World
French conservatives blast von der Leyen's 'technocratic drift'
Ahead of the congress of the European People’s Party (EPP), the French delegation has come strongly against the re-election bid of Ursula von der Leyen, denouncing her as “the candidate of Mr Macron and not the right.”
Von der Leyen is expected to be elected by acclamation as the EPP’s lead candidate for the elections of the European Parliament during a two-day congress in Bucharest, which kicks off on Wednesday. The nomination will make von der Leyen the indisputable frontrunner to preside over the European Commission for another five years.
But in a deliberately timed letter, the French delegation of the EPP from the Les Républicains (“The Republicans”) party, published a scathing letter blasting von der Leyen’s policy legacy and leaving no doubt of their opposition to her re-election.
Les Républicains are in opposition in the French Assembly and support President Emmanuel Macron’s liberal government on a case-by-case basis.
“For far too long, the Union has distanced itself from the people of Europe and fed their distrust by building walls in technocratic reflexes. We cannot resign ourselves to this crisis of confidence,” Eric Ciotti, president of Les Républicains, writes in the letter.
“To face future challenges, Europe needs clarity. Europe needs profound changes and a renewal at the top of the European Commission. The outgoing Commission president cannot be this candidate because she embodies precisely this technocratic drift.”
Ciotti castigates von der Leyen because she did not run as a lead candidate under the so-called Spitzenkandidaten system in 2019 and was instead hand-picked by Macron as a conservative figure who was moderate and flexible enough to appease the progressive faction of the European Council.
Von der Leyen’s surprising appointment enraged the European Parliament, which confirmed her bid by a razor-thin margin. She later tried to make amends by putting forward an ambitious, far-reaching agenda that included the European Green Deal, a €750-billion recovery fund, the joint procurement of vaccines, 13 rounds of sanctions against Russia, the opening of accession talks with Ukraine, a comprehensive reform of migration and asylum policy, and ground-breaking legislation to rein in AI and Big Tech.
Ciotti hones in on some of these initiatives to denounce von der Leyen’s mandate as overly progressive and contrary to conservative values, directly blaming her for the farmer protests that have recently swept across Europe. The backlash has put von der Leyen in an awkward position, caught between her staunch defence of the Green Deal and the right-wing pressure of her political family.
“A candidate of Mr Macron and not the right, she has continuously left the European majority drift towards the left,” Ciotti says.
“This was particularly the case on environmental and agricultural issues, but also in the management of the migration crisis. This drift has fuelled anger that can now be heard throughout the continent, particularly among our farmers and our fishers.”
Ciotti then goes on to excoriate von der Leyen for, in his view, having embraced “anti-nuclear dogmas” and “de-growth policies promoted by the left,” and “failing to confront mass immigration and secure the external borders,” an apparent reference to the steady rise of asylum requests after the pandemic. In 2023, the bloc received 1.14 million applications for international protection, a seven-year high.
Ciotti also censures von der Leyen for having participated in an event of Renaissance, Macron’s party, back in October, something that, for him, reflects her lack of party loyalty.
“By giving the impression to the European people that Europe is being built without them, and even against them, Ms von der Leyen and Mr Macron are risking a dramatic and dangerous weakening of the European project,” Ciotti says.
The letter is addressed to Manfred Weber, president of the EPP, and is dated 5 March, even if it was made public on social media the following day. Given that Les Républicains hold only seven seats in the 177-member group, the harsh indictment is not expected to derail von der Leyen’s electoral prospects.
The text, however, serves to expose the party’s ideological divide caused by five years of transformational policies, which have left the largest formation in the European Parliament striving to uphold its conservative roots while advancing von der Leyen’s vision.
Speaking to Euronews ahead of the congress, Thanasis Bakolas, the EPP’s secretary general, threw his support behind the incumbent.
“We have one candidate for this position. It is the sitting president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, a person with a (track) record, a person whose commitment to Europe is unquestionable,” Bakolas said.
“We’re very much looking forward for Ms von der Leyen to be our lead candidate for the European elections. And of course, we look forward to her second term in office.”
Asked about the farmer protests and the pressure put on the EPP to move away from the Green Deal, Bakolas said the party was open to taking their demands into consideration.
“We got a lot of heat and a lot of pushback when we listened to farmers when they were asking society as a whole and us, as the EPP, to listen to their needs because farmers are the custodians of the land,” he said. “They care about the land.”
World
Most Europeans don't know what the ECHR does, but do they want to leave it?
As some European governments push for a tougher migration framework under the European Convention on Human Rights, public opinion appears firmly on their side. Yet strikingly few Europeans say they know much about the convention itself.
World
Armed man shot and killed after entering secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago, Secret Service says
WASHINGTON (AP) — An armed man drove into the secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s resort in Palm Beach, Florida, as another vehicle was exiting before being shot and killed early Sunday morning, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service.
The man, who was in his early 20s and from North Carolina, had a gas can and a shotgun, according to Anthony Guglielmi, the spokesman. He had been reported missing by his family a few days ago, and investigators believe he headed south and picked up the shotgun along the way.
Guglielmi said a box for the weapon was discovered in the man’s vehicle after the incident, which took place around 1:30 a.m.
The man killed was identified by investigators as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation.
Trump has faced threats to his life before, including two assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign. Although the president often spends weekends at his resort, he and first lady Melania Trump were at the White House when the breach at Mar-a-Lago occurred.
After entering near the north gate of the property, the man was confronted by two Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.
“He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with them. At which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position,” Bradshaw said at a brief press conference. The two agents and the deputy “fired their weapons to neutralize the threat.”
The FBI asked residents who live near Mar-a-Lago to check any security cameras they may have for footage that could help investigators.
Investigators are working to compile a psychological profile and a motive is still under investigation. Asked whether the individual was known to law enforcement, Bradshaw said “not right now.”
The incident comes as the United States has been rocked by spasms political violence.
The incursion at Mar-a-Lago took place a few miles from Trump’s West Palm Beach club where a man tried to assassinate him while he played golf during the 2024 campaign.
A Secret Service agent spotted that man, Ryan Routh, aiming a rifle through the shrubbery before Trump came into view. Officials said Routh aimed his rifle at the agent, who opened fire and caused Routh to drop his weapon.
Routh was found guilty last year and sentenced this month to life in prison.
Trump also survived an assassination attempt at a Butler, Pennsylvania campaign rally. That gunman fired eight shots before being killed by a Secret Service counter sniper.
The White House referred all questions to the Secret Service and FBI.
There have been other recent incidents of political violence as well.
In the last year, there was the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk; the assassination of the Democratic leader in the Minnesota state House and her husband and the shooting of another lawmaker and his wife; and an arson attack at the official residence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Five days ago, a Georgia man armed with a shotgun was arrested as he sprinted towards the west side of the U.S. Capitol.
———
AP reporter Alanna Durkin Richer contributed to this story.
World
Hungary threatens to block EU loan to Ukraine unless Russian oil shipments resume
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Hungary is threatening to block a proposed 90 billion-euro European Union loan to Ukraine — worth roughly $106 billion — unless oil shipments through the Druzhba pipeline are restored.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó wrote Friday on X that Hungary would oppose the EU funding package until oil transit via the Russian-linked Druzhba pipeline resumes.
“Ukraine is blackmailing Hungary by halting oil transit in coordination with Brussels and the Hungarian opposition to create supply disruptions in Hungary and push fuel prices higher before the elections,” Szijjártó said.
He further claimed that blocking oil transit violates the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement and breaches Kyiv’s commitments to the European Union.
‘ONLY TRUMP CAN STOP RUSSIA’: MILLIONS FACE FREEZING WINTER, UKRAINE ENERGY EXECUTIVE WARNS
Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto speaks during a session of Russian Energy Week in Moscow, Russia, on Oct. 15, 2025. (Ramil Sitdikov/Reuters)
The Druzhba pipeline has long been a key route for Russian oil deliveries to parts of Central Europe, including Hungary, even as much of the EU has moved to curb reliance on Russian energy following Moscow’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The European Commission in January adopted a legislative package to implement a previously agreed 90 billion-euro loan to Ukraine for 2026 and 2027, aimed at supporting the country’s budgetary and military needs, according to a press release.
The financial commitment, known as the “Ukraine Support Loan,” would be structured as a limited recourse loan, with roughly 60 billion euros allocated for military assistance and 30 billion designated for general budget support.
RUSSIA LAUNCHES RECORD MISSILE BARRAGE AGAINST UKRAINE ONE DAY BEFORE PEACE TALKS SET TO RESUME IN ABU DHABI
A general view of Hungarian oil company MOL’s Duna Refinery near Szazhalombatta, about 30 kilometers south of Budapest, on May 5, 2022. (Attila Kisbenedek/AFP via Getty Images)
The Commission said the funding is intended to help Ukraine maintain essential state functions, bolster its defense capabilities and strengthen resilience as the war with Russia continues.
The loan would be financed through common EU borrowing on capital markets and guaranteed by the EU budget. The Commission also noted that the EU reserves the right to use immobilized Russian assets within the bloc, in accordance with EU and international law, to repay the loan.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday rejected what it called “ultimatums and blackmail” from the governments of Hungary and Slovakia over energy supplies, accusing both countries of taking actions that are “provocative, irresponsible, and threaten the energy security of the entire region.”
The Druzhba oil pipeline between Hungary and Russia at the MOL Group’s Danube Refinery in Szazhalombatta, Hungary, on May 18, 2022. (Bernadett Szabo/Reuters)
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“Ukraine is in constant contact with representatives of the European Commission regarding the damage to Ukrainian energy infrastructure caused by daily Russian strikes. We have also provided information about the consequences of these Russian attacks on the Druzhba oil pipeline infrastructure to the governments of Hungary and Slovakia,” the ministry said in a statement. “Security and stabilization repair work continues amid daily threats of new missile attacks. Ukraine has also proposed alternative ways to resolve the issue of supplying non-Russian oil to these countries.”
It added that Ukraine remains a “reliable energy partner” to the European Union and argued that “ultimatums should be sent to the Kremlin, and certainly not to Kyiv.”
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