Western Europe Archives

Germany will detain asylum-seekers "close to its border" and fast-track deportations if they are to be returned to other EU countries, the German government announced on Tuesday (10 September) as it seeks to crack down on irregular migration. 

French Rassemblement National (RN) sweetheart Jordan Bardella allegedly drafted falsified documents to prove he was working as a part-time MEP assistant while he was actually working for the party, an investigation by French daily Libération found.

Following increased political pressure, German interior minister Nancy Faeser announced on Monday (9 September) that she will introduce checks at all border crossings and developed a model to refuse entry to irregular migrants.

French far-right party Rassemblement National (RN) has vowed not to oppose President Emmanuel Macron's pick for prime minister, said party figurehead Marine Le Pen and party leader Jordan Bardella over the weekend, adding that Michel Barnier would instead be judged on his performance.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for a peace conference with Russia on Sunday, a move the far-right AfD saw as a sign the government was bowing to its pressure.

Germany will consider new measures to turn away irregular migrants arriving from other EU countries, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said on Thursday (5 September), as pressure on the government to tackle irregular migration continues to mount.

The election of former European Commissioner and Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has caused a stir in France, but has been met with more measured reactions abroad, where he is no stranger - even if this means overlooking his more recent Eurosceptic stances.

Germany’s GDP growth forecast was downgraded to zero percent by a leading think tank on Thursday (5 September), amid growing fears that weak productivity and a sustained weakness in manufacturing could lead to weak growth becoming entrenched in Europe’s largest economy.

Germany's centre-right CDU party has cleared the way for coalition talks with left-wing populist alliance BSW and the centre-left SPD in the state of Thuringia after regional elections narrowed the scope for a centrist formation.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government will face a stern electoral test this weekend, as the outcome of state elections in eastern Germany's Saxony and Thuringia could throw his federal coalition into doubt.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has signalled his willingness to hold talks with the opposition on irregular immigration, a hot-button issue that has reignited the country’s political landscape ahead of a crucial election weekend.

French President Emmanuel Macron is leaving political crisis-hit France on Thursday and Friday for a two-day trip to Serbia in the hope of selling fighter jets to President Aleksandar Vučić’s regime, despite Belgrade’s close relationship with Russia.

French President Emmanuel Macron's quest to form a coalition capable of governing the country looks to have reached an impasse, as a backlash against ministers from the controversial LFI party and Macron's inability to appoint a majority of his own members to his coalition government are making things difficult.

In the wake of a deadly knife attack in Germany, the main opposition party is urging Chancellor Olaf Scholz to abandon the government's immigration policy and work together to implement a series of tough measures to curb the influx of migrants.

The Ukraine war is a dominant issue for voters in two state elections scheduled for 1 September in the East German states of Thuringia and Saxony, despite having little sway in foreign policy, lead candidates of multiple parties said on Wednesday (21 August).

It is time to turn the page on President Emmanuel Macron and LFI leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Raphael Glucksmann, the French Socialist leader in the European Parliament, said in an interview with Le Point.

Leaders of the leftist France insoumise (LFI) party have threatened to initiate impeachment proceedings against President Emmanuel Macron for what they describe as an “institutional coup against democracy” in the appointment of the next prime minister.

Due to budgetary constraints, Germany will not give Ukraine any fresh cash, as, according to the government, support should primarily be financed from interest on frozen Russian assets.

After coming second in the early legislative elections of 30 June and 7 July, the Macon-backed coalition managed to keep the presidency of the National Assembly, thanks to the support of right-wing MPs.

After several EU countries announced a boycott of the upcoming informal council meeting in Hungary, Germany seems ready to follow suit as not a single minister will travel to Budapest to attend the meeting.

Germany will not provide fighter jets to Ukraine, the government made clear on Monday after Friedrich Merz, leader of the main opposition party, suggested as much.

Ahead of a discussion on the future of cohesion policy with German Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP/Renew) in Brussels on Monday (15 July), Bavarian CSU has warned against centralising the funds, mulled by the Commission, or cuts, mulled by Berlin.

The Brussels Court of Appeal has rejected Belgian lobbyist Frédéric Baldan's attempt to block Ursula von der Leyen from getting a second term as Commission president.

As EU Socialists urge Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to stick to the 2035 ban on new petrol cars, German Transport Minister Volker Wissing warned that refusing to reverse the ban would be a "gigantic electoral fraud".