EU court denies Le Pen heirs' appeal to evade repaying misused funds
The Court's judgement stated that an appeal by former European Parliament member Jean-Marie Le Pen's daughters was denied because "no evidence of use of the appropriations in accordance with the applicable regulations has been provided."
The "appropriations" refers to money allegedly used illegally by Jean-Marie Le Pen during the 2009-2014 European parliamentary term.
Le Pen had used the funds under the Parliament's budget line 400, which covers "the administrative and operational expenditure" of parliamentary expenses.
However, Le Pen instead purportedly put the funding toward personal expenses and was fined around $371,000 by the European Parliament in 2016, who then started in May of that year to withhold over $8000 monthly from him.
Le Pen died in January, and his daughters sought to annul the EU's decision to recover their father's expenses from them, and instead have their debt canceled and paid for by the Parliament.
Nonetheless, the court decided that since Le Pen never "demonstrated that the costs for which he had requested to be covered from the appropriations allocated under Parliament's budget line 400 were in accordance with the regulations relating to this budget line," that the money must be recovered.
In a press release, the Court said Wednesday that it "holds that the procedure which led the Parliament to adopt the recovery decision and to issue the debit note is not contrary to the principles of legal certainty and the protection of legitimate expectations."
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Chicago Tribune
27 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
President Trump announces 30% tariffs against Mexico, EU to begin Aug. 1
BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — President Donald Trump on Saturday announced he's levying tariffs of 30% against the European Union and Mexico starting Aug. 1, a move that could cause massive upheaval between the United States and two of its biggest trade partners. Trump detailed the planned tariffs in letters posted to his social media account. They are part of an announcement blitz by Trump of new tariffs aimed at allies and foes alike, a bedrock of his 2024 campaign that he said would set the foundation for reviving a U.S. economy that he claims has been ripped off by other nations for decades. In his letter to Mexico's leader, President Claudia Sheinbaum, Trump acknowledged that the country has been helpful in stemming the flow of undocumented migrants and fentanyl into the United States. But he said the country has not done enough to stop North America from turning into a 'Narco-Trafficking Playground.' 'Mexico has been helping me secure the border, BUT, what Mexico has done, is not enough,' Trump added. Trump in his letter to the European Union said the U.S. trade deficit was a national security threat. 'We have had years to discuss our Trading Relationship with The European Union, and we have concluded we must move away from these long-term, large, and persistent, Trade Deficits, engendered by your Tariff, and Non-Tariff, Policies, and Trade Barriers,' Trump wrote in the letter to the EU. 'Our relationship has been, unfortunately, far from Reciprocal.' The letters come in the midst of an on-and-off Trump threat to impose tariffs on countries and right an imbalance in trade. Trump in April imposed tariffs on dozens of countries, before pausing them for 90 days to negotiate individual deals. As the three-month grace period ended this week, Trump began sending his tariff letters to leaders but again has pushed back the implementation day for what he says will be just a few more weeks. If he moves forward with the tariffs, it could have ramifications for nearly every aspect of the global economy. European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen responded by noting the bloc's 'commitment to dialogue, stability, and a constructive transatlantic partnership.' 'At the same time, we will take all necessary steps to safeguard EU interests, including the adoption of proportionate countermeasures if required,' von der Leyen said in a statement. Von der Leyen added that the EU remains committed to continuing negotiations with the U.S. and coming to an agreement before Aug. 1. Trade ministers from EU countries are scheduled to meet Monday to discuss trade relations with the U.S., as well as with China. European leaders joined von der Leyen in urging Trump to give negotiations more time and warnings of possible new tariffs on Washington. 'With European unity, it is more than ever up to the Commission to assert the Union's determination to resolutely defend European interests,' French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement posted on X. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni's office said 'it would make no sense to trigger a trade war between the two sides of the Atlantic.' Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told broadcaster DR that Trump was taking a 'pointless and a very shortsighted approach.' Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson warned in an interview with SVT that 'everyone loses out from an escalated trade conflict, and it will be U.S. consumers who pay the highest price.' Trump, as he has in previous letters, warned that his administration would further raise tariffs if the EU attempts to hike its own tariffs on the United States. The Mexican government said it was informed during high-level talks with U.S. State Department officials Friday that the Trump letter was coming. The delegation told Trump officials at the meeting it disagreed with the decision and considered it 'unfair treatment,' according to a Mexican government statement. Sheinbaum, who has sought to avoid directly criticizing Trump in the early going of her presidency, expressed a measure of confidence during a public appearance on Saturday that the U.S. and Mexico will reach 'better terms.' 'I've always said that in these cases, you need a cool head to face any problem,' Sheinbaum said. With the reciprocal tariffs, Trump is effectively blowing up the rules governing world trade. For decades, the United States and most other countries abided by tariff rates set through a series of complex negotiations known as the Uruguay round. Countries could set their own tariffs, but under the 'most favored nation'' approach, they couldn't charge one country more than they charged another. The Mexico tariff, if it goes into effect, could replace the 25% tariffs on Mexican goods that do not comply with the existing U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement. Trump's letter did not address if USMCA-compliant goods would still be exempt from the Mexico tariffs after Aug. 1, as the White House said would be the case with Canada. Trump sent a letter to Canada earlier this week threatening a 35% tariff hike. With Saturday's letters, Trump has now issued tariff conditions on 24 countries and the 27-member European Union. So far, the tally of trade deals struck by Trump stands at two — one with the United Kingdom and one with Vietnam. Trump has also announced the framework for a deal with China, the details of which remain fuzzy. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Saturday said the U.K. 'smartly' acted early. 'Let this be a lesson to other countries – earnest, good faith negotiations can produce powerful results that benefit both sides of the table, while correcting the imbalances that plague global trade,' Bessent said in a posting on X. Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former Congressional Budget Office director and president of the center-right American Action Forum, said the letters were evidence that serious trade talks were not taking place over the past three months. He stressed that nations were instead talking amongst themselves about how to minimize their own exposure to the U.S. economy and Trump. 'They're spending time talking to each other about what the future is going to look like, and we're left out,' Holtz-Eakin said. If the tariffs do indeed take effect, the potential impact on Europe could be vast. The value of EU-U.S. trade in goods and services amounted to 1.7 trillion euros ($2 trillion) in 2024, or an average of 4.6 billion euros a day, according to EU statistics agency Eurostat. Europe's biggest exports to the U.S. were pharmaceuticals, cars, aircraft, chemicals, medical instruments and wine and spirits. Lamberto Frescobaldi, president of the Union of Italian Wines trade association, said Trump's move could lead to 'a virtual embargo' of his country's wine. 'A single letter was enough to write the darkest chapter in relations between two historic Western allies,' Frescobaldi said. Trump has complained about the EU's 198 billion-euro trade surplus in goods, which shows Americans buy more goods from European businesses than the other way around. However, American companies fill some of the gap by outselling the EU when it comes to services such as cloud computing, travel bookings, and legal and financial services. The U.S. services surplus took the nation's trade deficit with the EU down to 50 billion euros ($59 billion), which represents less than 3% of overall U.S.-EU trade.
Miami Herald
27 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Suriname has its first female president, adding to slate of women leaders in Caribbean
A medical doctor and one-time parliamentary speaker will lead the Caribbean Community's only Dutch-speaking member nation as president, giving the regional its fourth female head of government. Dr. Jennifer Geerlings-Simons was officially sworn-in as president of Suriname on Wednesday in a ceremony attended by diplomats and representatives of neighboring countries including the vice president of Venezuela. The nation, which is located in South America but is part of the Caribbean Community regional bloc, joins Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and tiny Anguilla with females at their helm. It is the first time, observers say, that there have been so many females in leadership positions in the Caribbean where they are also occupying roles as governors, governor generals and ceremonial presidents. In Barbados where Mia Mottley is prime minister, Sandra Mason serves as ceremonial president after the country broke with the British monarchy in November of 2021 to become a republic; and in Trinidad and Tobago where Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar led her party to victory in April, the presidency is led by Christine Kangaloo. In Dominica, the presidency is also held by a woman, Sylvanie Burton, who is also its first indigenous head of state. Geerlings-Simons emerged as president of the former Dutch colony after none of the parties, including that of former president Chan Santokh, won the necessary two-thirds majority in Parliament in the May 25 elections to form the government. She won the second highest individual votes after Santokh, who retained his legislative seat after winning the the most individual votes. Though he was vying to return as president, Sanktoh's Progressive Reform Party could not overcome voters' concerns about high inflation, corruption in the government and austerity measures imposed by the International Monetary Fund program. With the Progressive Reform Party nearly tying with the National Democratic Party, 17 votes to 18 votes, a deal was formed by Geerlings-Simons and her National Democratic with five other parties to install her as president. Geerlings-Simons had served as chairwoman of the party since 2024. Carla Barnett, the secretary general of CARICOM, who attended the swearing-in, noted the historic significance of Geerlings-Simons' indirect election by the National Assembly. Ahead of the swearing-in, Barnett extended congratulations and said the Caribbean Community awaits her input on issues facing the region. 'As we collectively navigate the complex challenges facing our region, including climate change, economic resilience, and sustainable development, your leadership will be crucial,' Barnett said. Independent since 1975, Suriname has had two military coups and in recent years, faced difficult economic challenges. The country, however, is expected to see a surge in revenues, similar to neighboring Guyana, after discovering oil reserves. Oil production is slated to begin in 2028. Geerlings-Simons rise to power hasn't been lost on those who closely follow the region especially given that the military coups were supported by the NDP and its founder, former president Desiré 'Desi' Bouterse who died last year on Christmas Eve while running from justice. The year after leaving office in 2020, Bouterse was convicted in the 1982 murders of 15 government critics, including journalists. In 2023, the conviction was upheld and Bouterse went into hiding. He died at the age of 79., while a fugitive. One of the parties that was part of the coups and had distanced itself from the NDP is now among those in the coalition government. Also, Wednesday's succession of power passed without incident. Geerlings-Simons, 71, whose term runs until 2030, recognized the historical significance in her swearing-in speech. 'Because I am the first woman to hold this position, there will be additional pressure on the work I will do with the government,' she said, as she pledged her government's commitment to recovery. While the country is on the cusp of an oil boom and is expected to begin production in 2028, Geerlings-Simons also spoke of the need to diversity her nation's fragile economy. She concluded her speech with a call for national unity and quoted the words of Surinamese poets Dobru and Shrinivási. 'I would like to unite you as a nation, without this remaining a fairy tale.'
Politico
28 minutes ago
- Politico
European envoy warns Trump administration actions are hurting efforts to help abducted Ukrainian children
Reykfjord Gylfadóttir said she's now seeing evidence of that coming to pass, as the funding disruptions are adding uncertainty to these organizations' efforts. Some groups have managed to keep some tracking going. The Humanitarian Research Lab at the Yale School of Public Health was preparing to lay off its Ukrainian staff on July 1, but last-minute private donations have granted the organization a lifeline until October. It's unclear if private donations will continue to trickle in. Reykfjord Gylfadóttir said Europe now needs to find ways to make up for lapsed funding, because understanding where children have been sent will be critical for repatriating them after the conflict ends. 'European countries will have to fund it,' said Reykfjord Gylfadóttir. 'We cannot stop tracking them and then just re-track them in the months ahead. So that has to continue.' She did not specify if there were any imminent plans for Europeans to foot the bill for the programs, but said she's working to find a way to marshal the funding to support these initiatives since they represent a hefty cost to Ukraine's allies. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the Russian military has forcibly transported roughly 20,000 Ukrainian children into Russian territory. Human rights advocates have argued that Russia's actions constitute a war crime and that Moscow is looking to indoctrinate and brainwash the children. Russia has defended the transfers as humanitarian evacuations. U.S. sanctions against the International Criminal Court are also making the task of holding Russia to account for the abductions more difficult, Reykfjord Gylfadóttir added. 'People are afraid to work with fundamental independent courts to uphold the rules-based order and international law because they're afraid of consequences with the U.S. administration,' she said. Even though the United States is not a party to the Rome Statute treaty which created the International Criminal Court, Biden administration officials relayed information to the court, which has been investigating these abductions and other alleged Russian war crimes. The Trump administration sanctioned the International Criminal Court in February in reaction to the international tribunal's investigations into alleged Israeli war crimes in the Gaza Strip. Those sanctions also affect U.S. organizations supporting ICC investigations. U.S. government collaboration with the ICC's Russia probes stopped with the Trump administration's announcement. Reykfjord Gylfadóttir argued securing the release of the children is an important part of the process to secure a lasting end to the war in Ukraine. 'That is a non-negotiable fundamental piece of a just peace — that is to bring those children back,' Reykfjord Gylfadóttir said.
