World
Poland-EU relations heading for reset as new government expected
A change of government in Poland is now highly likely following a vote on Sunday that saw the highest turnout in the country’s post-Soviet history.
The ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) may have come out on top when it comes to votes received, but the Civic Coalition, led by former European Council President Donald Tusk, looks set to have an overall majority of seats in the Polish Parliament.
The probable new government will certainly mark a change from the populist and nationalist policies of PiS, which saw eight years of troubled relations with Brussels, as well as areas of regression when it comes to the independence of the judiciary and media freedom.
Much of Poland’s recent battles with the EU involved these issues. Monika Sus, an associate professor at the Polish Academy of Sciences, told Euronews all of this is likely to be reversed.
“They will definitely try, first of all, to, let’s say, get Poland back on the light of democracy, so the judiciary system will be freed. The press will be again, free. And of course, also rights for minorities will be reinstated,” Sus said.
“This would help the relationship with the European Union, after eight years of a conservative and nationalist government. I think that Poland will be, again, a reliable partner within the European Union. We will definitely try to have better relationships with our neighbours.”
But some of Civic Coalition’s positions could be in line with those of PiS, albeit with slight differences.
Polish support for Ukraine will almost certainly remain strong, but according to Teona Lavrelashvili, a policy analyst at the European Policy Centre, tensions with Brussels on migration could continue.
“There are many concerns in the country related to migration, but also to security that Tusk has to deal with at the domestic level,” Lavrelashvili told Euronews.
“And we know that also his [Tusk’s] stance on migration is not necessarily positive when we speak about the [EU’s] obligatory relocation mechanism.
“However, the way he will present it and how he will engage constructively with European decision-makers, of course, will be different.”
Tusk has a huge challenge ahead of himself though when it comes to managing a coalition formed by parties from different backgrounds, with one (Third Way) from the centre-right and the other a left-wing party (The Left).
“There will be internal disputes, I think, but I think they would rather contain internal issues, for example, abortion,” Sus told Euronews.
“So, on abortion, of course, each of the three parties is much more flexible, much more open towards accommodating women’s rights than the current government.”
“But there are still differences between them, ranging from ‘let’s liberalise abortion totally’ to ‘let’s have some rules and let’s work on that, but we cannot liberalise abortion fully’.”
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World
Colombia cuts diplomatic relations with Israel, but its military relies on Israeli technology
Colombia has become the latest Latin American country to announce that it will break diplomatic relations with Israel over its military campaign in Gaza, but the repercussions for the South American nation could be broader than for other countries because of longstanding bilateral agreements over security matters.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Wednesday described Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide,” and announced his government would end diplomatic relations with Israel effective Thursday. But he didn’t address how his decision could affect Colombia’s military, which uses Israeli-built warplanes and machine guns to fight drug cartels and rebel groups, and a free trade agreement between both countries that went into effect in 2020.
Also in the region, Bolivia and Belize have severed diplomatic relations with Israel over the Israel-Hamas war.
COLOMBIA’S PRESIDENT SAYS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PIECES OF AMMUNITION HAVE GONE MISSING FROM MILITARY BASES
Here’s a look at Colombia’s close Israel ties and fallout:
WHY IS SECURITY COOPERATION BETWEEN COLOMBIA AND ISRAEL IMPORTANT?
Colombia and Israel have signed dozens of agreements on wide-ranging issues, including education and trade, since they established diplomatic relations in 1957. But nothing links them closer than military contracts.
Colombia’s fighter jets are all Israeli-built. The more than 20 Kfir Israeli-made fighter jets were used by its air force in numerous attacks on remote guerrilla camps that debilitated the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. The attacks helped push the rebel group into peace talks that resulted in its disarmament in 2016.
But the fleet, purchased in the late 1980s, is aging and requires maintenance, which can only be carried out by an Israeli firm. Manufacturers in France, Sweden and the United States have approached Colombia’s government with replacement options, but the spending priorities of Petro’s administration are elsewhere.
Colombia’s military also uses Galil rifles, which were designed in Israel and for which Colombia acquired the rights to manufacture and sell. Israel also assists the South American country with its cybersecurity needs.
WILL PETRO’S ANNOUNCEMENT AFFECT COLOMBIA’S MILITARY-RELATED CONTRACTS WITH ISRAEL?
It remains unclear.
Colombia’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday in a statement that “all communications related to this announcement will be made through established official channels and will not be public.” The ministry didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press, while the Israeli Embassy in Bogota declined to address the issue.
However, a day before Petro announced his decision, Colombian Defense Minister Iván Velásquez told lawmakers that no new contracts will be signed with Israel, though existing ones will be fulfilled, including those for maintenance for the Kfir fighters and one for missile systems.
Velásquez said the government has established a “transition” committee that would seek to “diversify” suppliers to avoid depending on Israel. He added that one of the possibilities under consideration is the development of a rifle by the Colombian military industry to replace the Galil.
Security cooperation has been at the center of tensions between the two countries. Israel said in October that it would halt security exports to Colombia after Petro refused to condemn Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel that triggered the war and compared Israel’s actions in Gaza to those of Nazi Germany. In February, Petro announced the suspension of arms purchases from Israel.
For retired Gen. Guillermo León, former commander of the Colombian air force, the country’s military capabilities will be affected if Petro’s administration breaks its contract obligations or even if it complies with them but refuses to sign new ones.
“At the end of the year, maintenance and spare parts run out, and from then on, the fleet would rapidly enter a condition where we would no longer have the means to sustain it,” he told the AP. “This year, three aircraft were withdrawn from service due to compliance with their useful life cycle.”
WHAT IS THE TRADE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES?
A free trade agreement between Colombia and Israel went into effect in August 2020. Israel now buys 1% of Colombia’s total exports, which include coal, coffee and flowers.
According to Colombia’s Ministry of Commerce, exports to Israel last year totaled $499 million, which represents a drop of 53% from 2022.
Colombia’s imports from Israel include electrical equipment, plastics and fertilizers.
Neither government has explained whether the diplomatic feud will affect the trade agreement.
World
Meloni plans to rally Europe's centre-right in elections pledge
In the run-up to the European elections in June, Euronews takes a closer look at the Brothers of Italy party leader and the country’s prime minister’s speech in Pescara.
The Brothers of Italy’s conference in Pescara was more than a party gathering to launch Meloni’s electoral campaign.
The event marks a key moment in the run-up to the European elections in June, with the Italian prime minister’s address last Sunday providing crucial insight into her conservative leadership in Europe and her EU goals.
At the event, she announced that voters should use just her first name on their ballots. “Call me Giorgia,” she said.
The move is legal, and while many, including her rivals, have criticised her decision, it aligns with her image as a leader with working-class roots who took her first step into politics in Rome’s Garbatella district.
In both her role as Italy’s PM and president of the ECR group, Meloni outlined her vision for Europe.
Notably, she spoke of Brothers of Italy’s increased support over the years since the last European elections in 2019, while commenting on her ambitions to extend what her party has achieved in Italy to the rest of Europe.
“We want to do in Europe what we did in Italy … create a majority that brings together the centre-right forces and send the left into opposition,” Meloni said in Pescara in what has since been highlighted as a key statement.
Alliances based on issues, not ideals
A closer look at Meloni’s speech can help better understand what she has in mind. As ECR Co-Chairman Nicola Procaccini told Euronews, “Meloni refers to a spectrum of positions which sees both the ECR and the EPP as the two main axes when she talks about the creation of a majority that brings together centre-right forces.”
“Then, some delegations from ID in the right-wing camp,” adds Procaccini, “along with others from Renew Europe … will make up the total number that is needed to reach the majority to vote in favour of some measures.”
According to Procaccini, it is crucial to understand that the idea of “majority” within the new 720 seats-strong European Parliament is not fixed and that finding common ground with other political forces remains a possibility.
“Majorities or minorities form themselves based on the single vote. I do believe that the balance within the next European Parliament will shift to the right,” Procaccini said, adding that the EPP and a large part of Renew Europe are already voting alongside ECR, PiS or Viktor Orban’s Fidesz.
“It’s already happening today,” Procaccini continued, “not because there’s a deal in place, but based on the issues we are voting on.”
And as for sending the left into opposition, “it’s about giving the EPP the possibility to break the bond it has built with the socialists and the greens,” Brothers of Italy MP Sara Kelany told Euronews.
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