU launches legal action against UK over Brexit bill

DW – October 1, 2020

The European Union launched a legal case against the United Kingdom on Thursday for a “breach of the good faith articles in the Withdrawal Agreement.”

The action is due to the UK’s new Internal Market Bill that undercuts the British government’s earlier legal commitments as part of the agreement, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

“We had invited our British friends to remove the problematic parts of their draft Internal Market Bill by the end of September,” von der Leyen said. “The deadline lapsed yesterday.”

London has one month in which to respond to the formal letter of complaint submitted by the Commission. The EU’s executive branch will then assess the answer before considering further action.

If the Commission deems the response to be unsatisfactory it then has the option of suing at the Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice.

Von der Leyen said it was “the first step in an infringement procedure.” A draft “letter of formal notice” has been finalized, meaning legal action is imminent.

The choice of words “leaves some wiggle room to walk this back,” said DW Brussels correspondent Barbara Wesel. “Negotiations about a trade deal are still going on, but they are not going well… and a trade deal cannot come into force if the Internal Market Bill passes.”

Michael Gove, the UK minister handling Brexit divorce issues, said “differences still remain” between Britain and the EU in trade talks, but that some advances had been made after the ninth round of negotiations between the two parties took place this week.

“We made progress in a number of areas and specialized committees will meet in the coming weeks, in order to conclude further work,” Gove told parliament.

https://www.dw.com

After Coronavirus Response Failures, Almost Half of Italians Want to Leave the EU

Chris Tomlinson – April 14, 2020

A Tecnè poll has revealed that Italians are becoming more and more critical of the European Union, with 49 per cent saying they want Italy out.

Just 51 per cent of the Italian public said they want to remain in the EU, which has been widely criticised across the country for lack of solidarity with Italy since the start of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak.

The poll is a far cry from previous surveys, according to newspaper Il Giornale, which cited a November 2018 study which showed consensus was far more favourable to the European Union, saying opposition to an Italian exit has fallen by 20 per cent in two years.

The EU reaction to the Italian coronavirus outbreak, which has led to the deaths of more than 20,000 people across the country so far, led to some Italians burning EU flags on social media and Italian politicians taking down EU flags from offices and public spaces in protest.

The reaction from Italians led European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to issue an apology earlier this month that was published by newspaper La Repubblica.

“It must be acknowledged that in the first days of the crisis, faced with the need for a common European response, too many have thought only of the problems of their own homes,” she said and added: “They did not realise that we can defeat this pandemic only together, as a Union. It was malicious behaviour and could have been avoided.”

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte later issued a warning to the EU saying that the political bloc may collapse if other member states do not act with solidarity and help countries most affected by coronavirus.

https://www.breitbart.com

EU Parliament Clears Brexit; UK Set to Leave Friday

Newsmax – January 29, 2020

The European Union grudgingly let go of the United Kingdom with a final vote Wednesday at the E.U.’s Parliament that ended the Brexit divorce battle and set the scene for tough trade negotiations in the year ahead.

In an emotion-charged session at the session in Brussels, lawmakers from all 28 E.U. countries expressed their love and sadness, while some, notably from Britain’s Brexit Party, their joy.

Some even cried and many held hands during a mournful rendition of the Auld Lang Syne farewell song that contrasted sharply with hard-headed exhortations that Britain won’t find it easy in the talks that will follow the country’s official departure on Friday.

“We will always love you and we will never be far,” said E.U. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Britain will leave the E.U. after 47 years of membership. It is the first country to leave and for many in Europe its official departure at 11 p.m. London time on Friday is a moment of enormous sadness and reduces the number in the bloc to 27.

With just two days to go until Brexit day, the legislature overwhelmingly approved Britain’s departure terms from the E.U. — 621 to 49 in favor of the Brexit deal that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson negotiated with the other 27 E.U. leaders in the fall of last year. The deal’s passage follows last week’s backing by the U.K.’s Parliament.

The Parliament’s chief Brexit official, Guy Verhofstadt, said that “this vote is not an adieu,” adding that it is “only an au revoir.”

https://www.newsmax.com