The future of the EU

Crisis for von der Leyen – could be brought down by the angry right

The far-right in the EU Parliament says it has gathered enough support to demand a vote of no confidence in Ursula von der Leyen, reports the Financial Times.

According to the newspaper, the EU Commission President is expected to survive the vote, which could take place as soon as next month. Such votes are unusual, only four have been held since 1999.

The background is the so-called Pfizergate scandal, in which the EU Commission wrongly refused to release text messages between von der Leyen and the CEO of the pharmaceutical giant, in which the two were suspected of negotiating vaccine purchases worth billions.

The vote comes at a particularly inopportune time for Ursula von der Leyen. Her leadership has been strongly questioned this week, including after the Commission announced that it would scrap a controversial environmental law, writes Politico.

Defense and migration on the EU agenda when Denmark takes over

When Denmark soon takes over as the EU presidency, the country is expected to pursue the same line there as Mette Frederiksen does at home – a tough stance on immigration and a tough attitude towards Russia. This is reported by Politico.

Frederiksen has previously said that the two issues are two sides of the same coin, and that it is about improving the security of Europe's citizens. The Danish presidency comes at a time when many powerful countries, such as Italy, Poland and Germany, share much of Frederiksen's view, not least when it comes to immigration.

Denmark is expected to pursue the issue of return centers outside the EU's borders, among other things. Frederiksen has also said that she wants the EU to be completely independent of any external party when it comes to defending itself militarily within five years. 

European security policy
EU summit: Russia must face drone army

Europe must build an army of drones to be ready for a potential attack from Russia. This is what EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius tells Sky News.

Drone warfare has developed significantly during the war in Ukraine and Kubilius has visited the country himself to see how they are used. He talks about an area on the front called the “Valley of Death”.

“Nothing can move there. Drones control everything. A conventional tank can survive for six minutes,” he says.

However, he does not think that the EU should build up a stockpile of drones that risk being outdated when they are used. Instead, he wants to invest in the infrastructure around them, such as pilots, engineers and production lines, so that production can be quickly scaled up when the need arises.