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Volcanoes, rockets and a TTIP shark: The best of 2015 Christmas cards
There are many ways to share the Christmas spirit. Some lobbyists send out boxes of deluxe chocolates. Some employers hand out champagne. For politicians and those who work with them, the simplest and...
View ArticleFrench newspaper: Unlikely that Farage’s car was sabotaged
A report in French newspaper Liberation has cast doubt on a claim by Nigel Farage, the leader of the Euroskeptic United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), that his car was sabotaged, leading to a road...
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New Dutch EU presidency vows tough line on refugees
AMSTERDAM — Tough on migration numbers, soft on Poland: those were the two takeaway EU messages Thursday as the Dutch government launched its presidency of the bloc, which it will hold for the next six...
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POLITICO Brussels Playbook Plus: Parliament’s political playground — FARAGE...
COMPETITION HEATING UP IN PARLIAMENT: Antonio Tajani may have some serious competition when it comes to taking over the European Parliament throne. We hear that European People’s Party group chairman...
View ArticleGreece pitches ‘new social contract’
The Greek government plans a radical shake-up of the country’s pension system in a bid to impress the markets and press the reset button on its relationship with its EU partners. However, instead of...
View ArticleItalian consumer groups join fight against McDonald’s
McDonald’s faces flak on another regulatory front after a coalition of Italian consumer advocates filed an antitrust complaint Tuesday, claiming the fast-food giant is abusing its “dominant position”...
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Secret legal opinion inflames China trade fight
The European Commission’s legal service has recommended that China be granted “market economy status” under EU trade law in a move likely to inflame relations with the United States and European...
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POLITICO Brussels Playbook Plus: Political DOGFIGHT — OBAMA and the ‘E’ word...
WHO LET THE DOGS OUT?: If 2015 was the year of the grumble about a possible extended term for European Parliament President Martin Schulz (above left), then 2016 is the year of the roar. Opposition to...
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Cameron pushes for ‘best of both worlds’ in EU talks
DAVOS, Switzerland — David Cameron sold his EU renegotiation plan to the global elite Thursday as an “enormous prize,” saying he had a democratic mandate to deliver reform in Europe. The British prime...
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POLITICO Brussels Playbook Plus: COMMISSION soundbites — ITALIAN power play —...
DAVOS DOWN-LOW … LEO’S A MAMMA’S BOY: While all the world leaders, CEOs and hangers-on at Davos were hoping just to brush shoulders with Leonardo DiCaprio, the A-lister actually requested a meeting...
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Private sector tries to fill EU void on refugees
From Brussels to Helsinki to the refugee camps of the Middle East, private-sector activists are pushing their own solutions to Europe’s migration crisis to address what they say is an urgent need to...
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POLITICO Brussels Playbook Plus: Parliament Candyland — Bill Gets’ EU...
DAVOS: WHERE INCLUSION BECOMES EXCLUSION: Feathers ruffled Friday in Davos when a group of guests to a Microsoft event on LGBT inclusion were told they were not allowed to enter the venue by World...
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POLITICO Brussels Playbook Plus — Obama Photo Bomb — EU Spam-a-Lot — Budget...
KIM DARROCH, SERVING HER MAJESTY ONE ROBOTIC PHOTO AT A TIME: Poor Kim Darroch, the fun-loving, charming former U.K. permanent representative to the EU who got his chance to meet President Barack Obama...
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‘You’re reprimanded!’
NASHUA, New Hampshire — To an overseas visitor making his first foray into U.S. presidential politics, the campaign trail showed off a dark and defensive America. Where was all that sunny optimism —...
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POLITICO Brussels Playbook Plus — UKIP Racism Row — Light at the end of the...
RACISM ROW IN UKIP GROUP: The European Parliament is investigating claims by a British U.K. Independence Party staffer of racist harassment from a colleague within the Europe of Freedom and Direct...
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Playbook’s power matrix
This week’s EU summit will test leaders’ mettle (and patience) on two issues threatening European solidarity: Brexit and the migration crisis. Here, POLITICO’s Ryan Heath plots the political power at...
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POLITICO Brussels Playbook Plus — CAMERON on edge — STYE WARS — GREEK weed
CAMERON on edge — STYE WARS — BREXIT, the musical — GREEK weed — COMMISSION fast-track on trade ANXIOUS DAVE: David Cameron has been using pity points as his latest tactic to win the support of EU...
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POLITICO Brussels Playbook Plus — SCHULZ AT THE PUMP — EP SALAD daze — SUMMIT...
CAN SCHULZ PUMP POLITICAL JUICE OUT OF DIESELGATE? If Antonio Tajani, the European People’s Party’s likely candidate for president of the European Parliament, gets dragged through the mud during the...
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Watchdog slams EU migration management as ineffective
The European Union’s spending on migration policy prior to 2014 and before the current crisis was ineffective and lacked clear goals, according to a report released Thursday by the EU’s Court of...
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POLITICO Brussels Playbook Plus — SCHULZ’S TRIP ADVISER — LIMOGATE — WHO’S...
SCHULZ DEFENDS STAFFER’S TRAVEL AGENT ‘HOBBY': Marine Le Pen and Martin Schulz have been fighting over who wastes more taxpayer resources. The most recent salvo in their war of words came after Le Pen...
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