World

French conservatives blast von der Leyen's 'technocratic drift'

Published

2 years ago

March 6, 2024

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.”

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World

Investors brace for a bigger backlash from Middle East war

Published

5 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Investors brace for a bigger backlash from Middle East war

From being just a fringe risk, conflict in the Middle East has become a top worry for investors unsettled by the prospect of a power struggle in Iran and a protracted regional war, with ramifications for everything from global trade to inflation.

World

Tel Aviv analyst shelters from 30 missile sirens in 48 hours, says Iran ‘won’t recover’

Published

6 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Tel Aviv analyst shelters from 30 missile sirens in 48 hours, says Iran ‘won’t recover’

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The past 48 hours in Tel Aviv have been unlike anything seen before, a leading security analyst has said, as sirens blared amid missile threats following Operation Epic Fury and U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran.

“We are facing a biblical event — nothing less,” Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgav Institute, told Fox News Digital, speaking from his shelter in the city.

Like many Israelis, Michael said he had spent hours in reinforced rooms during the ongoing barrage, adding that he was “very experienced in this.”

“But this all requires time and determination, and I do hope that Trump will also have them both,” he said, speaking shortly after the president released a video message stating that the military operation would continue “until all of our objectives are achieved.”

Explosions from projectile interceptions by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system over Tel Aviv. (JACK GUEZ / AFP via Getty Images)

“Trump is the only one who can make the change — and that change will impact the entire region and the international order for years to come,” Michael added.

As of Sunday, Tel Aviv remained under a state of emergency following Iranian missile attacks that caused casualties and widespread damage.

According to The Associated Press, Iranian missile and drone strikes have killed approximately 11 Israeli civilians and wounded dozens more in retaliation for the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran.

Shrapnel from missile impacts damaged at least 40 buildings in Tel Aviv, and authorities reported at least one death in the area from falling debris.

The Philippine Embassy in Israel confirmed the death of a Filipino national after a missile strike hit Tel Aviv on Saturday.

TOMAHAWKS, B-2 STEALTH BOMBERS AND ATTACK DRONES POUND OVER 1,000 IRANIAN TARGETS IN 24-HOUR BLITZ

People take shelter as Iran launched missiles and drones towards Israel following the US-Israeli attacks. ( Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“We enter our shelter once the siren is heard and stay there until the Home Front Command announces that we can leave,” Michael said.

“Usually, it is about 20 to 30 minutes — unless there are further sirens during our stay. Since yesterday morning, it has happened around 30 times.”

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog also visited an impact site in Tel Aviv Sunday, delivering a message of resilience.

“The people of Israel and the people of Iran can live in peace. The region can live in peace. But what undermines peace time and again is terror instigated by this Iranian regime,” Herzog said.

EXILED IRANIAN CROWN PRINCE SAYS US STRIKES MARK ‘BEGINNING OF THE VERY END’ FOR REGIME

Israeli emergency service officer walks past building debris at the scene of a Iranian missile attack. (Ahmad GHARABLI / AFP via Getty Images)

Following the reported killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and roughly 40 senior Iranian officials, Iran formed a provisional leadership council.

Iran named Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, President Masoud Pezeshkian and Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i to lead roles.

“The Supreme Leader did not complete the necessary groundwork regarding his own succession,” Michael added.

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“Pezeshkian will face very troubling challenges due to their heavy losses, severe disruptions to control and command systems, and the massive bombing and attacks across Iran, including Tehran,” he said.

“Even if this regime doesn’t collapse, it will never be able to reconstitute itself, recover or return to its previous position,” Michael added.

Emma Bussey is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox, she worked at The Telegraph with the U.S. overnight team, across desks including foreign, politics, news, sport and culture.

World

Israel FM says Europe too divided, slams Spanish PM

Published

7 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Israel FM says Europe too divided, slams Spanish PM

Israeli minister Gideon Sa’ar said Europe “does not have unified position” on what role it should play in Iran as European ministers sought to establish a joint approach Sunday.

As Israel and the United States conducted a joint military strike on Iran, leading to the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Europe was kept on the sidelines.

EU member states did not participate in the operation and, in some cases, they were not informed prior as it is customary among strategic allies.

Asked whether Israel sought to keep Europe on the margins, Sa’ar said internal divisions within EU member states had kept them out of critical exchanges of operational details, unlike the United States, which the minister described as his country’s greatest ally.

“In Europe, you have all kinds of approaches,” he told Euronews. “You have countries like the Czech Republic which is strongly supporting this operation and then you have Spain, which is standing with all the tyrants of the world.”

On Saturday, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez was among the most critical voices in Europe, suggesting the US-Israeli strikes on Iran risk plunging the region into total war.

“We reject the unilateral military action of the United States and Israel, which represents an escalation and contributes to a more uncertain and hostile international order,” Sánchez said Saturday. The Spanish PM reiterated that message on Sunday.

“We urge for de-escalation and call to respect international law in all conflicts,” Sánchez added. “You can be against a heinous regime, like the Iranian regime, while also rejecting a military intervention that is unjustified, dangerous and outside of international law.”

Sa’aar said Israel considers the operation “fully justified” citing the right to self-defense from a regime that “has called for the destruction of Israel” and lashed at the Spanish prime minister for sending an “anti-Israeli, anti-American message.”

“Read the statement, they are standing with Iran!” he added.

When asked if any of his European counterparts had manifested an interest in joining the military operation or provide support on the ground, Sa’ar said he held multiple exchanges with European ministers over the weekend and suggested that “if others want to join, they will know have to convey the message.”

On Sunday, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen appeared to back regime change in Iran in line with Israel and the US, saying that the “risk of further escalation is real. This is why a credible transition in Iran is urgently needed” in comments on Sunday.

Sa’ar told Euronews said the strategic strikes and the elimination of Khamenei alongside top regime commanders could “create the conditions to weaken the regime enough to allow the Iranians to take their future into their own hands”.

“The future leadership of Iran should be determined by the Iranian people through free elections. Our only requirement is that whoever comes to power in Iran must not pursue the destruction of Israel,” he said.

Watch the full interview on Euronews from 8pm CET