EU Archives - The Minnesota Sun

Commentary: America Leaving NATO Would Be Good for Itself and Europe

March 6, 2024 Minnesota Sun Staff

Donald Trump resumed his role as the “wise fool” in recent, off-the-cuff remarks about NATO. He suggested that free-riding NATO members who do not pay their fair share might have to fight Russia on their own. National security hawks and Trump’s media enemies responded with lots of pious talk about our sacred NATO obligations. Joe Biden even said Trump was “un-American.”

Trump is not the first to suggest NATO partners should pay their fair share. But unlike his predecessors, he is willing to employ some leverage to make it happen. The real dirty secret here, as evidenced by how long this situation has gone on, is that enabling the Europeans to neglect their own defense is a feature and not a bug of America’s dominance over the NATO organization.

Protesting Farmers Successfully Bully EU into Scrapping New Environmental Regulations

February 6, 2024 Minnesota Sun Staff

The European Union (EU) is withdrawing a pesticide proposal amid protests by farmers against environmental regulations, The Associated Press reported.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the decision Tuesday to suspend a regulation that aimed to cut pesticide and similar chemical use in half by 2030, according to The Guardian. The move is the latest concession by the EU to farmers who have staged sweeping protests across the member nations against environmental regulations they feel are hurting their livelihoods.

Commentary: As Europe Falls into a Woke Dark Ages, One Nation Shines

January 2, 2024 Minnesota Sun Staff

You hear a lot about Hungary these days. To be fair, Prime Minister Viktor Orban does upset the delicate sensibilities of the progressive liberals. It is only natural then for Americans to wonder about this distant land that has become a prickling thorn in the side of the globalist Left.

An “age of discovery in reverse” has started, as intellectuals from Tucker Carlson through Jordan Peterson to Micheal Knowles explore for themselves the Hungarian conservative landscape in search of lessons to learn about politics and winning at the polls.

EU Member Blocks Billions in Foreign Aid to Ukraine

December 16, 2023 Minnesota Sun Staff

Kyiv took a blow on Friday after an EU member single handedly blocked billions in aid to Ukraine.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stonewalled all other 26 members of the EU and voted against a $50 billion aid package for Ukraine at the European Council conference in Belgium on Friday, according to Reuters. Orban also hinted he could block attempts to bring Ukraine into the EU fold as a member after the other members voted unanimously to start negotiation talks on Thursday.

EU Moves Forward with Digital ID Despite Security Concerns and Potential for Abuse

November 13, 2023 Minnesota Sun Staff

The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union reached a final agreement this week on the establishment of “European Digital Identity Wallets,” the first central and fully digital identification system for all Europeans.

“Under the new law, the EU will offer its citizens so-called ‘digital wallets’—on a voluntary basis, at first—which will contain digital versions of their ID cards, driving licenses, diplomas, medical records, and bank account information,” the European Conservative reported.

U.S. Gives Roughly Double What EU Provides Ukraine in Military Aid, Renewing Debate over NATO

July 16, 2023July 15, 2023 Just the News

The United States has given roughly twice as much military aid to Ukraine during the first year of Russia’s invasion as European Union countries, a disparity that has renewed debate among U.S. lawmakers.

The U.S. gave $47 billion in the first year, according Kiel Institute for the World Economy data reviewed by The New York Times.

Commentary: What Trump’s ‘America First’ Agenda Got Right in Central Europe, Ukraine, and the Politics of Security

April 25, 2022April 24, 2022 Minnesota Sun Staff

Russia’s invasion not only poses an existential threat to Ukrainian sovereignty, but it also represents a direct challenge to American power and credibility globally. If Vladimir Putin prevails, the promise of the United States to act as a security guarantor through NATO in Europe or on its own anywhere will be in shambles.

Moscow is clearly pursuing two goals simultaneously: territorial gains in Ukraine as part of the revanchist ambition to restore the Soviet-era sphere of influence and, more importantly, degrading American strategic prominence, with the goal of driving the United States out of Europe.

‘Shortfall’: Trump Energy Secretary Casts Doubt on Biden Gas Deal with the European Union

March 29, 2022March 28, 2022 Minnesota Sun Staff

Former Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette suggested that President Joe Biden’s recent gas deal with the European Union (EU) wouldn’t be enough to help the continent wean itself off Russian energy.

Brouillette — who served as deputy energy secretary between 2017-2019 and energy secretary between 2019-2021 — noted that the U.S. wouldn’t be able to fill the gap left by Russian energy during an interview with CNBC on Monday. He added that the EU cannot expect to consume less total energy as part of its plan to ditch Russian gas.

“Frankly, I’m not quite sure that everyone can make up that shortfall,” said Brouillette, according to CNBC. “That’s an enormous amount of gas.”

UK, EU Leaders Reach Historic Brexit Deal After Months of Negotiations

December 25, 2020December 24, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

The U.K. and the European Union agreed to a historic Brexit trade deal Thursday after months of tense negotiations and with just days left before the deadline, leaders from both sides announced.

The thousand-page trade agreement means that the U.K. can finally depart from the EU and sets up the framework for British-EU relations post-Brexit, according to The New York Times. The deal concluded more than four years of bitter Brexit negotiations after British citizens voted in favor of leaving the EU in June 2016.

EU Files Antitrust Charges Against Amazon Over Use of Data

November 11, 2020November 10, 2020 The Associated Press

European Union regulators filed antitrust charges Tuesday against Amazon, accusing the e-commerce giant of using its access to data from companies that sell products on its platform to gain an unfair advantage over them.

The charges, filed two years after the bloc’s antitrust enforcer began looking into the company, are the latest effort by European regulators to curb the power of big technology companies. Margrethe Vestager, the EU commissioner in charge of competition issues, has slapped Google with antitrust fines totaling nearly $10 billion and opened twin antitrust investigations this summer into Apple. The EU’s executive Commission also opened a second investigation Tuesday into whether Amazon favors product offers and merchants that use its own logistics and delivery system.

Poland’s Populist President Duda Edges Euro-Centric Challenger Trzaskowski, Earns Second Term

July 14, 2020July 13, 2020 The Associated Press

Polish President Andrzej Duda declared victory Monday in a runoff election in which he narrowly won a second five-year term, acknowledging the campaign he ran was often too harsh as he appealed for unity and forgiveness.

The close race followed a bitter campaign between Duda and Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski that was dominated by cultural issues. The government, state media and the influential Roman Catholic Church all mobilized in support of Duda and sought to stoke anti-Semitism, homophobia and xenophobia in order to shore up conservative support.

The European Union Let China Censor Ambassador’s Op-Ed by Removing Reference to Coronavirus Originating in China

May 8, 2020May 7, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

The European Union allowed the Chinese government to censor part of an op-ed by the EU ambassador to China that was published in a state newspaper, China Daily.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) insisted on censoring an op-ed by the EU ambassador to China to remove a reference to COVID-19 originating in China, an EU spokesman said Wednesday, adding that the EU acquiesced to the censorship rather than withdrawing the op-ed.

Chinese Government Pressured EU to Alter Report on Coronavirus Disinformation

April 26, 2020April 26, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

The Chinese government successfully pressured European Union officials to water down language in a report that cited the communist regime’s disinformation campaign regarding the coronavirus pandemic, according to news reports.

President Donald Trump Temporarily Suspends Travel to EU

March 12, 2020March 11, 2020 Zachery Schmidt

In a special addresss from the Oval Office Wednesday night, President Donald Trump announced America is suspending travel to European Union nations for 30 days in an attempt to contain the coronavirus.

Commentary: A Very British Goodbye

February 2, 2020February 1, 2020 Admin

Perhaps the penny has dropped. All 50 of them. Great Britain has left the European Union. Plagues of locusts, pestilence, and lepers waited patiently in the wings.

EU Parliament Votes Overwhelmingly in Favor of Brexit

January 31, 2020January 30, 2020 Admin

PARIS – The European Parliament gave the green light for Britain’s departure from the European Union Wednesday evening, hours before Brexit becomes reality. The vote was overwhelming, 621 to 49, but it was an emotional departure.

UK’s Johnson Sends Unsigned Brexit Delay Request to EU, Source Says

October 21, 2019October 20, 2019 Minnesota Sun Staff

LONDON – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson sent an unsigned letter to the European Union on Saturday requesting a Brexit delay and a separate note saying that he did not want an extension, a British government source said.

Brexit Breakthrough, but British MPs Could Torpedo EU Deal

October 19, 2019October 18, 2019 Minnesota Sun Staff

BRUSSELS – Britain and the European Union sealed a new withdrawal agreement Thursday, on the first day of an EU summit in Brussels, paving the way for Britain’s possible exit from the bloc at the end of the month.

Details of EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland’s Planned Testimony About Quid Pro Quo Have Leaked

October 14, 2019October 13, 2019 Minnesota Sun Staff

Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, will reportedly testify that President Donald Trump told him in a phone call in September that he did not want a quid pro quo from Ukraine involving military aid, but that he is not certain that the president was telling the truth.

Commentary: Joe Biden Runs for President of the World

June 5, 2019June 4, 2019 Minnesota Sun Staff

by Robert Romano Political parties pushing sovereignty first policies did remarkably well in European Parliament elections in the UK, France and Italy in May as nations feel increasingly overregulated and held back by the European Union. It is the latest instance of the struggle between nation-states and the global…

British PM Theresa May to Resign After Bungling Brexit

May 25, 2019May 24, 2019 Minnesota Sun Staff

by Evie Fordham United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May said she would resign from her position Friday after nearly two years of taking Great Britain on a bungled path toward Brexit. May said she would continue in her role until a new prime minister was selected, though she will…

Trump: US to Put Tariffs on $11B in EU Goods

April 10, 2019April 10, 2019 Minnesota Sun Staff

President Donald Trump says the United States will impose new tariffs on more than $11 billion worth of exports from the European Union, after the World Trade Organization ruled last year the EU was illegally subsidizing aircraft maker Airbus. The WTO, in a decision last May, ruled the European countries…

Parliament Facing Brexit Decisions, More Drama, Deadline

March 11, 2019March 10, 2019 Minnesota Sun Staff

After months of Brexit deadlock, this is it: decision time. At least for now. With Britain scheduled to leave the European Union in less than three weeks, U.K. lawmakers are poised to choose the country’s immediate direction from among three starkly different choices: deal, no deal or delay. A look…

Trump Just Secured Another Major Trade Victory

January 30, 2019January 29, 2019 Minnesota Sun Staff

by Jason Hopkins The European Commission approved U.S. soybeans to be used in the production of biofuels, a decision that will fulfill President Donald Trump’s demand that the European Union buy more of the product. “Today’s decision is new proof that the European Union is delivering on our commitments,”…

Rethinking The Iron Lady: Lessons for Today’s Brexit

January 2, 2019January 1, 2019 Minnesota Sun Staff

by Silvio Simonetti Since the British population decided to strike a coup in the liberal political establishment voting for the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union (Brexit), Westminster is in a political crisis. David Cameron resigned after the referendum’s outcome, and Theresa May’s government is burning in flames, and…

EU Shreds Theresa May’s Brexit Plan, Leaving Negotiations At Square-One Just A Month Before ‘Moment Of Truth’

September 22, 2018September 21, 2018 Admin

by Will Racke Negotiations over Britain’s exit from the European Union broke down into bitter recriminations Friday, with U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May accusing EU leaders of making a “mockery” of the process after they shredded her Brexit plan. In a combative speech at 10 Downing Street, May said…

Trump, EU Leader Agree to Work Toward ‘Zero Tariffs’

July 26, 2018July 25, 2018 Admin

by Fred Lucas In what President Donald Trump called “a very big day for free and fair trade,” he and the leader of the European Union agreed Wednesday to work to end tariffs on nonautomotive products. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Trump met at the White House, then…

Commentary: Yes, Brexit Will Happen – And It Will Work

June 25, 2018July 18, 2018 Admin

by Ted R. Bromund This week has seen big, and potentially confusing, events in Great Britain’s struggle to Brexit—to regain its national independence from the European Union. As we reach the second anniversary of the Brexit referendum, which took place on June 23, 2016, here’s what has happened. In 1973,…

Daniel Hannan Explains Why the EU is a Hive of Corruption

June 17, 2018July 18, 2018 Admin

by Rev. Ben Johnson Two paths confront someone faced with an unwanted reality: reform or denial. With a report set to expose persistently high levels of corruption among its member states, the EU chose the latter option, its critics say. EU member states, programs, practices, institutions, and leaders stand accused of everything from bribery to…

UK’s Theresa May Orders Retreat to Sort Out Brexit Details

June 11, 2018July 18, 2018 Admin

Reuters Prime Minister Theresa May will gather together squabbling British ministers gather country residence after this month’s European Union summit to settle on details of a much-anticipated Brexit policy paper. May has yet to agree on some of the fundamental details of what type of trading relationship she wants to…