International

Ursula von der Leyen, re-elected as president of the European Commission for five more years

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, obtained this Thursday the confidence of the European Parliament to repeat in office for five more years, thanks to the support of 401 MEPs in a hemicycle of 720 seats.

Before the vote, Von der Leyen explained to MEPs what their priorities would be for the new presidency, among which he confirmed his intention to appoint a Defense Commissioner, among whose objectives will be to promote a European anti-aircraft shield.

“We need to build common European projects, for example a complete air defense system, not only to protect our airspace, but also to send a clear and strong message of European unity in the field of defense,” Von der Leyen said.

In this way, he collected one of the proposals that the governments of Germany and Poland have promoted for the coming years.

Von der Leyen assured that European countries will always maintain the responsibility of their own troops, from their training to their deployment, but “there is much that Europe can do to support and coordinate efforts.”

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In this sense, he said that he will extend cooperation between the EU and NATO.

German politics criticized the recent trip of the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, to Moscow, which the Hungarian president has defended as a “peace mission” and Von der Leyen called a “appeasement mission”: no one wants peace as much as the Ukrainians, he said.

In this sense, she was in favor of “giving Ukraine everything it needs to resist and emerge victorious” and at the same time “doing everything possible to protect the Europeans,” with NATO as a pillar of the collective defense architecture and reinforcing a defense spending that she still called “too low and ineffective.”

The mention of Hungary was the only reference to any of the 27 member states in the entire speech and led some MEPs from the bench of the two far-right groups, where Orbán’s own MEPs sit, booing Von der Leyen with chants in defense of the president.

At another point in his speech, he asked for the confidence of the European Parliament to revalidate his position at the head of the Community Executive, warning that Europe now faces “a clear decision that will define our world in the next five years, but also our place in the world in the next fifty.”

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German politics, which today needs a majority of 361 seats in a European Parliament of 720 members, said that it asks for the confidence of MEPs because it came to politics “to make a difference for the whole of society” and with the generations of its children and grandchildren.

“I am convinced that the version of Europe after the end of World War II, with all its imperfections and inequalities, is still the best version of history. I will never stand by and watch how they destroy it from the outside or from the inside,” he said.

Von der Leyen declared herself “ready to lead that fight with all the democratic forces” of the European Parliament and said that she will always “reject the extreme polarization of our societies” or that “demagogues and extremists” destroy the European way of life.

Regarding her program, the president of the European Commission assured that her future team will include key members on issues such as competitiveness, simplification of legislation and defense and its industry, among others.

He also announced that he will appoint a European Commissioner whose responsibilities will include addressing the housing crisis and the first ‘European Affordable Housing Plan’.

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As part of her political guidelines for the next European Commission (2024-2029), published today, the president assured that the European Union must “urgently address the housing crisis” that affects “millions of families and young people,” despite the fact that it has no competence in these policies.

The European housing plan and the portfolio entrusted to a European Commissioner “will address structural factors, develop a strategy for housing construction, offer technical assistance to cities and Member States and focus on investment.”

To this end, the new Commission, he said, will work with the European Investment Bank (EIB) on a “pan-European investment” for affordable and sustainable housing in order to attract more public and private investment.

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.

International

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns over opposition to war in Iran

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from his post, citing his opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.

In a post on X, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience,” support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its lobbying influence in Washington.

In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent alleged that at the start of the current administration, senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media carried out a disinformation campaign that undermined the “America First” platform and fostered pro-war sentiment aimed at triggering a conflict with Iran.

Kent further stated that he could not support sending a new generation of Americans to “fight and die in a war that provides no benefit to the American people and does not justify the cost in American lives.”

Since the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while 10 others have been seriously wounded and around 200 have sustained minor injuries, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

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International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”