European Union

EU takes ‘historic’ step on new diplomatic service

By Andrew Rettman, the EUobserver

From Andrew Rettman, the EUobserver:  Foreign relations chief Catherine Ashton will turn her attention to choosing the top officials and the main building for the European External Action Service (EEAS) after the EU Parliament approved the legal blueprint for the new body.

Former Foreign Minister: ‘Germany has found its place as Europe’s number one’

By Charlemagne, the Economist

From Charlemagne, the Economist:  Insults are being lobbed back and forth across the Rhine. The French cannot stop themselves from provoking the Germans.

Obama sees Turkey turning eastward if snubbed by EU

By Reuters

From Reuters:  Turkey could end up seeking alliances outside the West if the European Union keeps it dangling over its bid for membership, U.S. President Barack Obama said in a newspaper interview on Thursday. Obama told Italy’s Corriere della Sera the United States believed it would be wise for the European Union to accept Turkey, […]

NATO chief slams EU over ‘unfair’ Turkish treatment

By AFP

From AFP:  NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen criticized the European Union on Wednesday for what he called its "unfair" treatment of Turkey, writing in the Danish center-left daily Politiken. The NATO secretary-general advised the EU to "take a series of pragmatic steps to improve relations with Turkey, entirely outside the negotiations" between Ankara and Brussels […]

Poland Has a New President: What Does It Mean for the Transatlantic Relationship?

By Sally McNamara, Heritage Foundation

Turning East, Turkey Asserts Economic Power

By Landon Thomas Jr., the New York Times

From Landon Thomas Jr., the New York Times:  For many in aging and debt-weary Europe, which will be lucky to eke out a little more than 1 percent growth this year, Turkey’s economic renaissance — last week it reported a stunning 11.4 percent expansion for the first quarter, second only to China — poses a […]

Ashton places Polish agent in charge of security for the EU’s new diplomatic service

By Andrew Rettman, the EUobserver

From Andrew Rettman, the EUobserver:  EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton has hired a Polish secret service agent to be the main architect of internal security in the European External Action Service (EEAS). The agent, whose name is being kept under wraps, was parachuted into Brussels from Warsaw to begin work on 1 June and […]

Clinton: “the doors to NATO remain open” for Ukraine

By Hillary Clinton, the State Department

Emerging Power among Europe’s Leaders: Herman Van Rompuy

By Steven Erlanger, the New York Times

From Steven Erlanger, the New York Times:  [T]he new European president of the council of national leaders, Herman Van Rompuy, an economist and former Belgian prime minister, has moved more quickly than others to establish a powerful staff.

Two Competing Visions of a European Economy

By Steven Erlanger, the New York Times

From Steven Erlanger, the New York Times:  The market storm over the fate of the euro has calmed to prevailing winds, but there is considerable nervousness here over the economic health of Spain, the impact of austerity on long-term growth and continuing differences between France and Germany over the economic direction of the European Union.