Europe in brief: Von der Leyen urges to keep an eye on Iran

by AFP, dpa, Europa Press | 13.Oct 2023 | Europe in brief

More EU news is available on the wire services of the respective news agency.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has called for the behaviour of Iran, a long-time supporter of Hamas, to be monitored. At a NATO meeting in Brussels, attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, defence ministers seek to increase support for Ukraine. Brussels warned the online platform Meta of a rise in false information.

Der Präsident des Europäischen Rates, Charles Michel, die Präsidentin des Europäischen Parlaments, Roberta Metsola, die Präsidentin der Europäischen Kommission, Ursula Von der Leyen, und der Ständige Vertreter Israels bei der EU, Haim Regev, aufgenommen während einer Gedenkveranstaltung für die Opfer der von der Hamas organisierten Anschläge in Israel. EU-Spitzenpolitiker, Abgeordnete und zahlreiche Mitarbeitende des EU-Parlaments haben eine Schweigeminute für die Opfer der Terrorangriffe auf Israel abgehalten. «Die Welt hat erlebt, wie Juden ermordet wurden, nur weil sie Juden waren - wieder einmal», sagte EU-Parlamentspräsidentin Roberta Metsola am Mittwoch. Sie betonte, es gebe keine Rechtfertigung für Terrorismus. An der Schweigeminute vor dem Europaparlament in Brüssel beteiligten sich auch EU-Kommissionspräsidentin Ursula von der Leyen und EU-Ratschef Charles Michel.
The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, and the Permanent Representative of Israel to the EU, Haim Regev, pictured during a memorial service for the victims of the Hamas-organised attacks in Israel. EU leaders, MEPs and many European Parliament staff held a minute's silence for the victims of the terrorist attacks on Israel. Photo: Benoit Doppagne/Belga/dpa
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Von der Leyen on Israel: We must closely monitor Iran’s behaviour

Brussels (dpa) – Following the terrorist attack by the Islamist Hamas on Israel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has warned of repercussions for the entire region. “We will have to work to contain its destabilising effects, including on the ongoing rapprochement between Israel and its Arab neighbours. We will also have to closely monitor Iran’s posture, given its long-standing support to Hamas,” von der Leyen said in Brussels on Wednesday.

The act of terror by Hamas could not be justified by anything and had nothing to do with the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people, von der Leyen said. “Our humanitarian support to the Palestinian people is not in question,” she added. Nevertheless, EU aid money now had to be closely scrutinised. Europe stood by Israel and supported its right to self-defence, von der Leyen said. (11 October)

NATO defence ministers seek to bolster support for Ukraine

Brussels (Europa Press) – On Wednesday, NATO defence ministers sought to renew long-term military support for Ukraine and bolster its defence capabilities in a bid to send a strong signal to Russia and prevent the conflict from escalating.

As part of the Ramstein group, the allies met with Ukraine’s new defence minister, Rustem Umerov. The meeting is expected to result in new commitments to the Ukrainian army as part of the alliance’s support for the liberation of Russian-occupied territory.

The meeting was attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who called on the Ramstein Group coalition countries to provide more air defence systems and long-range missiles to protect Ukraine’s critical infrastructure and counter Russian forces on Ukrainian territory.

He also expressed support for Israel in the wake of the Hamas attack and called on world leaders not to leave the Israelis alone at this time.

Alongside Zelensky, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed the allies’ support for Kiev “for as long as it takes” and said that further commitments would come out of the meeting. (10 and 11 October)

After X, Brussels warns Meta about disinformation

Brussels (AFP) – On Wednesday, Brussels warned Meta (Facebook, Instagram) about a rise in false information and asked its boss, Mark Zuckerberg, to communicate his measures to remedy the situation. This came a day after a similar warning was issued to X (formerly Twitter).

In a message on X’s rival Bluesky, European Commissioner for Digital Affairs Thierry Breton said that the warning concerned publications “following the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel and disinformation in the context of elections in the EU”, ahead of parliamentary elections in Poland on Sunday and the European elections next spring.

“Following the terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel, we are seeing a surge of illegal content and disinformation being disseminated in the EU via certain platforms,” the Commissioner wrote in a letter to Zuckerberg, also published on Bluesky. Breton recalled the obligations under the European Digital Services Directive (DSA), which came into force at the end of August. (11 October)

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