On the 35th night of protests, Tirana witnessed its largest turnout yet. This is not noise; it is a democratic wake-up call. A government that refuses even to engage with its citizens has lost its democratic compass. An opposition that fails to fully understand and represent them is equally out of step. Albania does not need more closed doors, stale politics or enforced silence. It needs a new democratic chapter: European, transparent, courageous, accountable, and finally worthy of its people.
250 years ago, America proclaimed that liberty and rights belong to the people. Today, we celebrate a nation that, when it remains faithful to its founding principles, inspires the world through its commitment to democracy and fundamental freedoms. Happy Independence Day.
Congratulazioni a Pierpaolo Bombardieri per la riconferma alla guida della UIL.
In un momento in cui il lavoro sta cambiando profondamente, servono rappresentanze sindacali forti, capaci di accompagnare le trasformazioni, le innovazioni, difendere i diritti e contribuire con responsabilità alla crescita del Paese.
A Pierpaolo e a tutta la UIL auguro buon lavoro.
@PpBombardieri@UILofficial
Esta semana hemos vuelto a Canarias para hablar del nuevo presupuesto europeo y unir fuerzas
No es lo mismo estar en el centro del continente europeo que a miles de kilómetros y el nuevo Marco Financiero Plurianual de la UE debe reflejarlo
Eskerrik asko a @TheDemocrats@coalicion@FClavijoBatlle@sandrogozi@eajpnv Seguimos construyendo!
At least five EU member states are reportedly blocking the opening of Cluster 3 in Serbia’s accession talks.
Let’s be clear: Europe is not turning its back on Serbia. Europe is turning away from Vučić’s failure.
Once again, he risks damaging the legitimate European aspirations of the Serbian people because he has not delivered — and has not truly wanted — the reforms Serbia needs: rule of law, free media, fair elections, and a clear European path.
This is not Serbia’s failure. It is Vučić’s.
On the 34th day of protests in Tirana, one sentence echoes louder than any chant: “I am disappointed in you.” A young woman says it to a police officer, and in that moment Albania sees the growing divide between its citizens and those in power. Democracy does not fear peaceful protest. It listens. When institutions respond to courage with force, they do not restore order—they destroy trust. Europe must stand with those who protest peacefully, and with the young people brave enough to defend democracy.
On America’s 250th Independence Day, the first US-born Pope chooses Lampedusa’s Porta d’Europa: not a palace, not a parade, but the shore where Europe sees itself. The message is impossible to miss. Freedom is not a flag to wave while people drown. It is a duty to protect dignity, to save lives, to manage migration with humanity and order. As European Democrats, we choose secure borders — and humanity that does not turn away.
250 years after the Declaration of Independence, America’s greatest lesson remains simple: democracy is not the property of any one leader.
It belongs to citizens. It depends on institutions. It survives through checks and balances, free speech, free elections and the rule of law.
Today, we celebrate the American people — and the democratic promise that still links both sides of the Atlantic.
Happy Independence Day.
The Russian aggression against Ukraine cannot go unpunished. That is why we need to establish a special tribunal to prosecute those responsible for this aggression. The Dutch government decided today that the Netherlands is willing to serve as the host country—including for the operational phase of this special tribunal—subject to certain conditions.
I just spoke with President @ZelenskyyUa about this important step. We continue to support Ukraine. This will also be one of the key topics at the NATO summit in Ankara next week.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, Georgia’s Deputy Prime Minister and State Minister for Law Enforcement Coordination, wants facial-recognition cameras across Georgia. Not just Rustaveli Avenue: the whole country. After reports linking the existing system to a sanctioned Moscow-based firm tied to Russia’s security apparatus, this is not “crime prevention”. It is another red flag in Georgian Dream’s drift towards Moscow: surveillance over freedom, intimidation over democracy.
The European Investment Bank is granting Orano, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, a €125 million loan to develop Orano Med’s industrial platform in France. The project will support lead-212 targeted alpha therapies, a new generation of cancer treatments designed to destroy tumour cells while sparing healthy tissue. It will also help build the world’s first large-scale thorium-228 facility, securing a key supply chain in Europe. This is health sovereignty: research, industry and care working for patients.
Serbia belongs in Europe. Vučić’s system does not. The Kofi Annan Foundation now ranks Serbia second in Europe for the risk of election violence: worse only than Russia. This is the result of years of pressure on voters, captured media, intimidation and impunity. A European future cannot be built on fear. Serbia’s citizens deserve free elections, real pluralism and a democracy stronger than any strongman.
When a stand-up comedian is arrested in handcuffs as if he were a national security threat, the problem is not comedy. The problem is @RTErdogan ’s fear of free citizens. Days before the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey is exposing the reality behind the façade: critics, activists and artists are being silenced while leaders prepare for the photo-op. NATO cannot claim to defend democracy abroad while ignoring repression within its own ranks. Free speech is security too.
Thirty-three days without answers. Thirty-three days without dialogue. And now, too often, with batons instead of listening. This is not how a democracy behaves: power must never become waterproof, sealed off from citizens, pain and questions. Albania deserves institutions that answer, not institutions that hit. One detail fills our European hearts: the EU flag beside the Albanian one. Because Albania’s place is in Europe — and democracy is the bridge.
La sentenza pronunciata oggi dalla Corte di Giustizia dell’Unione europea chiarisce, se mai ce ne fosse stato ancora bisogno, che il divieto previsto dall’articolo 2-septies, paragrafo 1, del regolamento (UE) n. 833/2014, come modificato dal regolamento (UE) 2022/350, impedisce in qualunque forma la diffusione dei contenuti di Russia Today e delle altre emittenti individuate dall’Unione europea come strumenti della guerra ibrida del Cremlino.
La Corte afferma infatti che è “irrilevante che la diffusione dei contenuti vietati sia effettuata o meno nell’ambito di un’attività economica” e che il concetto di “operatore” comprende “qualsiasi persona responsabile, direttamente o indirettamente, della messa a disposizione dei contenuti vietati, anche nell’ambito di un’attività non retribuita”.
Alla luce di questa sentenza è ancora più inaccettabile che in Italia continuino a svolgersi manifestazioni ed eventi pubblici dedicati alla diffusione di questi materiali di propaganda, spesso utilizzando perfino il marchio di Russia Today, e che gli stessi contenuti, insieme alla loro promozione, continuino a circolare di fatto liberamente sulle principali piattaforme social.
Tutto questo avviene, per stessa ammissione del Governo, perché l’Italia non ha ancora individuato le autorità nazionali competenti a garantire l’applicazione del regolamento europeo e ad accertare e sanzionare le relative violazioni.
Non esistono più alibi, Presidente Meloni, è urgentissimo intervenire per impedire agli osceni cantori della propaganda putiniana di inquinare ancora il nostro dibattito pubblico
Sì D’Orsi, mi riferisco a lei
Sì Basile, mi riferisco a lei.
Sì, Lucidi, sì, Lorusso, mi riferisco esattamente a voi, e a tutto il vostro grottesco circoletto di finti intellettuali e finti giornalisti asserviti al regime del Cremlino.
Le norme europee devono essere applicate integralmente anche nel nostro Paese.
Lasciare senza attuazione un regolamento adottato per contrastare la guerra ibrida della Russia significa indebolire la sicurezza democratica dell’Italia e dell’Unione europea
Our German MEP Lukas Sieper @LukasSieperMdEP went to Ukraine and found Europe stripped of speeches. A candle at Marsove Pole. A young amputee learning to walk again. A youth council planning reforms under sirens. Maidan still speaking. In Lviv and Kyiv, he saw a nation that does not ask for pity, but for partnership. Ukraine is not Europe’s tragedy. It is Europe’s courage under fire. And Lukas brought back one message: stop admiring resilience. Start matching it.
Something extremely serious is happening in Romania. After an anti-NGO law introduced by the far right and, incredibly, also voted by the Socialists, a new alarm has emerged: Romania’s Superior Council of Magistracy has sent the European Commission a so-called blacklist targeting alleged “enemies of justice”. In reality, those named include journalists, media outlets, NGOs, civic groups and critical voices. Associations, civil society, journalists and even judges have protested. The path Romania is taking is deeply worrying. Civil society and free media are not obstacles to justice: they guarantee transparency, expose abuses and keep democracy alive. As European Democrats, we will keep our spotlight firmly on Romania in the coming days.
In Czechia, a clash over who should lead the NATO summit delegation has become a constitutional test. Prime Minister @AndrejBabis refuses to meet President @prezidentpavel , while the Constitutional Court has already set the line: institutions must respect its ruling. No office is above the Constitution. Not a President, not a Prime Minister, not a minister, not a citizen. Power bows before law. That is democracy’s red line. Constitutions are respected. Full stop.