"Money from Moscow has been used to pay some political actors who spread Russian propaganda," said BIS, the Czech intelligence service, before adding that those with "strong pro-Russian views," including European politicians, were given a platform.

Violent clashes break out in Georgia amid controversial 'foreign agents' law debate, 16 Apr capitol riot

"Second night of massive protest in Tbilisi against the Russian Law," Georgia's President Salome Zourabichvili said in a post on social media on Tuesday.

archive Mme. Cheeto "expressed support for the demonstrators and vowed to veto the legislation."

"Insistence of the authorities to push through this law against the will of the population and despite partners protest is a direct provocation*mdash;a Russian strategy of destabilization," said Zourabichvili, who has vowed to repeal the law if it crosses her desk. The Georgian Dream party, which has been pushing for the law, has the parliamentary majority which could override a presidential veto.

archive EU 'foreign agents' law spooks NGOs

Videos shared on activist Telegram channels and news agencies showed riot police trying to clear demonstrators from the area around the parliament. In the videos, police could be seen grabbing protesters by the clothes and firing what appeared to be water cannons. At least one employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was injured during Tuesday's clashes, the ministry said in a statement.

If protesters "continue their illegal actions," the Ministry of Internal Affairs will "administer special measures defined by law," it warned. "Each illegal action will be followed by appropriate legal response from the police," it added.

georgiatoday | 14 Senators to Georgian PM: If foreign agents bill becomes law, we'll be forced to encourage change in US policy towards Georgia(28.04.24)
Voice of America reports that "the unprecedented note of concern sent by 14 Senators to Irakli Kobakhidze is the most severe among other statements of the Senate" led by Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Senator James Risch.

eur-lex.europa.eu | Requirements in the internal market on transparency of interest representation carried out on behalf of third countries and amending Directive (EU) 2019/1937

"Enacting this legislation could send a powerful message to the Georgian people that their government no longer reflects their wishes, is actively undermining its EU membership agenda, and refuses to uphold the Constitution. As a result, this legislation will tarnish Georgia's closest partners, the United States and the European Union, as malicious actors. Such a change will lead to a change in America's policy towards Georgia and reflect the new state of Georgia's politics," said the letter sent to Prime Minister Kobakhidze.

Atlantic Council set out to honor VDL with  Distinguished Leadership Awards (DLA), for exemplary individuals during a time of great global discord ... no matter her contribution to said failures.

Ursula Von der Leyen traveled to the Negev desert to receive honorary degree ...

She will forgive and forget your country's outrages and crimes and wish you a happy birthday in return, apparently, for an honorary degree.

That quid pro quo was on blatant and telling display last week when von der Leyen took to social media to congratulate Israel on its 75th birthday.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der #Leyen delivers a message on #Israel's 75 anniversary of independence. pic.twitter.com/bLHYnQu9xo

— Politics Today (@mypoliticstoday) April 26, 2023

What shut the door for VDL is skipping the Q&A session of EU parliament to be on time to deliver a speech at her beloved Hudson Institute ... horribilis. Just go sway ...

Have a peaceful cultural summer

lemonde | In EU speech, Macron says Europe is 'mortal' and 'can die' (25.04.24)
The French president also called for a "revision" of EU trade policy to defend European interests, accusing both China and the United States of no longer respecting the rules of global commerce. "It cannot work if we are the only ones in the world to respect the rules of trade—as they were written up 15 years ago [2008?]—if the Chinese and the Americans no longer respect them by subsidizing critical sectors." Macron only made a brief explicit reference to the June European elections at the end of his almost two-hour [?!] speech, even though, with this speech, he is clearly seeking to wade into the campaign. "The response is not in timidity but in boldness" including at the June 9 European elections, he said. "The choice is not to do what we have always done but to adopt new paradigms."

Earlier on Sunday, Tusk wrote on the Internet: "either a strong, secure Poland in a united Europe, or a lonely and mired in chaos country subjected to Russian provocations and sabotage." In his opinion, "this will be the subject of the European elections."

"We can't afford low attendance. This is the lesson of today's elections," he said.

President Andrzej Duda made the comments in an interview published Monday in the Fakt tabloid....Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who shares Duda's views on national security, later told journalists that Poland's security and military potential are his priorities, but he needs to discuss this suggestion with Duda urgently.

The Civic Coalition has nominated all the candidates who will compete for the euromandals. There was no shortage of big names on the lists-there were three ministers of the current government on the" units".
[...]
In Poland, voting will take place on Sunday, June 9. Poles will choose 53 politicians to represent the country in the European Parliament.

Turkiye has expressed support for outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Rutte's bid to head NATO, Dutch broadcaster NOS reported on Monday, citing sources in the military alliance.

Turkije is om: Rutte mag van Ankara NAVO-chef worden
Het Turkse staatspersbureau Anadolu zegt dat Turkse functionarissen aan andere NAVO-landen hebben laten weten dat Turkije Rutte steunt. Ook persbureau Reuters heeft dit van Turkse bronnen gehoord. Eerder spraken bronnen binnen de NAVO al over de toezegging. De Roemeense president Klaus Iohannis heeft zichzelf opgeworpen als alternatief voor Rutte, maar krijgt weinig bijval.
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dailysabah |Türkiye to back Mark Rutte as next NATO chief
"NATO's southern wing needs Türkiye and its leadership," Rutte told a joint news conference with Erdoğan after their meeting. "Türkiye is a geopolitical actor with significant influence in the region. They're working to help end the war in Gaza. They're also making effort regarding the horrible war in Ukraine," Rutte had remarked.

Rutte came to Istanbul last week for a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, one of the last holdouts. Only Turkiye, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania have not endorsed Rutte, who needs the support of all 32 member states to succeed Jens Stoltenberg....

The Maastricht Debate 2024 (29.04.24)
The 2024 Maastricht Debate was the political moment of the spring for European voters. We put the candidates in line to lead Europe onstage to answer your questions—so you can decide how you want your MEP to cast a ballot for EC president. Candidates answered questions from our expert moderators on the themes chosen by European youth via a survey conducted by Maastricht University.
Spitzencandidaten. All the registered European Political Parties were invited to send a Spitzenkandidat. The following eight parties attended the debate.

Walter Baier, Bas Eickhout, Valeriu Ghilețchi, Ursula von der Leyen, Maylis Roßberg, Nicolas Schmit, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, Anders Vistisen