Latest news with #EuropeanPeople'sParty
Ya Biladi
5 days ago
- Business
- Ya Biladi
European People's Party demands urgent review of EU Morocco trade deal
The European People's Party (EPP) has called for an urgent review of the trade agreement between the European Union and Morocco, warning of an «unacceptable imbalance» in the European fruit and vegetable market, particularly affecting southern Spain. The remarks were made before the Petitions Committee in the European Parliament. MEP Carmen Crespo urged the introduction of mandatory customs quotas and effective reciprocity mechanisms, along with stricter monitoring and the exclusion of any products originating from Western Sahara, in line with the October 2024 ruling by the European Court of Justice. The ruling reaffirmed that Western Sahara is a «separate and distinct territory» from Morocco and cannot be included in trade agreements without the consent of its people. Crespo highlighted an 18% increase in Moroccan tomato imports, from 492,000 to roughly 580,000 tons, blaming this surge for a collapse in prices faced by European producers, who, she argued, are unable to compete with products that fall short of EU social and environmental standards. She also raised concerns about potential tax evasion amounting to an estimated €70 million, criticizing the reduction of customs duties rather than updating entry prices for Moroccan goods, and condemned the practice of labeling Western Saharan exports as Moroccan. Crespo called for the activation of EU safeguard measures and financial compensation from Morocco should tax evasion be confirmed. She also criticized what she described as the «inaction» of certain EU governments, particularly Spain, for failing to protect the interests of local farmers.
Euractiv
07-07-2025
- Business
- Euractiv
Ireland's Donohoe re-elected Eurogroup president
Ireland's Paschal Donohoe was re-elected as president of the Eurogroup on Monday, just hours after Spain's Carlos Cuerpo and Lithuania's Rimantas Šadžius pulled out of the race to lead the powerful group of eurozone ministers. The Irishman, who hails from the same centre-right European People's Party political family as European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, secured all twenty votes from the single currency area's finance ministers, three diplomats said. He will now lead the group for a third two-and-a-half year term. Cuerpo and Šadžius, both socialists, had withdrawn their candidacies after failing to garner sufficient support from other member states. In a statement, Donohoe pledged to be "a genuine and honest broker" who will ensure that "all voices and positions are taken into account". "It will be my task to further strengthen our common currency area and facilitate tangible progress on our key work streams during this next mandate – from budgetary coordination to the Capital Markets Union, and from the digital euro to the Banking Union," he added. Established in 1997, the Eurogroup played a critical role in determining economic policy during the eurozone crisis in the 2010s, although its influence has faded somewhat in recent years as the bloc's economic fortunes have largely improved. The group typically meets once a month, usually in Brussels, on the eve of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council, which includes economy and finance ministers from all 27 EU member states. (vib) UPDATE: Updated to include confirmation of diplomats and quotes from Donohoe.
Euronews
06-07-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Ireland, Lithuania and Spain: Who will lead the Eurogroup next?
Ireland, Lithuania and Spain are vying for leadership of the Eurogroup on Monday, which chairs the monthly meetings of the 20 eurozone finance ministers and plays a key role in coordinating and influencing the Council's economic policy decisions. Over the past two decades, the Eurogroup has had only four permanent presidents: Luxembourg's Jean-Claude Juncker (2005–2013), the Netherlands' Jeroen Dijsselbloem (2013–2018), Portugal's Mário Centeno (2018–2020), and Ireland's Paschal Donohoe. Since 2020, the position has been held by Donohoe, a member of the influential European People's Party (EPP). But for his potential third term, the Irishman is being challenged by the socialist finance ministers of Spain and Lithuania, Carlos Cuerpo and Rimantas Šadžius, who are offering an alternative vision for the next two and a half years. The vote on Monday will be held in secret. To win, a candidate must secure at least eleven out of twenty votes. Cuerpo offers a 'renewed' and ambitious agenda The Spanish contender, Carlos Cuerpo, is an economist with a PhD and previous experience at the European Commission and Spain's fiscal watchdog, AIReF. He has served as Spain's finance minister since late 2023, when he succeeded Nadia Calviño, who now leads the Luxembourg-based European Investment Bank. Cuerpo is not the first Spaniard to seek leadership of this informal group. Calviño ran against Donohoe in 2022, and Luis de Guindos—now Vice President of the European Central Bank—also tried to secure the role during his time as economy minister under a Spanish Popular Party government. In his motivation letter to fellow ministers, Cuerpo laid out an 'ambitious' and renewed agenda aimed at strengthening the eurozone's long-term growth, completing the capital markets union, boosting the international role of the euro, and finalizing the banking union. 'The time has come to move from discussion to delivery. The credibility of our collective project depends not on what we say, but on what we achieve—together, and without delay,' Cuerpo wrote. Earlier this month, Spain—along with Germany, France, and Italy—presented a discussion paper arguing that although the Eurogroup has been effective during crises, it has often lacked decisiveness in other areas, particularly in advancing the capital markets union. As a Spanish socialist, the 44-year-old finance minister has also supported issuing new common debt to strengthen Europe's defence capabilities. He has called for doubling the EU's next long-term budget—from 1% of the bloc's GDP—to fund both traditional priorities, such as agriculture and cohesion, and new ones, including security, defence, and the green and digital transitions. Several diplomatic sources suggest the real contest is between Cuerpo and Donohoe. However, Cuerpo's political family is in the minority within the Eurogroup, and his more transformative proposals may face resistance from fiscally conservative countries like Germany and the Netherlands. Paschal Donohoe: 'predictability' in times of crisis Amid soaring trade tensions and a war on the EU's borders, Paschal Donohoe tells his 19 finance peers in a letter seeking their support that the global economy is at 'a pivotal juncture'. Despite all the challenges, the Irishman argues that the Eurogroup remains a source of predictability, stability and transparency. He also praised the achievements of recent years under his leadership, while warning that more work is needed. "The changing external environment gives us the impetus and imperative to progress on long-standing issues and deliver on our shared priorities," he said, promising to remain an honest broker in the group's negotiations. If he is re-elected, he plans to deepen the European capital markets, make progress on the digital euro, promote greater dynamism in integration, and continue to invest in security cooperation. 'An awful lot can happen in a number of weeks in the world that we're in, but I am encouraged by the support I've currently received,' the Irish finance minister told Euronews in a recent interview. Šadžius calls for a less concentrated capital markets union In the race for the presidency of the Eurogroup, Rimantas Šadžius is the wild card. Despite being a highly experienced finance minister from Lithuania, he faces two main disadvantages: he belongs to the socialist political family—meaning he competes for the same pool of votes as Carlos Cuerpo—and he is seeking the backing of smaller countries, a constituency Paschal Donohoe has long cultivated. Šadžius has served as a member of the Luxembourg-based European Court of Auditors, and has played a leading role in Lithuania's accession to the eurozone since 2015. He also chaired ECOFIN during Lithuania's presidency of the Council of the EU in 2013, a period marked by key decisions on the creation of the Banking Union. Diplomatic sources suggest Šadžius could attract support from EU member states closest to Russia's border, but he is not expected to gain enough votes to win the race. In his letter to fellow ministers, the Lithuanian candidate pledges to promote deeper integration of member states into the euro area, avoid overlaps with the European Council's agenda, ensure fiscal sustainability, and accelerate the rollout of the digital euro. Like his rivals, Šadžius commits to completing both the banking union and the capital markets union. However, he stresses the need to address the fact that the latter remains 'heterogeneous and more concentrated in Western and Northern Europe.'
Budapest Times
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Budapest Times
Menczer: Zelensky wants different Hungarian government while Brussels prepares ‘secret service actions against Hungary'
Tamás Menczer, the Fidesz-Christian Democrat parties' communications director, said in a post on Facebook on Tuesday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants a different Hungarian government, while Brussels is preparing 'secret service actions against Hungary'. Brussels, he added, was piqued because Hungary 'said no to Ukraine's EU membership and does not support pro-Ukrainian and pro-war policies'. Referring to European People's Party head Manfred Weber and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, he said 'Weber and von der Leyen have sent a clear message.' The Fidesz politician added: 'Zelensky, too, has sent a message. He wants a change of government!' He said Zelensky wanted 'a puppet government' headed by Peter Magyar of the Tisza Party, because they supported Ukraine's EU accession bid. 'Weber, von der Leyen and Zelensky, together, want to topple the sovereigntist Orban government. Viktor Orban is in their way because the Hungarian prime minister does not bow to the will of Brussels and Ukraine,' he said. 'Instead, he protects Hungarian interests.' Fully 2.2 million people in the Vote 2025 survey said Hungary came first, not Ukraine, he added. Menczer said he planned to release a video today that proved his statement about 'Weber and Zelensky's threats'.
Budapest Times
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Budapest Times
PM: Weber cannot threaten the national government of Hungary
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said European People's Party head Manfred Weber 'cannot threaten the national government of Hungary or order its prime minister about.' The prime minister said in a post on social media that he was hardly surprised by Weber's declaration that he was 'fed up with' unanimous decision-making in the EU. PM Orbán said the EPP head was used to ordering about and blackmailing 'his puppet', the Tisza Party leader, who relied on Weber not to lift his immunity as an MEP and face prosecution in Hungary for 'common-law crimes', but the 'Hungarophobe' could not go over the heads of more than two million Hungarians on the issue of Ukraine, PM Orbán added. In a recent interview with a German website, Weber called for the creation of a 'coalition of the willing', saying he was 'fed up with Viktor Orbán', adding, 'Europe's ability to act depends on whether or not the principle of unanimity can be abolished.'
