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The future of the EU
Former EU top leader accuses von der Leyen of top-down governance

The EU Commission is being driven in an increasingly authoritarian direction under Ursula von der Leyen's presidency. This is what former EU Commissioner Michel Barnier claims in a new book, according to Politico.

Barnier writes that von der Leyen "wants to decide everything", which has led to the commissioners being reduced to technocrats instead of pursuing politics.

- You don't listen enough. You don't listen enough to the people, Barnier tells Politico.

Barnier and von der Leyen have had a frosty relationship ever since she decided to handle the Brexit negotiations alone in 2020. At the time, Barnier was the commissioner responsible for the Brexit issue.

Middle East crisis  Gaza war
Red Cross: Gaza worse than hell on earth

The Gaza Strip is currently "worse than hell on earth". This is what Mirjana Spoljaric, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross, told the BBC.

The world is not doing enough to stop the war, end the Palestinian suffering and get the Israeli hostage released, she continues.

Palestinians have been deprived of their human dignity and international law has been eroded – what is happening in Gaza “transcends all legal, moral and human boundaries”, according to Spoljaric. 

The climate threat Threats to biodiversity
Paris wants to make the Seine a legal entity

The authorities in Paris want to make the Seine a legal entity to better defend the river and its fragile ecosystem in court, reports AFP.

The city council has asked parliament to approve a law aimed at giving an “independent guardianship authority” the opportunity to defend the world-famous river in court.

“The Seine must be able to defend itself, as a legal entity and not as an object, because it will always be under attack,” says Mayor Anne Hidalgo.

Environmentalists in several countries have pushed to give fragile ecosystems such as rivers and mountains legal protection against pollution, global warming and loss of biodiversity. This has been done, among others, in New Zealand and Spain.