Ashton shows her hand
In the end, the timing of the presentation of the blueprint for the EU’s new diplomatic service was more of a surprise than its contents. Months of bargaining had ensured that the outlines of the...
View ArticleMEPs urged to back EEAS
Senior representatives of the EU’s member states and of Catherine Ashton, the Union’s foreign policy chief, have been meeting senior MEPs, urging them to back a blueprint for the EU’s diplomatic...
View ArticleFlying the flag for Britain
Some familiar faces come to the fore. In the aftermath of the UK general election, some of the backstage participants in the campaigns came to the fore – and they proved to be familiar faces to...
View ArticleBrittan’s got talent
Former European Commissioner is still in demand. Leon Brittan, the former European commissioner for trade, will next week take up a six-month appointment as an adviser on trade to David Cameron, the...
View ArticleManagement merry-go-round
Newcomers frozen out again. Sweden will today name its next permanent representative to the European Union. Christian Danielsson, the current holder of the post, is returning to the European Commission...
View ArticleCommission reshuffles senior management
The European Commission has approved a reshuffle of senior managers affecting 23 positions across 13 departments. What is the third and biggest batch of appointments since the Commission came into...
View ArticleAttaching flags to senior managers
The creation of the European External Action Service set in train a series of changes during 2010 to senior management across the institutions of the European Union. Those filling the top positions in...
View ArticleMEPs look to block aid to EU states with lax controls
MEPs on the European Parliament’s budgetary control committee are threatening to withhold approval of the EU’s 2009 accounts unless the European Commission puts pressure on member states to improve how...
View ArticleToo important to move?
Senior management change jobs, but no move for Catherine Day. The European Commission’s decision on Tuesday (17 January) to move Heinz Zourek from the post of director-general of enterprise and...
View ArticleSocial-protection laws hit problems in Commission
László Andor, the European commissioner for employment, social affairs and inclusion, was scheduled to present to his fellow commissioners yesterday (8 February) legislative proposals on the right to...
View ArticleStalemate in talks on access to EU documents
The European Parliament and the Council of Ministers have broken off negotiations on revising the rules under which the public is granted access to European Union documents. Denmark, the current holder...
View ArticleVan Rompuy ‘deeply concerned’ about Romania
The president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, has expressed “deep concerns” about sweeping political changes in Romania and called on the Romanian government to take steps to allay concerns...
View ArticleCommission under fire over tobacco lobbying
Members of the European Parliament have challenged the European Commission to explain its various contacts with the tobacco industry, and are urging the Parliament to set up a special committee of...
View ArticleCommission ‘holding back’ ban on plastic carrier bags
A long-awaited proposal to allow member states to ban plastic carrier bags without contravening single-market rules is being held back by the European Commission’s secretary-general, according to...
View ArticleHeld to account
Next week (18-19 March), the European Parliament’s budgetary-control committee is scheduled to approve reports on the spending in 2011 of the European Union’s institutions and bodies. The reports will...
View ArticleLeak of OLAF’s Dalli inquiry raises heat on Commission
The unauthorised publication this week of the results of an investigation by OLAF, the European Union’s anti-fraud office, into John Dalli has forced the European Commission to defend its decision to...
View ArticleMEPs seek to question secretary-general of the Commission
The European Parliament’s budgetary control committee is to invite the European Commission’s most senior official to appear to discuss allegations that led to the resignation of John Dalli as Malta’s...
View ArticleBack to Brussels
Rory Montgomery, who marshalled business as Ireland’s permanent representative to the EU, is not resting on his laurels. The laurels awarded at the end of Ireland’s presidency of the Council of...
View ArticleCameron vows to confront EU over ‘harmful’ red tape
The British government says that European Union regulation is hampering economic growth, and has urged EU leaders to do more to ease the burden on businesses. A government-backed report by business...
View ArticleCommission proposes 40% emissions target for 2030
The European Commission unveiled a long-awaited proposal for 2030 climate targets today (22 January), confirming plans not to renew the current 20-20-20 strategy for the following decade. In 2008 Jose...
View ArticleParliament wraps up spending hearings
The committee’s lead MEPs will now finalise their reports prior to discussion in the committee scheduled to start on 17 February. The committee is expected to adopt revised reports in mid-March and a...
View ArticlePaola Testori Coggi – Calvinist servant
It is not the burning ambition of most children to grow up to become a bureaucrat, yet Paola Testori Coggi is adamant that joining the public service was always among her goals. As a young girl she had...
View Article‘A once in a lifetime opportunity’
Anthony Luzzatto Gardner is clearly relishing his early days as the US ambassador to the EU. He describes it as his “dream job” – and the only diplomatic post that he wanted. “For me this was a once in...
View ArticleMEPs worried by Commission restructuring
MEPs have voiced concern at some of the changes to the European Commission’s departmental structure announced by Jean-Claude Juncker, the Commission’s president-designate, last week. They are...
View ArticleDalligate — Frame by frame
*** Correction: This timeline has been updated because it mistakenly suggested that Swedish Match was involved in an effort to bribe Commissioner Dalli. Here is the response from Swedish Match.
View ArticleHello again, Dalli
The “Dalligate” lobbying scandal — which tarnished the European Commission’s reputation and set the scene for an ongoing overhaul of the EU’s transparency rules — returned to the headlines this week...
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Dalligate — Frame by frame
The events date back to 2012 — but the ‘Dalligate’ lobbying scandal still acts as a dark cloud hanging over EU officials heads, reminding them of the damage that shady lawmaking can do. The case of...
View ArticleCatherine Day to stay
As Brussels awaits the result of a high-stakes reshuffling of top European Commission staff expected to be announced by President Jean-Claude Juncker at the end of June, one name is locked in....
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Commission shakes up top management
The European Commission announced a reshuffling of its senior management positions on Wednesday, replacing not only the institution’s top staffer but also key officials in a dozen different...
View Article(Greek) Mission: Impossible
Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results. That’s a trap the European Commission wants to avoid as it mobilizes a new team of experts to...
View ArticleBrexit task force leader Jonathan Faull to retire
The European Commission’s most senior British official, Jonathan Faull, said Tuesday he will retire in January after a 38-year career in the institution that included a high-profile but unsuccessful...
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