After Environment Commissioner Roswall delays EU forest law blaming IT issues, the Commission's VP Teresa Ribera tells us she's really not convinced. “There may be [IT problems] — I don't know." "I think that it is very controversial to give it up." www.politico.eu/article/euro...

Trump’s ICE agents tried to kidnap a food delivery worker in Chicago - but the guy was too fast for them.

📣 High-level seminar in preparation of the EU-AU Summit-jointly organised by boell.de (Debt Relief for a Green and Inclusive Recovery (DRGR) Project), Caritas Africa, @caritaseuropa.bsky.social, @idos-research.bsky.social, @misereor.bsky.social and @ettg.bsky.social: 🔗 lnkd.in/e22j6qVi

The Flemish government’s unexpected decision not to renew IOB’s agreement puts €2.64M funding, 32 jobs, key programmes and global partnerships at risk. Support us! https://bit.ly/saveIOB #saveIOB #developmentpolicy #developmentpolicy #iobcommunity

Turkish air surveillance systems to protect Polish and Romanian skies

Full text of prime minister's statement on the recognition of a Palestinian state www.gov.uk/government/s...

We are pleased to invite you to join us in Istanbul at the event jointly organized by ETTG, Stiftung Mercator, IDOS and IPC, titled: "New Directions in Development: Comparing the Engagement of Turkey, the EU, and China with the Global South". Please click here to register: forms.gle/ig7RGR5CRuGi...

“.. Quite a hot mic moment on CCTV in Beijing today as Putin and Xi, both 72 years old, are caught casually talking about living to 150 and maybe forever thanks to organ transplants. (As picked up by Bloomberg.)” (via @yarotrof.bsky.social)

So Weyand simply said the quiet part out loud, very much as expected.

Von der Leyen’s plane hit by suspected Russian GPS interference on.ft.com/4p2wEAO

Brief stop for a cup of tea in London on my way to Liverpool to attend the #UACES2025 conference. Looking forward to several panels on EU development policy co-organised with Simon Lightfoot and Sebastian Steingass, also starring my @idos-research.bsky.social colleague @mfurness.bsky.social

A rally in Alaska ahead of the meeting between President Trump and Putin.

The EU’s moral collapse

3 dagen geleden vloog ik met de Jordaanse luchtmacht mee tijdens een voedseldropping boven noordelijk Gaza. Hoe groot de vernietiging is? Oordeel zelf En lees hier de reportage: www.volkskrant.nl/buitenland/m...

I got an EU internal document that outlines the toothless nature of a Gaza aid "understanding" between the EU and Israel: non-binding, ambiguous, and difficult to monitor. euobserver.com/eu-and-the-w...

imho the only important thing about the UK government lowering the voting age to 16 is that a European government has woken up and pointed at young people saying "you exist!" and frankly that's non-trivial

💥Von der Leyen botches €2tn EU budget proposal with chaotic infighting, as Brussels officials & member state diplomats warn her centralised & top-down approach has compromised launch of the bloc’s biggest ever common budget w dreamteam @paolatamma.bsky.social & @bmoens.bsky.social on.ft.com/3IyMD8Y

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), is set to shrink by nearly 30% in real terms under the new Commission's proposed MFF. Via @sofiamazzanaro.bsky.social and @maria-simon.bsky.social

The #Commission’s proposal for the new #MultiannualFinancialFramework (#MFF) shows welcome ambition: more funding for defence, external action, and support to our friends in #Ukraine. But many questions remain on the details. Here’s my initial assessment. (1/)

Today we present the EU budget for 2028-2034. It's a budget for a new era, that matches Europe’s ambition. That addresses Europe’s challenges. That strengthens our independence.⁩

Just now: Israel has launched airstrikes targeting the Syrian Defense Ministry building in Damascus.

On the day that several countries and @eib.org launch a €220 million European Flagship Fund to support Ukraine's future reconstruction, a single handbag is sold in Paris for €8.6 million

Trump to the President of Liberia: "Such good English. Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?" English is the official language of Liberia...

Worrying draft for the European Competitiveness Fund, diluting earlier commitments to green transitions and lacking sufficient offers to trusted partners outside the EU. www.euractiv.com/wp-content/u... #ECF

Jaw-dropping reporting by Haaretz www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...

Yesterday we spoke at EU Parliament on the importance of a PCSD approach in EU Impact Assesments. 🔍 Voices of those most affected are ignored 🛑 Major environmental, social & labour harms are unaddressed 📊 SDG are cherry-picked 🔗 How do we fix this? Read our study to know: buff.ly/Sdp6T37

Transfer fees for money sent home by international migrants were nearly as high as US foreign aid in 2023

Irish Tanaiste Harris: US attack on Iran "a very unhelpful intervention" "Around attacks on nuclear installation, there are international laws that say you shouldn't do this. I'm also very clear that actually the US actions added a significant level of danger to an already volatile situation"

On 15 May, EU officials answered 6 MEPs incl. @barryandrewsmep.bsky.social‬ "As of today, there is no specific ‘plan’ nor decision for changing the EU Delegations’ structure (...)." www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/docume... @politico.eu reports EU staff were briefed about structure reforms yesterday

What an extraordinary, beautiful thing. Sometimes the only sensible response to scientific discovery is wonderment and awe.

"She was also Gaza’s youngest influencer, offering practical survival tips for daily life under bombardment, such as advice on how to cook with improvised methods when there was no gas. 'I try to bring a bit of joy to the other children so that they can forget the war. '”

It is good news that the #WorldHealthAssembly adopted the #PandemicPreventionAgreement today. It will help save lives and fight global health emergencies. Multilateralism works if all hands are on deck. #OneWorldOneHealth

Tomorrow European and African foreign ministers gather in Brussels to reflect on 25 years since the first Cairo Europe-Africa summit, current developments and future cooperation. Read our @ettg.bsky.social blog post about why it pays off to reflect on history too: ettg.eu/au-eu-relati...

This is bleak reading

Court of Justice of the EU finds in favour of the New York Times and Matina Stevis-Gridneff in the case of the Pfizer CEO-von der Leyen text messages. The Commission's decision not to release the messages (on the basis they were irrelevant) is ANNULLED. A setback for von der Leyen BUT... A short 🧵

Just awful awful wording from a PM

Die Wahl von Papst Leo XIV ist ein ganz besonderer Moment, der Milliarden Menschen miteinander verbindet. Der neue Papst will Brücken bauen und Dialog suchen für Frieden und eine gerechtere Welt. - Entwicklungsministerin @reemalabali.bsky.social 1/2

Early exit polls suggest the new pope did particularly well with male voters aged 45-79.

Chaos (ich fahre Bahn. Also gegebenenfalls)

Do you remember VDL describing the European Green Deal as "Europe's Man on the Moon Moment", back in December 2019? ec.europa.eu/commission/p... Also: "I am convinced that the old growth-model that is based on fossil-fuels and pollution is out of date, and it is out of touch with our planet."

Alarming article about the increasing use of degenerating AI in higher education

I imagine being in @europarl.europa.eu , asking the Commission for info about #GlobalGateway and getting these non-answers ("read the website", "wait for our annual report in December for information about 2024") after waiting more than a month: www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/docume...

Das #BMZ muss sich wandeln – "es hat in dieser Legislaturperiode vielleicht zum letzten Mal die Chance, seine Arbeit als zukunftsfähiges und eigenständiges Politikfeld zu erhalten." @heinerjanus.bsky.social & @avonschiller.bsky.social in @table.media: table.media/esg/standpun...

Voilà

Populism remains an important necessary concept to understand current political transformations. But analysts need to move away from it as the main focus. Authoritarian nativism, white supremacy, racism, sexism and fascism are the ideologies at the core of the current erosion of liberal democracy 1/

This is me sending that email from my laptop when I couldn't find my glasses

📖 Read here the latest @megatrends-afrika.de - #PolicyBrief by IDOS expert Hangwei Li: www.megatrends-afrika.de/en/publicati...

I imagine this will look slightly less vibrant and sparkly when you take it out of the fridge in the morning

A play in two acts.