Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. EUROPE'S STRUGGLE FOR RELEVANCE IN A FRACTURED G20 The G20 summit in Rio laid bare Europe's struggle to remain relevant in a fractured global arena. With U.S. President-elect Donald Trump casting a long shadow, European leaders scrambled to defend their climate and geopolitical priorities against growing resistance. French President Emmanuel Macron didn't mince his words, calling the G20 "a forum that doesn't work" and lambasting its failure to act on climate change or the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pushed for progress on climate finance, but Argentina's provocative new leader Javier Milei – channelling Trump's anti-multilateralism – stalled talks on the final communique. Ukraine, once a G20 focus, fell by the wayside, while German Chancellor…

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. TENSIONS ERUPT OVER VDL 2.0 AS NATIONAL FIGHTS ARE EXPORTED TO BRUSSELS Tensions in the European Parliament have reached a boiling point as Ursula von der Leyen's second Commission faces growing opposition. The crisis erupted after the European People's Party (EPP) launched an attack on Teresa Ribera, the Spanish Socialist candidate for First Vice President. What was expected to be a routine confirmation hearing after the socialists had accepted not to block any EPP designate quickly turned around with the EPP, under pressure from its Spain's member Partido Popular threatening to derail the whole new team. The EPP demanded that Ribera face the Spanish parliament over her handling of the Valencia floodings. At the same time, the EPP pushed for the…

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. PARLIAMENT HESITATES TO PUT THE HEAT ON AT THE COMMISSION GRILL As quite a few naïve Europeans woke up on Wednesday with Trump going to Make America Great Again, the Parliament relentlessly continued its once-in-the-cycle Commissioner-designate grilling with not a single Commissioner replaced so far. Since 2004's dismissal of openly homophobic designate Rocco Buttiglione, the Parliament has always required replacements, further written questionnaires or re-exams. If the most controversial Commissioners make it through next week, this session would confirm indeed that the Parliament's institutional control over Member States has been seriously reduced. Perhaps Hungarian Olivér Várhelyi might see his portfolio reduced as apparently, he doesn't understand that women’s health is an EU competence and he also inconveniently "knows best" a controversial…

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. GEORGIAN ELECTIONS FURTHER COMPLICATE EU ACCESSION Following Georgia’s legislative elections on 28 October, the ruling Georgian Dream party claimed victory with 54% of the vote. Amid reports of vote-buying, irregularities, and polling station violence, international observers including the OSCE declared the elections neither free nor fair. Pro-European opposition leaders, led by President Salome Zourabichvili, condemned the outcome as fraudulent and called for public protest. In a controversial move, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, visited Tbilisi to endorse Georgian Dream’s vision of “pro-European” politics, which he framed as a commitment to peace and a rejection of Western calls to confront Russia. EU leaders, however, voiced alarm over Georgia’s democratic backsliding which could lead to a slowdown of the EU accession process, and…