Is von der Leyen ready for bruising budget battles?
The Commission president's challenge now is to advance her agenda with a fragile majority and against an energized opposition. And with bruising battles ahead over the next long-term budget and a looming trade war with the US the pressure is only mounting. Can von der Leyen deliver?
Questions for our guests this week: Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, Irish member of the European Parliament for the Renew Europe Group, Philipp Lausberg, senior analyst at the European Policy Centre and Klaus Welle, chairman of the Academic Council at the Wilfried Martens Centre.
On the surface, it was a good day for Ursula von der Leyen. A solid majority of members of the European Parliament expressed their trust in her.
To achieve this result, however, the German Christian Democrat had to expend considerable political capital to buy concessions from the Socialists and Democrats to keep them on board.
It worked this time, but her center-left allies made it clear that, from now on, they expect her to stick to agreed policies, for example on climate.
A policy that has put von der Leyen increasingly at odds with her own EPP led by her nemesis Manfred Weber.
Brussels watchers predict lively discussions on the fate of the 2040 emission targets as well as laborious budget negotiations in the months to come. The question is: how messy will it get?
The second topic: The surge in migration flows from Libya that Greece is currently experiencing could easily evolve into the EU's crisis of the summer. Last week, on the island of Crete alone, almost 500 migrants arrived per day.
Athens announced stricter measures, suspending asylum requests for three months.
The government's goal is to discourage people in Libya from beginning the dangerous journey across the sea. But for that you need the cooperation of the Libyans. That's what an EU delegation was trying to accomplish when they were kicked out of the country by a local warlord over protocol issues.
That begs the question: how serious a partner is Libya for Europe and how to deal with a failed state?
Finally, the panel discussed the relationship between the EU and China that caught in a cycle of disgruntlement - and it doesn't appear to be getting any better. Restricted market access, trade imbalances or China's support of Russia in its war against Ukraine: pick your favorite dispute.
That's the backdrop against the upcoming EU-China summit in Beijing next week. But as Donald Trump's shadow is looming large, some suggest Brussels should work toward a reset of relations with the Chinese.
Initially, the summit was planned to run for two days in Brussels, now it's only one day in Beijing. Xi Jinping refused to come to Brussels and he will most likely not participate in the summit. Also, no joint statement is planned.
What needs to be done to overcome years of frustration and scepticism?
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Euronews
an hour ago
- Euronews
Tensions, clashes and low expectations loom over EU-China summit
The summit between the European Union and China, scheduled to take place on Thursday, comes at a pivotal moment for both sides. On paper, at least. Donald Trump's return to the White House has upended the geopolitical chessboard, undermining age-old alliances, inflaming simmering tensions and throwing global trade into head-spinning turmoil. The chaos is such that Brussels and Beijing, long at odds over a string of disagreements and recriminations, began toying with the idea of resetting ties and reinforcing cooperation to weather the Trump-induced storm. The fact that the summit coincided with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations only added to the speculation of an impending rapprochement. In May, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the anniversary offered a chance to "properly handle frictions and differences, and open up a brighter future for China-EU relations". Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, and António Costa, the president of the European Council, played to the prevailing narrative, committing themselves to "deepening our partnership with China". But then the tide shifted and the tone soured. Beijing's decision to restrict exports of rare earths, the metallic elements that are crucial for manufacturing advanced technologies, caused widespread alarm across European industry and was rebuked by von der Leyen. "China is using this quasi-monopoly not only as a bargaining chip, but also weaponising it to undermine competitors in key industries," she said at the G7 summit in June. "We all witnessed the cost and consequences of China's coercion." Beijing immediately hit back at the Commission chief, calling her speech "baseless" and "biased", but offered an olive branch to build a "win-win" partnership. The damage was done, however. By the time von der Leyen and Costa meet with Xi on Thursday, there are scant expectations for any concrete solution. Hopes are so low for the meeting that officials in Brussels point to the fact of the one-day summit in Beijing happening at all as an achievement. (Under protocol rules, the summit was supposed to happen on EU soil, as both sides take turns as hosts.) "For the EU, the deliverable is a substantive, open and direct conversation between the two of us on every aspect of our relationship," a senior official said last week, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of the occasion. A second senior official described the summit as a "unique opportunity" to communicate the bloc's concerns with the view of obtaining results "in the short term". "We go there with the expectation that the Chinese will first understand our concerns and, second, take concrete actions to meet our concerns," the official said. "Otherwise, we will have to defend our own interests." No-limits friction There are certainly no shortage of issues to be resolved, with myriad disputes straining EU-China relations since the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the extensive list of friction points, which range from cyberattacks against state agencies to human rights violations, two stand out: Beijing's "no-limits" partnership with Moscow and the trade imbalances caused by industrial overcapacity. For the past three years, Europeans have been aghast at seeing a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council stand firmly by the side of an aggressor nation in breach of the core principles of the UN Charter. Brussels has repeatedly accused China of acting as the "key enabler" behind Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and supplying 80% of the components that the Kremlin uses to manufacture weapons. Several Chinese entities have been targeted by the bloc for enabling the circumvention of economic sanctions. Last week, two Chinese banks were blacklisted, triggering Beijing's fury. "We urge the EU to stop harming the lawful interests of Chinese companies without any factual basis," said Guo Jiakun, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry. "China will do what is necessary to firmly safeguard the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies," he added. Von der Leyen and Costa are set to raise Ukraine during their face-to-face meeting with Xi, however unlikely their pleas are to be heard. The Chinese leader has shown no signs of wanting to disengage from Russia, attending Vladimir Putin's Victory Day parade earlier this year as guest of honour. "We can say that China is de facto enabling Russia's war economy. We cannot accept this," von der Leyen said earlier this month. "How China continues to interact with Putin's war will be a determining factor for EU-China relations going forward." An 'unsustainable' relation On trade, the stakes are equally high – and the expectations, equally low. The bloc has grown increasingly anxious about its ballooning deficit with China, which last year surpassed €300 billion in goods. The figure risks expanding in 2025 due to sluggish demand from Chinese consumers and Trump's prohibitively high tariffs. The European Commission has set up a special task force to monitor the potential diversion of Chinese products from the US to the EU market. The executive is also keeping a close eye on Beijing's lavish use of subsidies, which have been blamed for artificially lowering prices to the detriment of European competitors. "The present situation is unsustainable. We need rebalancing," said a senior official. The dispute came to a boil in October when the EU slapped steep duties on China-made electric vehicles (EVs) to offset the effects of state aid. Decrying the measure as a "naked act of protectionism", Beijing responded with probes into EU-made brandy, pork and dairy, which Brussels then denounced as unfair and unjustified. Another recurring grievance among Europeans is the regulatory barriers that China has erected to encroach upon the private sector and give preference to domestic companies. The row recently led the Commission to exclude Chinese providers of medical devices from European public tenders. Beijing retaliated with a similar ban. Initially, the July summit was considered the stage to reach a common understanding on these open fronts and announce tentative solutions to some of them. While the disputes will still be addressed as part of the busy agenda, the rise in tensions indicates they will remain unresolved as neither side believes the other is ready to relent. The only deliverable that von der Leyen and Costa can reasonably hope for is a joint declaration on climate action ahead of the UN climate conference later this year. Substantial concessions in other fields are improbable, warns Alicja Bachulska, a policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). "Beijing appears confident that time is on its side," Bachulska said. "China's strategic calculus, dominated by its rivalry with the US, currently assesses the EU as too internally fractured to exert meaningful pressure or leverage on Beijing, thereby closing any perceived 'window of opportunity' for a significant reset in relations, despite US actions."
France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
More than 80% of Tuvalu seeks Australian climate visa
Australia is offering visas to Tuvalu citizens each year under a climate migration deal Canberra has billed as "the first agreement of its kind anywhere in the world". "We received extremely high levels of interest in the ballot with 8,750 registrations, which includes family members of primary registrants," the Australian high commission in Tuvalu said in a statement. The figure is equal to 82 percent of the country's 10,643 population, according to census figures collected in 2022. "With 280 visas offered this program year, it means that many will miss out," the commission said. One of the most climate-threatened corners of the planet, scientists fear Tuvalu will be uninhabitable within the next 80 years. Two of the archipelago's nine coral atolls have already largely disappeared under the waves. The figures were released hours before a landmark decision by the world's top court in The Hague laying out what legal obligations countries have to prevent climate change and whether polluters should pay up for the consequences. The case, which has been brought by Pacific nations, could reshape climate justice, with major impacts on laws around the world. 'First agreement of its kind' Australia and Tuvalu signed the groundbreaking Falepili Union in 2024, part of Canberra's efforts to blunt China's expanding reach in the region. Under that pact, Australia opened a new visa category specially set aside for citizens of Tuvalu who will be selected at random. "Australia recognises the devastating impact climate change is having on the livelihoods, security, and wellbeing of climate vulnerable countries and people, particularly in the Pacific region," Australia's foreign affairs department told AFP last month. "This is the first agreement of its kind anywhere in the world, providing a pathway for mobility with dignity as climate impacts worsen." It will also provide Tuvaluans the choice to live, study and work in Australia. Tuvalu citizens, including those living outside the country, were eligible to be included in the ballot if they are aged over 18 and pay a Aus$25 fee (US$16). The visa deal has been hailed as a landmark response to the looming challenge of climate-forced migration. The Falepili pact commits Australia to defending Tuvalu in the face of natural disasters, health pandemics and "military aggression". "For the first time, there is a country that has committed legally to come to the aid of Tuvalu, upon request, when Tuvalu encounters a major natural disaster, a health pandemic or military aggression," Tuvalu Prime Minister Feleti Teo said at the time. "Again, for the first time there is a country that has committed legally to recognise the future statehood and sovereignty of Tuvalu despite the detrimental impact of climate changed-induced sea level rise." The agreement also gives Australia a say in any other defence pacts Tuvalu signs with other countries, raising concerns at the time that the Pacific nation was handing over its sovereignty.
LeMonde
5 hours ago
- LeMonde
China rebukes EU over Russia sanctions targeting its banks
China's commerce minister lodged "solemn representations" to his EU counterpart over two Chinese banks' inclusion in the bloc's sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine war, Beijing said Wednesday, July 23. EU bosses Antonio Costa and Ursula von der Leyen will be in Beijing on Thursday for talks with top Chinese leaders over tense topics like trade and the war in Ukraine, but in which few concrete outcomes are expected. The summit comes less than a week after the European Union adopted a sweeping new package of sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine war, looking to pile more pressure on the Kremlin by lowering a price cap for Moscow's oil exports. The 18 th round of economic measures from Europe against Russia since its 2022 invasion comes as allies hope US President Donald Trump follows through on his threat to punish Moscow for stalling peace efforts. Among other targets, sanctions will be placed on a Russian-owned oil refinery in India and two Chinese banks as the EU seeks to curb Moscow's ties with international partners. And in talks with EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic on Tuesday, the Chinese commerce ministry said Commerce Minister Wang Wentao "made solemn representations regarding the inclusion of two Chinese financial institutions in the EU's 18 th round of sanctions against Russia." Brussels says China's deepening political and economic relations with Russia since the 2022 invasion represent tacit support for Moscow that has helped its economy weather sweeping Western sanctions. China denies the claims.
