Latest news with #EuropeanUnity
Washington Post
7 days ago
- Business
- Washington Post
Ursula von der Leyen honored with award for contributions to European unity
BERLIN — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen received the International Charlemagne Prize, an annual award for contributions to European unity, on Thursday as the 27-nation bloc confronts Russia's war against Ukraine, the Trump administration's trade war and security issues across the continent. The European Union's most high-profile political figure, von der Leyen was called 'the embodiment of the European spirit' by King Felipe VI of Spain during Thursday's ceremony in Aachen, Germany. Last year, European Parliament lawmakers reelected her to a second five-year term as president of the EU's powerful executive arm. Even if the European Commission's makeup has hardly become the talk of bar rooms or barber shops across the vast EU of 450 million people, it has enthralled the upper echelons of politics and bureaucracy, as they sought to boost one candidate or undermine another. The commission proposes legislation for the EU's 27 member countries and ensures that the rules governing the world's biggest trading bloc are respected. It's made up of a College of Commissioners with a range of portfolios similar to those of government ministers, including agriculture, economic, competition, security and migration policy. After coming to office in 2019, von der Leyen led the EU drive to secure COVID-19 vaccines and has been a major supporter of Ukraine in its war against Russia. With governments weakened in France and Germany at the time, she sought to play a greater role in the bloc's affairs.
The Independent
7 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Ursula von der Leyen honored with award for contributions to European unity
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen received the International Charlemagne Prize, an annual award for contributions to European unity, on Thursday as the 27-nation bloc confronts Russia 's war against Ukraine, the Trump administration's trade war and security issues across the continent. The European Union's most high-profile political figure, von der Leyen was called "the embodiment of the European spirit' by King Felipe VI of Spain during Thursday's ceremony in Aachen, Germany. Last year, European Parliament lawmakers reelected her to a second five-year term as president of the EU's powerful executive arm. Even if the European Commission's makeup has hardly become the talk of bar rooms or barber shops across the vast EU of 450 million people, it has enthralled the upper echelons of politics and bureaucracy, as they sought to boost one candidate or undermine another. The commission proposes legislation for the EU's 27 member countries and ensures that the rules governing the world's biggest trading bloc are respected. It's made up of a College of Commissioners with a range of portfolios similar to those of government ministers, including agriculture, economic, competition, security and migration policy. After coming to office in 2019, von der Leyen led the EU drive to secure COVID-19 vaccines and has been a major supporter of Ukraine in its war against Russia. With governments weakened in France and Germany at the time, she sought to play a greater role in the bloc's affairs.
Associated Press
7 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Ursula von der Leyen honored with award for contributions to European unity
BERLIN (AP) — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen received the International Charlemagne Prize, an annual award for contributions to European unity, on Thursday as the 27-nation bloc confronts Russia's war against Ukraine, the Trump administration's trade war and security issues across the continent. The European Union's most high-profile political figure, von der Leyen was called 'the embodiment of the European spirit' by King Felipe VI of Spain during Thursday's ceremony in Aachen, Germany. Last year, European Parliament lawmakers reelected her to a second five-year term as president of the EU's powerful executive arm. Even if the European Commission's makeup has hardly become the talk of bar rooms or barber shops across the vast EU of 450 million people, it has enthralled the upper echelons of politics and bureaucracy, as they sought to boost one candidate or undermine another. The commission proposes legislation for the EU's 27 member countries and ensures that the rules governing the world's biggest trading bloc are respected. It's made up of a College of Commissioners with a range of portfolios similar to those of government ministers, including agriculture, economic, competition, security and migration policy. After coming to office in 2019, von der Leyen led the EU drive to secure COVID-19 vaccines and has been a major supporter of Ukraine in its war against Russia. With governments weakened in France and Germany at the time, she sought to play a greater role in the bloc's affairs.
CTV News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
France accuses enemies of spreading fake news after ‘cocaine bag' claims
French President Emmanuel Macron visits the laboratory of French-Italian optics company Essilor Luxottica near Paris, France, Monday May 12, 2025. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP) President Emmanuel Macron's office has accused France's enemies of spreading fake news by suggesting that he and other European leaders had taken drugs on a train during a visit to Kyiv. Video footage published online showed Macron sitting at a table in a train compartment with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. In the footage, Macron removes a crumpled white object from the table. Some social media users suggested - without providing evidence - that the object was a 'cocaine' bag and Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova reposted the footage. Both Paris and Berlin rejected the allegation. Macron's Elysee office said the white object was a tissue. 'When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs,' the Elysee said in a post on X, above a picture of a tissue on the table captioned: 'This is a tissue. For blowing your nose.' 'This fake news is being spread by France's enemies, both abroad and at home. We must remain vigilant against manipulation,' the Elysee said, without identifying the enemies. 'We reject this absurd claim,' a German government spokesperson said when asked for comment on the matter by Reuters. 'It is indeed just a tissue,' Merz's conservative party, the CDU, wrote on X. 'Many sides are currently trying to influence public opinion through disinformation campaigns. Enemies of our democracy are specifically trying to weaken European unity and social cohesion.' Macron, Merz, Starmer and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Saturday in a show of solidarity with Kyiv more than three years into Russia's war in Ukraine. Zakharova wrote on Telegram: 'As in the joke, a Frenchman, an Englishman and a German boarded the train and ... got high. Apparently, so much so that they forgot to remove the accessories (a bag and a spoon) before the arrival of the journalists.' France has started to take a more forceful approach to countering online rumors. It has tasked its Viginum foreign disinformation watchdog with monitoring Russia-linked social media accounts and uncovering influence operations. French officials have also expressed concern about media accounts linked to the American alt-right. 'Our public debate is bombarded with Russian propaganda, relayed by the American far-right,' French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on X last week.
The Independent
12-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
France blasts ‘fake news' surrounding train photo with world leaders
The French government dismissed a Russian conspiracy theory alleging that European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and UK Prime Minster Keir Starmer, were using cocaine on a train to Ukraine. The claim, originating from a video showing Macron with a tissue and Merz with a coffee stirrer, was amplified by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Telegram. France publicly refuted the accusations on X (formerly Twitter), labeling it as disinformation spread by adversaries and emphasising European unity. This incident reflects a broader Russian disinformation campaign targeting European leaders, often portraying them as drug users to discredit their support for Ukraine. France has adopted a more proactive approach to countering such disinformation, directly addressing and debunking false narratives.
