The German conservative Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday was re-elected by Members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. She will lead the Commission for another five-year term after having been at the helm of the EU since 2019 as the first female executive ever.
Leaders of 43 European countries and the European Union took part in the fourth European Political Community Summit in Woodstock (United Kingdom) on Thursday to talk about energy and connectivity, security and democracy and migration.
Germany and other EU countries are struggling to integrate Ukrainian refugees into their labour market, to which Ukrainians have access under a temporary protection mechanism introduced by the EU in 2022.
The European Parliament is holding its first plenary session since the European elections in June this week. Newly-formed far-right groups are taking the stage and MEPs from the 27 EU member states are reshaping the 720-member institution for the next five-year legislative term.
Although Germany is a member of the European Union’s Schengen free movement zone, the country will impose border controls with France from July 26 to August 11 due to the Olympic Games in Paris.