Brussels, my love? MEPs panic about Middle East escalation
We are joined this week by the Lithuanian MEP Virginijus Sinkevičius from the Greens, Spanish Socialist MEP Hana Jalloul Muro and Italian centre right MEP Herbert Dorfmann from South Tyrol.
Middle East escalation - the EU on the side lines?
The panel reflect on the ongoing Israel-Iran war that has dominated the news this week. An emergency debate was held in Strasbourg in the presence of EU High Representative Kaja Kallas. She warned MEPs that the US should not get involved in the conflict, as it could drag the entire Middle East into a wider more dangerous predicament.
Kaja Kallas also told MEPs this week that the ongoing Israel-Iran war should not overshadow the plight of Palestinians in Gaza. Virginijus Sinkevičius fears the war could drag on.
"I see that the situation is not going to be resolved easily, because I think Israel has taken a decision. The big question now is what could be the consequences."
As MEPs were gathered in Strasbourg, an EU foreign ministers meeting took place in Brussels this week and 17 of the 27 member states backed a move to review the EU-Israel association agreement—pushing a process that began with the Netherlands, Spain, and Ireland. The deal was sealed in 1995 and came into force in 2000.
Herbert Dorfmann said his group is against suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
"I think this doesn't make sense in this moment. We need to further work on a diplomatic basis," he said.
China - a friend or foe for the EU?
The panel also discussed the EU China summit that will take place at the end of July. Brussels hopes the occasion will provide better access to Chinese rare earths and critical minerals.
All MEPs agreed the EU and China should be friends but that a level playing field was a necessity.
"Access to our market is a privilege," Virginijus Sinkevičius said adding that China should play by the same rules.
"We need to be intelligent and have leadership," said Hana Jalloul Muro.
Banning social media under 15 - A good call?
Finally, MEPs chewed over French President Macron's calls to ban social media for under-15's in France. Greece and Spain are also trying to push for more EU action on this topic.
However, all three politicians agreed that education was key and an outright ban may not have desired effects.
"Well, good luck!! Is it really up to the state to do that?" Herbert Dorfmann quipped.
Watch "Brussels, my love?" in the player above.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LeMonde
22 minutes ago
- LeMonde
'The best show in town': From a hilltop in Israel, observers have a sinister view of Gaza bombings
Between two bombardments, Liram, Afik, and Emmanuel passed around a joint. On Thursday, July 17, at 6:30 pm, as on most evenings, the three friends, 27-year-old Israelis who preferred not to share their last names, met at the top of Kobi Hill, the highest point overlooking the city of Sderot on the edge of the Gaza Strip, to talk about work, travel, and "stock market investments," they listed. Right across from them, about one kilometer away, past the highway, a few fields, and a separation barrier, lay Beit Hanoun and the north of the Gaza Strip, which has been bombarded without pause for nearly two years. "When I see and hear a missile fall on Gaza, I am happy," Afik said, grinning in his shorts and brightly colored T-shirt, his pack of cigarettes and phone in front of him. On his device screen, the watch shop manager showed a photo of Avi Megira, his uncle, killed on his motorcycle in the streets of Sderot by a Hamas member during the massacres of October 7. Facing his two friends, a trader and an employee at the large printing plant in Kibbutz Be'eri, adjacent to the Gaza Strip, the young man, "frightened" by the proximity of the border with the Palestinian enclave, said he believed that freeing the last 50 Israeli hostages, of whom only about 20 are thought to be alive, could only happen through a violent military operation. Even if "millions" of Palestinians must die, he added. According to the latest figures shared by NGOs and international organizations on the ground, more than 58,000 people, the majority of them civilians, have already been killed by the Israeli army since October 7.
Euronews
an hour ago
- Euronews
Ukrainian protesters rally as Zelenskyy backs law weakening watchdogs
Thousands of Ukrainians rallied in Kyiv and other cities on Tuesday, urging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to veto legislation which critics say undermines the country's anti-corruption infrastructure. The protest marked the first major rally against the government in more than three years of Russia's ongoing, full-scale invasion. Ukraine's parliament had passed a bill which tightened oversight of two key anti-corruption bodies – the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO). Opponents warn the measure could weaken the independence of the agencies and increase political influence over investigations. Despite public outcry, Zelenskyy reportedly signed the bill into law on Tuesday. Fighting corruption is a key condition for Ukraine's bid to join the European Union and for secure ongoing Western financial support as it fights Russia's invasion. The move sparked anger among civil society and officials. 'In effect, if this bill becomes law, the head of SAPO will become a nominal figure, while NABU will lose its independence and turn into a subdivision of the prosecutor general's office,' the agencies said in a joint statement on Telegram. In a post on X, the EU's Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos also expressed concern over the vote in the Ukrainian parliament. She described it as a 'serious step back' and said 'Independent bodies like NABU & SAPO are essential for Ukraine's EU path. Rule of Law remains in the very centre of EU accession negotiations.' The Ukrainian branch of Transparency International also criticised the news, saying it undermines past reform and damages trust with international partners. The group urged Zelenskyy to veto the law, warning that otherwise he would share responsibility with the parliament for 'dismantling Ukraine's anti-corruption infrastructure.' While rallies have taken place since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, they have largely focused on the return of prisoners of war or missing people. Protests, however, remain a traditional form of public pressure in Ukraine, where two previous revolutions were victorious for the public. Many protesters at Tuesday's demonstration carried signs reading 'Veto the law,' 'Protect the anti-corruption system, protect Ukraine's future,' or simply 'We are against it.'
LeMonde
an hour ago
- LeMonde
Despite sanctions, Russia's 'shadow fleet' keeps delivering oil
An additional 105 ships have been sanctioned and a new price cap on Russian crude oil – set at 15% below market price – has been introduced. These two measures are part of the European Union's 18 th sanctions package adopted on Friday, July 18, against Russia. Three days later on July 21, Britain also sanctioned 135 ships. However, Russia's "shadow fleet" continues to deliver oil. Such is the case with the Andromeda. Although this tanker has been on the EU's sanctioned vessel list since December 2024, and sails under the Comorian flag, it has just completed its fourth round trip since then from the port of Ust-Luga in the Baltic Sea to India's Jamnagar refinery. During these journeys, the Andromeda transported nearly three million barrels of crude oil, according to Kpler, a maritime data analytics firm, generating more than $150 million (€129 million) for the Russian state. This raises questions about the effectiveness of existing measures intended to undercut Russia's oil revenues, one of the country's crucial sources of funding for its war in Ukraine. The Russian "shadow fleet," made up of aging tankers, has adopted sanction-evading tactics previously used by Iran and Venezuela. In December 2022, in response to the invasion of Ukraine, the EU imposed an embargo on seaborne imports of Russian oil. Simultaneously, G7 countries banned their companies from insuring or providing any services to firms transporting Russian oil sold above $60 per barrel.
