The Latest Breaking News from Ursula von der Leyen

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged the swift return of irregular migrants and a crackdown on the “brutal business” of migrant smuggling Sunday during a visit with Italy's premier to a tiny fishing island overwhelmed with nearly 7,000 arrivals in a single day this week.

Enlargement of the European Union was one of the priorities outlined by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her State of the Union speech on September 13th, and it is likely to become an ever more pressing issue over the next few years. After the speech, Talking Europe sat…

It is time for Europe's September ritual – the State of the Union speech. It has been a highlight of the EU agenda for the last 13 years. Every year, the president of the European Commission sets out his or her priorities to the plenary session of the EU parliament.…

Vladimir Putin spent a few pleasant hours this week with one of his friends and allies – an increasingly exclusive club these days. Putin met up with North Korea’s supreme leader, Respected Comrade Kim Jong-un, who rode his armoured train 20 hours to the Vostochny space centre in the remote…

Trip by foreign affairs committee blocked with no reason given, raising questions about country’s partnership with EU

In her annual address on the state of the European Union, Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has given her strongest signal yet of the intention to add Ukraine and other nations as member states. Her speech was the latest sign that Brussels is thinking completely differently about EU enlargement…

A flotilla of flimsy boats, crowded with migrants and launched from Tunisia is overwhelming a tiny Italian island south of Sicily

In her annual state of the union address, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen promised to boost Europe's wind industry, extend protections for Ukrainian refugees and investigate whether Chinese-made electric cars have an unfair advantage thanks to state subsidies. The speech was a chance for von der Leyen to…

Von der Leyen warns member states will have to make radical changes for Ukraine and others to join bloc

The European Commission chief announces policy reviews to ensure that the enlarged bloc can still function properly.

The European Commission's president said the EU is considering imposing tariffs to protect itself against Chinese EV imports that benefit from state subsidies.