Brussels Calling

Daily Newsletter

October 02, 2024

Ralph Schoellhammer

Peter Caddle

Will Brussels use the US election to distract from its dodgy commission line-up?

Documents leaked late on October 1 and verified by Brussels Signal have revealed the dates the European Parliament is planning to hold its Commissioner confirmation hearings. While the dates are still to be finalised, the internal document indicates that the Strasbourg votes to appoint or reject each Commissioner will be held between November 4 and November 12.

Funny. Is there not something else happening around that time?

To those who do not speak sarcasm, the 2024 US Presidential election – which is set to be one of the most important in the country’s modern history – is slated for November 5, with the days both before and after the election set to be dominated by news surrounding the ballot.

As such, it seems unlikely that anyone outside of the Brussels bubble will be paying attention to how the EP reacts to the new traunch of controversial Eurocrats.

Any suggestion that this scheduling clash could be mere coincidence are made even less likely by the fact that nearly half of the hearings are set to be bunched up around November 5 and November 6, the day of and day after the vote. Even ordinary people are likely to be glued to the news on both days, though it will not be the affairs of Brussels that they will be interested in, but finding out who will be the new leader of the free world.

How convenient.

Peter Caddle

FEATURED STORY

'If we don't win the war, Europe will pay the price,' top Israeli official claims

Javier Villamor

When asked by Brussels Signal about the future of relations with Iran, Regev insisted: “We do not support any peace process with Tehran,” and said he considered the Ayatollah regime to be the most significant enemy in the region.

'The Iranian regime tried to kill me'. In Interview: Alejo Vidal Quadras

COMMENTARY OF THE DAY

Tusk calls it 'militant democracy' as he rejects and violates decisions by the courts

Bartosz Lewandowski

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has now made it official: he and his government are applying the principles of “militant democracy” to defend liberal democracy against its right-wing opposition. And this is confirmed by his minister for justice, Adam Bodnar, who, on Friday, September 27, wrote on X that he would not acknowledge a decision of the Polish Supreme Court that invalidates his dismissal of the National Prosecutor last January, for lack of the President’s required approval.

PICTURE OF THE DAY

MARK RUTTE SUCCEEDS JENS STOLTENBERG AS SECRETARY GENERAL OF NATO

TWEET OF THE DAY

GERMAN TRAIN COMPANY THREATENS FRENCH-GERMAN RELATIONS

SNAPSHOT OF THE DAY

SHORT OF THE DAY: ISRAEL AND THE AFTERMATH OF OCTOBER 7

Most non-EU citizens handed deportation orders remain in Europe, data shows

Anne-Laure Dufeal

New figures released by Eurostat have shown that most non-European Union citizens ordered to leave the bloc have not done so.

Flemish Patriots launch 'superdiversity' tracker to 'monitor mass migration'

Peter Caddle

The Flemish members of the Patriots for Europe group have launched what they call a “superdiversity” tracker online aimed at documenting the progress of “mass migration.”

Dismay at 'declining state of menswear in European Parliament'

Paddy Belton

Men’s fashion bloggers and former MEPs have told Brussels Signal of their dismay at what they see as the standard of menswear declining faster in the European Parliament than elsewhere.

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW EUROPE?

On this day, which person who popularized non-violent resistance was born?

For the answer, check back in the next Brussels Calling.

As for our previous question:

On this day, a non-European country was established, now an important partner for the EU. Do you know what country?

On October 1, 1949, Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong declared the creation of the People's Republic of China.

The announcement marked the de facto end of the full-scale civil war between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang (KMT).

The creation of the PRC also completed the long process of governmental upheaval in China begun by the Chinese Revolution of 1911.

The “fall” of mainland China to communism in 1949 led the United States to suspend diplomatic ties with the country for decades.

On 1 January 1979, the US formally established diplomatic relations with the PRC, and recognized it as the sole legitimate government of China.

Every US president since Nixon has toured China, with the exception of Jimmy Carter.

SEEN ELSEWHERE

Belgian Flemish government starts work on road tax for foreign drive. US ports strike threatens global shipping and Harris campaign. Netherlands abstains from voting on child pornography scanning of messaging services.