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Europe
Hungary
July 15, 2024 2:47 PM Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has sent a letter to the heads of other European Union countries briefing them on a recent set of foreign visits he made. Orbán's unannounced meetings, which included a visit with former U.S. President Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate last week, have led some governments to consider boycotting or limiting participation in a series of upcoming informal meetings in Budapest related to the rotating EU presidency. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said last week that ministers from his country, along with Finland and the Baltic countries, would not participate in such meetings this summer, while other reports suggest a planned summit of foreign ministers in Budapest in late August could be disrupted by an EU-wide boycott. (Source: voanews *)
* Voice of America, the international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. Headquarters Washington, D.C., United States
Estonia
July 15, 2024 Estonian PM Kallas resigned as Estonia's prime minister today. The former Estonian PM is ’determined’ to drive the bloc's Russia policy - but does she lack vision on other issues? Kallas had been considered for the post of NATO secretary general until a few months ago. She has suggested joint borrowing by the EU to fund the expansion of defense capabilities. Reports suggest Kallas may have raised it in February in Hamburg with Chancellor Olaf Scholz. While France's President Macron has backed the idea, it will be harder for she to convince fiscally prudent states like Germany. Kallas was a lead candidate in the race to replace Stoltenberg. There were concerns that handing the top security job to a Baltic leader was too strong a message for Russian President Putin. Kallas’ reputation as a Russia hawk scuttled her chances. The possibility of a change in US leadership and calculations over who could best deal with Trump should he win the November presidential election was also an issue. Kallas endorsed Mark Rutte as the next NATO boss. The outgoing Dutch PM took the job. Observers suspected Kallas’ nonchalant exit was part of an agreement that paved the way for her for position of the EU high representative for foreign policy. She was nominated 'at a post-election EU summit' in June. Kallas personally hasn't been vocal about foreign policy questions other than Russia, Arjakas, a fellow at the International Centre for Defence and Security, a think tank in Tallinn, Estonia, said. Her top priority as the EU's chief diplomat ’will be’ ensuring that Europeans are prepared to prevent future Russian advances. Kallas comes from a small state, so it's very natural 'for her to lay strong emphasis on a rules-based order where international agreements are valid and norms respected'. While that approach may work in the context of the threat Russia poses to smaller Baltic states, her bigger challenge 'will be' defining her foreign policy’s controversial when it comes to conflicts in other areas, such as dealing with Iran, China, and the Middle East. There are already concerns over potential turf wars within the bloc and whether Kallas’ focus on Russia might steal the thunder of incoming NATO chief Rutte. In May, Estonia voted in favor of a United Nations General Assembly resolution upgrading Palestinian status from that of an observer to full membership. Little was known about Kallas in Tel Aviv. Estonia's vote had been noted. Among feminists, there is a debate about whether a feminist foreign policy merely encourages the inclusion of women in positions of power, fights for their rights through diplomatic tools and pushes for allocation of more resources or goes beyond that to fundamentally prioritize human security over national security. Towns, professor of political science at Sweden's University of Gothenburg, said many feminists reject the idea that "there is inherent tension between feminist foreign policy and security policy," adding: ’Kallas would fall in that same tradition.’ (Source: dw *)
* Deutsche Welle, the German public, state-owned international broadcaster, headquartered in Bonn
Finland
15 July 2024 Finnish Customs seize major cocaine shipment when Customs officials stopped a vehicle with foreign plates at the Port of Naantali. The 15-kilogram haul, discovered in the car arriving on a ferry from Sweden driven by a Denmark resident, has an estimated street value exceeding 2.25 million euros. "This is one of the largest narcotics seizures at the Turku area ports," Customs’ lead investigator Kaunisto stated. Preliminary investigations suggest the cocaine was concealed in the vehicle elsewhere in Europe before being transported through Denmark and Sweden to Finland. A Romanian national has been detained and remains in custody as the investigation continues. (Source: helsinktimes *)
* Helsinki Times, English-language daily online newspaper in Finland. Headquarters Helsinki
European Commission
15/07/2024 20:40 Budapest insists both trips, which Orbán advertised as chapters of a so-called "peace mission," were strictly done under bilateral diplomacy. But the timing of the international tour, the selection of countries and the use of the Hungarian presidency's official logo fuelled harsh accusations of abuse of power and disloyalty. Separately, Orbán participated in an informal summit of the Organisation of Turkic States, which includes the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" that only Turkey recognises, prompting fresh condemnation. Speculation about a coordinated boycott has been rife in Brussels since then, with one diplomat telling the plan was to 'make Orbán less visible.' The Commission's decision, taken by President von der Leyen, confirms the rumours: Brussels will not engage at the highest level in the many events that Budapest plans to host until the end of the year. The boycott comes as a group of 63 MEPs, led by Estonia's Terras, send a letter demanding Hungary be stripped of its voting rights under the Article 7 procedure as retaliation for Orbán's 'abuses of power.' "This kind of behavior amounts to usurping the powers and prerogatives of the EU Member States in the field of foreign policy,' the lawmakers write in the letter, addressed to Presidents von der Leyen, Michel and Metsola. (Source: euronews *)
* Euronews, a European television news network. Headquartered in Lyon, France
(15 July 2024) 20:35 Formal meetings, which take normally place in Brussels and Luxembourg, will not be affected as their organisation does not depend on the rotating presidency. The traditional European Commission College visit to the country would be cancelled, Mamer said. The step also follows a decision by Sweden, Finland, Poland, and three Baltic states – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – to skip the informal meetings during Hungary’s presidency. The only response so far has been EU member states downgrading their ministerial representation at some of the informal ministerials that have taken place over the course of the past week. An industrial policy meeting hosted in Budapest saw only seven ministers from EU countries showing up and no Commissioner responsible for the file attended. The plans have been floated informally among several EU member states, including France and Germany. The European Commission “cannot cherry-pick institutions [and member states] it wants to cooperate with,” Hungary’s European affairs minister Bóka said. “Are all Commission decisions now based on political considerations?” he asked. (Source: euractiv *)
* Euractiv, a European news website. Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
July 15, 2024 7:43 PM CET The European Commission has asked its commissioners not to attend informal ministers’ meetings during the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU. Hungary took over the rotating EU presidency from Belgium in June. Since then, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has undertaken self-declared “peace missions” to Kyiv, Moscow, Beijing and Washington and 'claimed, without authorization, to be representing the European Union'. The Council’s legal service has told EU ambassadors this breaches EU treaties. EU leaders have been fuming about Hungary’s 'rogue' presidency;) One of their responses is to send lower ranking civil servants instead of ministers to the informal ministers’ meetings Hungary is organizing in Budapest. For example, 'the bloc’s foreign affairs ministers are set to snub Hungary by organizing their own foreign affairs summit' in August instead of traveling to Budapest for Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s event. The European Commission is now set to follow a similar route. Mamer, "the chief spokesperson of the European Commission, confirmed the decision to only send senior civil servants to Hungary’s meetings'. (Source: politico)
Europe
July 15, 2024 7:07 PM CET ’Europe’s populists’ use Trump shooting to slam the left from Spain to Serbia. Belgian 'far-right' leader Van Grieken accused the media of “dehumanizing” and “demonizing” Trump, and seemed to draw a parallel between Trump and murdered 'far-right' Dutch politician Fortuyn. France’s ’far-right’ leader Le Pen, who last week compared the left-wing New Popular Front alliance to the Jan. 6 rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington in 2021, said the attempted assassination was “a warning for all of us,” adding that “France is not safe from this violence.” In Italy, Deputy Prime Minister Salvini blamed the shooting on “certain violent tones of the left.” “It happened in the USA, it also happened in Italy against Berlusconi,” he said, referring to an assault on former Italian Prime Minister in 2009 that left him bloodied. The Netherlands’ Wilders, who leads the Dutch ruling-coalition 'far-right' Freedom Party, said “the hate rhetoric from many leftish politicians and media, who label right-wing politicians as racists and Nazis, ”amounts to “playing with fire.” Some European political figures alluded to a malevolent global plot, casting the media and left-wing parties as co-conspirators. Elsewhere, the shooting was turned into a rallying cry. Serbian President Vučić described Trump’s survival as a “miracle” and called for “the libertarian forces of the world to rise up.” “This is all the madness of the demonization that they carry out every day in which there is only one acceptable truth and no one has the right to a different opinion,” he told yesterday. Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Vulin said the shooting was “an expression of permitted and encouraged hatred” and warned that Vučić’s life was also at risk. Hours after the deadly incident, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico - who survived an attempt on his own life in May - hit out at Trump’s “political opponents” for fomenting hatred against him. The former American leader’s critics “are trying to shut him down and when they don’t succeed, they piss off the public so much that some loser picks up a gun,” Fico wrote in a post. Reform UK leader Farage said he was “upset” but “not shocked” by the attack. “The narrative that is put out there about Trump by these liberals that oppose him is so nasty, so unpleasant, and I think it almost encourages this type of behavior,” he said. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez condemned the attack within hours of its occurrence. The leader of Spain’s 'far-right' Vox party, the third-largest force in the country’s parliament, said the attempt on Trump’s life had been orchestrated by “the globalist left that is spreading hatred, ruin and war.” Abascal accused Spain’s left-wing coalition government of being allied with that same globalist cabal, adding that Spain’s leaders were likely “regretting that the murderer has failed.” (Source: politico )
Asia
China
July 15, 2024 11:44 AM PT T-shirts with image of Trump raising his fist after assassination attempt on sale in China for as little as $4 on China’s e-commerce platforms. (Source: latimes *)
* Los Angeles Times, a regional American daily newspaper. Headquarters El Segundo, California
North America
United States
July 15, 2024, 12:44 p.m. ET Biden finally grants Secret Service protection to RFK Jr after Trump assassination attempt, months of resistance. Hours earlier, former President Trump demanded that Kennedy receive Secret Service protection, calling it the “right thing to do.” “In light of what is going on in the world today, I believe it is imperative that Kennedy Jr. receive Secret Service protection - immediately,” the 78-year-old former president wrote on Truth Social. “Given the history of the Kennedy Family, this is the obvious right thing to do!” he added. The Secret Service is authorized to protect major presidential and vice presidential candidates, identified as such by the secretary of Homeland Security, within 120 days of a presidential election. (Source: nypost *)
* New York Post, an American daily newspaper. Headquarters New York City, United States
07/15/2024, 3:59PM ET Former President Trump met this morning in Milwaukee with Kennedy Jr. to discuss the possibility of the independent candidate endorsing the Republican nomine. Kennedy denied that he plans to drop out of the race. (Source: politico *)
* Politico, an American political digital newspaper. Headquarters Arlington County, Virginia, U.S.
22:10 BST, 15 July 2024 Trump picks Ohio senator Vance as running mate opting for a MAGA favorite in last-minute decision. Trump made his announcement on Truth Social, dropping it just as delegates were rubber stamping his nomination as presidential candidate at their convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The former venture capitalist and U.S. Marine had initially been critical of Trump. Since then he become personally close with the former president and his son Trump Jr. His feisty appearances on Fox News impressed Trump, as has his recent weight loss. Insiders said the two other 'finalists' were Sen. Rubio of Florida and Gov. Burgum of North Dakota. After the announcement, Don Jr. paid tribute to 'incredible patriots' Burgum and Rubio. 'Biden is stuck with the worst VP in the history of our nation,' he posted on X. 'President Trump has one of the most dynamic, young leaders in the country in JD Vance. (Source: dailymail *)
* The Daily Mail, a British daily, middle-market tabloid newspaper. Headquarters London, United Kingdom
NATO
15 July 2024, 4:00pm Sober analysis of the Washington summit’s positives and shortcomings was overshadowed by feverish discussion on whether Biden is mentally fit to stand for re-election. The return of Trump is no longer unimaginable. Although the summit took steps to try to mollify Trump by spelling out European budget contributions, burden-sharing arrangements for Ukraine, and appointing a new secretary general with solid personal relations with the former president, Trump’s campaign rhetoric has made clear that he still sees Nato as a financial burden on the US rather than a net positive for US national security. In 1948, Labour foreign secretary Bevin set out his vision for a new trans-Atlantic alliance to protect against the Russian threat and bind the US to the defence of Europe. It has been assumed ever since that the United States will always ensure that Europe remains whole and free. The rise of China, a steady US drift away from Europe over the last 30 years, and Americans questioning why 750 million Europeans rely so heavily on a country of 330 million for their protection all challenge this assumption. Trump exemplifies this drift but is not its progenitor; President Obama also spoke of freeloaders and led the US pivot to Asia. Biden’s Atlanticism is out of sync with mainstream political thought in Washington. Although Trump is unlikely to leave Nato, those around him have been sketching out a ‘radical reorientation" in which Washington takes a back seat to Europe – and cuts a deal with Putin over Ukraine, severely weakening European security. At this time of potential turbulence, European leaders must ‘stop moaning and whining and nagging about Trump’ as the new Secretary General Rutte put it in February, and get cracking. 'First, all should ensure national defence spending meets at least 2 per cent of GDP to meet their Nato obligation. Sweden has shown what is possible when there is political will, moving from 1.3 per cent to 2 per cent in two years. Work to strengthen the European pillar of Nato should also be defined and accelerated. This was encouraged at Washington but words must be turned into action. Labour’s proposed but still vague UK-EU defence and security pact can be a crucial part of this. Lastly, in the face of the Russian threat and possible return of Trump, Starmer should show the same strategic grip as Bevin and set out a clear timeline for the UK spending 2.5 per cent of our GDP on defence now, and not meekly hide behind the bureaucratic process of his Strategic Defence Review, which will come at some stage next year. This increase in defence spending will demonstrate UK leadership within Europe, encourage European laggards to display similar political solidarity, and address US rancour about freeloaders'. (Source: spectator *)
* United Kingdom
Globalization
13:33 ET, Mon, Jul 15, 2024 Speaking at VivaTech in Paris, France a worldwide summit for technological start-ups, Musk was asked by an event host if he was an alien. The 52-year-old entrepreneur laughed and responded: "I am an alien yes, I keep telling people I'm an alien. But nobody believes me." Musk also issued a warning about artificial intelligence (AI), stating it posed a more immediate problem than extraterrestrials for humans. He predicted that AI would eventually replace all jobs on Earth, making employment optional and transforming jobs into hobbies as AI and robots would provide all necessary goods and services. He cautioned that these AI systems need to be carefully trained to prioritize honesty over political correctness to prevent the spread of misinformation. He mused that human probes might one day discover "remains of long-dead alien civilisations". He noted that none of SpaceX's missions to low Earth orbit, which have launched 6,000 satellites, have encountered any signs of extraterrestrial life or unidentified flying objects. (Source: express *)
* The Daily Express, a national daily newspaper. Headquarters London, United Kingdom
