Welcome back to Euractiv’s EU Tweets of
the Week.
Happy September it’s good to be back,
except for Big Phil, ‘cause he got the sack,
and Angela Merkel condemns novichok attack.
Rentrée is in full swing …
albeit with a slight difference this year.
As Fabienne Keller pointed out:
“It's clear and simple:
wearing a mask considerably reduces
the risk of transmission of COVID19.
Pity it can’t do anything about a bursting inbox…
Check out Alessandro Gropelli’s 30,000 emails!
Meanwhile, at the Commission,
President Ursula von der Leyen
said she was glad to see her team of commissioners back
and getting ready for the intense months ahead.
They're discussing fresh ideas for:
Protecting citizens and economies in #COVID19 times,
leading green and digital transitions
and making Europe stronger in the world
However, Peter Mueller pointed out
that the commissioners from Bulgaria, Romania and Malta
were not there because…
COVID.
They obviously don’t want to do a “Phil Hogan”
Ah yes, the story of the summer could only be #Golfgate.
Although as Markus Preiss pointed out,
it’s a bit rich that Hogan had to go
because he didn’t comply with COVID lockdown rules,
while the EU Parliament is seriously considering
sending 700 MEPs plus assistants, staff and journalists
from Brussels to Strasbourg!
Not so fast!
But Jorge Valero reported
that the European Parliament is actually warning journalists that
“due to the quickly changing situation”
the mid-September plenary session may not take place in Strasbourg after all
and there's a 50-50 chance VDL’s 1st
'state of the EU' address will be in Brussels.
But back to Big Phil:
New account, Le Chou, snarked:
EU Commission warns kids:
if you say Phil Hogan’s name three times in the mirror
he will appear.
Ever dependable, Martini Seltzermayr held
a poll asking
who would be the next trade commissioner:
Phil Hogan with a moustache
Jedward
idk, Dombrovskis maybe?
or a bag of soybeans
The winner of course was Number three.
But as Dombrovskis takes care of trade,
the actual frontrunners to replace Hogan as Ireland's representative
are current Foreign Affairs minister, Simon Coveney,
and MEPs Mairead McGuinness and Frances Fitzgerald.
However Berlaymonster reckoned the ballsy move
would be for the Irish to poach Tony Abbott to replace Hogan.
Finally this week, the German government confirmed
that Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny
was poisoned with nerve agent novichok.
Merkel said Navalny’s poisoning is “a crime” that “raises questions
only the Russian Government can and must answer.”
Patrick Donahue said they were forceful words
for her.
“The intent was to silence him,” she continued.
“I condemn this to the greatest possible extent” she said.
Nicolas Veron also praised Merkel’s leadership.
European Council President Charles Michel
also took to Twitter to condemn the poisoning
“in the strongest possible terms.”
“Russia must fully investigate and justice must be served.”
And VDL tweeted that it was “a despicable and cowardly act -
once again.”
I have the feeling that a lot of calculated thought
went into this “- once again”
said Sam Morgan.
You and me both Sam!
That’s it for this Friday,
join me again next week for more snarks and larks
in the Brussels bubble Twittersphere.
