INTL Europe: Politics, Economics, Military - February 2024

[Plain Jane]

January thread:

INTL - Europe: Politics, Economics, Military - January 2024

December 2023 thread: https://www.timebomb2000.com/xf/index.php?threads/europe-politics-economics-military-december-2023.640439/ https://apnews.com/article/bosnian-serbs-secession-threat-1072c96ce29c1f118a9b5a84bbd5ff9e Separatist Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik vows to tear his country...

www.timebomb2000.com

European Union overcomes threat of Hungary veto to seal $54 billion aid package for Ukraine

A top European Union official says the 27 EU countries have sealed a deal on aid to Ukraine just over an hour into a summit of the bloc’s leaders.

apnews.com

The EU agrees a new €50 billion aid package for Ukraine despite Hungary’s veto threat​

LORNE COOK AND SAMUEL PETREQUIN
Updated 5:53 AM EST, February 1, 2024
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BRUSSELS (AP) — The leaders of the 27 European Union countries sealed a deal Thursday to provide Ukraine with a new 50-billion-euro ($54 billion) support package despite Hungary’s weeks of threats to veto the move.

European Council President Charles Michel announced the agreement about only an hour into the leaders’ summit in Brussels.

“We have a deal,” Michel said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. He said the agreement “locks in steadfast, long-term, predictable funding for Ukraine,” and demonstrated that the “EU is taking leadership and responsibility in support for Ukraine; we know what is at stake.”

It was not immediately clear if any concessions were made to secure Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s approval. He raised staunch objections to the financial aid package in December and in the days leading up to Thursday’s summit in Brussels.

On their way into their meeting, several fellow leaders had lashed out at Orban, accusing him of blackmail and playing political games that undermined support for Ukraine and the country’s war-ravaged economy.



Almost two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the war has ground to a halt and Ukraine’s economy desperately needs propping up. But political infighting in the EU and in the United States has held up a long-term source of funding.

Concern has mounted that public support to keep pouring money into Ukraine has started to wane, even though a Russian victory could threaten security across Europe.

“There is no problem with the so-called Ukraine fatigue issue. We have Orban fatigue now in Brussels,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters Thursday. “I can’t understand. I can’t accept this very strange and very egoistic game of Viktor Orban.”

In December, the 26 other leaders agreed on an aid package worth 50 billion euros ($54 billion) for this year through 2027. They also agreed to make Ukraine a candidate for EU membership, which Orban reluctantly accepted.

But the financial package was part of a review of the EU’s continuing seven-year budget, which requires unanimous approval.

Orban, the EU leader with the closest ties to Russia, is angry at the European Commission’s decision to freeze his government’s access to some of the bloc’s funds. The EU’s executive branch did so over concerns about possible threats to the EU budget posed by democratic backsliding in Hungary.

In response, Hungary vetoed statements at the EU on a range of issues. Orban’s also exported the problem to NATO, by blocking high level meetings with Ukraine until only recently. Budapest is also holding up Sweden’s bid for membership in the military organization.

“I don’t want to use the word blackmail, but I don’t know what other better word” might fit, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told reporters as she arrived at EU headquarters.

“Hungary needs Europe,” she said, highlighting the country’s own economic problems and high interest rates. “He should also look into what it is in it for Hungary, being in Europe.”

Tusk insisted that there could be “no room for compromise on our principles, like rule of law. And for sure there is no room for compromise on the Ukraine question.” The recently elected Polish leader added: “If his position will dominate in Europe, then Ukraine will lose for sure.”

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said it was important for the leaders to try to seal a deal supported by all 27 member countries but that in any case “we can’t go away without an agreement.”

“That war is now raging for two years. Ukraine will not be able to continue to defend itself without the support of the European Union, and we can’t leave them short,” Varadkar told reporters.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that “we want to finish what we started in December” and stressed that the planned 50 billion euros for Ukraine is “urgently necessary.”

“I will make a great deal of effort, together with many others, to make a decision by 27 (member states) possible,” Scholz said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was scheduled to address the leaders via video link.

___​

Raf Casert in Brussels and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.

 

[Plain Jane]

Majority Of Germans Reject Left-Liberal Government's Radical Immigration Law | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

Majority Of Germans Reject Left-Liberal Government's Radical Immigration Law​

BY TYLER DURDEN
FRIDAY, FEB 02, 2024 - 02:00 AM
Via Remix News,
A majority of Germans oppose the government’s radical immigration law, which will allow up to 2.5 million foreigners to obtain German citizenship in time for the federal election in 2025.
(AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

The poll, which was conducted by Insa on behalf of the Protestant News Agency, found that 51 percent of Germans are opposed to the new law, with only 32 percent supporting it. Not only is the law opposed by the majority of Germans, but they have a 19-point lead over supporters. Another 14 percent said they did not know how they felt about the law, and 3 percent had no answer for pollsters.

However, arguably an even more devastating poll from the Security Report 2024, conducted by the Allensbach Institute, shows that the population’s overall approval of the federal government’s current refugee policy is extremely low, with 65 percent of those surveyed saying that they did not consider their policy to be correct. According to the security report, over 80 percent of those surveyed have little or no trust in the federal government’s migration policy.

In the same poll, almost half (48 percent) of those questioned said that crime in Germany was increasing due to the influx of refugees, while in 2016, this figure was only 37 percent. The actual federal crime data shows that foreigners are vastly overrepresented in serious crimes, including murder, rape, robbery, and assault.

Germany’s new law would reduce the amount of time foreigners need to reside in Germany to be eligible for citizenship from seven years to five years, and in some cases, allow them to obtain citizenship in as little as three years. It would also allow for dual passports.

The recent Insa poll found that Alternative for Germany (AfD) supporters are the most opposed to the new law, with 86 percent rejecting easier naturalization. However, majorities also exist with the left-wing Sahra Wagenknecht alliance (BSW), with 61 percent against it, while supporters of the Christian Democrats (CDU) and Free Voters, both reject the law with 54 percent each.

Only 20 percent of voters of the Left reject the law, 29 percent from the Social Democrats (SPD) and 46 percent from the Free Democrats (FDP). Rejection is lowest among Green party supporters, at 18 percent.

The poll also shows that foreigners are very much in favor of the law, with only 35 percent saying they reject it, while half of them support faster naturalization. Fifty-three percent of those Germans without a migration background reject the law.

There is high support for the liberal immigration law among Germany’s Muslim population, with 57 percent saying they approve. However, despite the pro-refugee stance of many Christian organizations, there is a high rate of rejection among Christians for the new law, with majorities rejecting it for Catholics (52 percent), evangelicals (53 percent) and Free Church members (56 percent).

However, Hindus, Buddhists, and Jews form a plurality in support of the law (40 percent) to allow for faster naturalization for foreign citizens.

The polling shows a growing trend towards anti-immigration sentiment in Germany. For example, recent polls show a strong majority of Germans believe migrants bring more problems than benefits.

Read more here...

 

[northern watch]

 

[Plain Jane]

Sundance at the Conservative Treehouse believes that NATO may become more involved in Moldova.

Thousands from Russia-friendly party join anti-government protest in Moldova's capital

Several thousand people from a Russia-friendly party have protested in front of Moldova’s parliament building to demand the resignation of the pro-Western government.

apnews.com

Thousands from Russia-friendly party join anti-government protest in Moldova’s capital​

CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — Several thousand people from a Russia-friendly party protested in front of Moldova’s parliament building on Thursday to demand the resignation of the pro-Western government.

The rally by the Revival Party against the governing Party of Action and Solidarity called for early elections and for President Maia Sandu to step down. Moldova is to hold presidential elections later this year and parliamentary elections in 2025.

The Revival Party currently holds four seats in Moldova’s 101-seat legislature in the country of about 2.5 million people.

The demonstration is the latest in a series of anti-government protests held over the past 18 months, mostly by the Moscow-friendly Shor Party, which was declared unconstitutional last June by the Constitutional Court. Authorities accused the Shor Party — which held six seats in Parliament — of trying to destabilize the country.

Some senior members of the outlawed Shor Party took part in Thursday’s protest. Moldovan oligarch Ilan Shor, the head of the Shor Party who resides in exile in Israel and was sentenced in absentia last year to 15 years in jail on fraud charges, also shared a video of the protest on his Facebook page.



The rally comes after Moldova’s Intelligence and Security Service, SIS, warned last month of fresh “disinformation and manipulation” campaigns to try to destabilize Moldova and undermine its relations with neighboring Ukraine and the European Union.

In June 2022 after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, former Soviet republic Moldova was granted official candidate status for EU membership. Those aspirations were further buoyed last December when Brussels said it would open accession negotiations for Moldova to the 27-nation bloc, alongside Ukraine.

“The frequency and extent of such demonstrations will increase during the years 2024-2025, targeting the reform processes, the electoral processes … but especially the process of negotiations for EU accession,” SIS said in a statement last month.


Scores of people responded to the Revival Party’s protest on Thursday by holding a counter rally in Chisinau, where many waved EU flags and expressed support for Sandu.

Days before local elections last year, Moldovan authorities banned another pro-Russia party, the Chance Party, from taking part, which removed about 600 candidates from the ballot — a decision that was later overturned. Days before the election, SIS alleged that the party had received Russian money that was channeled by Shor and used to destabilize the country and “buy” voters.

Since the war in Ukraine started on Feb. 24, 2022, Moldova has faced a long string of problems including a severe energy crisis after Moscow dramatically reduced gas supplies, skyrocketing inflation, and several incidents of missile debris found on its territory from the war next door.

In February last year, President Sandu spoke publicly about an alleged plot by Moscow to overthrow Moldova’s government with the aim of putting the nation “at the disposal of Russia” and to derail it from joining the EU. Russia denied the accusations.

___​

McGrath reported from Sighisoara, Romania.

 

[Plain Jane]

Paris votes whether to hit SUVs with eye-popping parking costs in latest green drive before Olympics

Parisians are voting whether to muscle SUVs off the French capital’s streets by making them much more expensive to park.

apnews.com

https://apnews.com/article/paris-france-cars-environment-olympics-fdef746064711c22d22e06776b9f1397#

Paris votes whether to hit SUVs with eye-popping parking costs in latest green drive before Olympics​

FILE - SUV car drive on the Champs Elysees avenue, near to the Arc de Triomphe Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024 in Paris. Paris residents are voting on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024 whether to muscle SUVs off the French capital’s streets by making them much more expensive to park. It’s the latest leg in a drive by Socialist Mayor Anne Hidalgo to make the host city for this year’s Olympic Games greener and friendlier for pedestrians and cyclists. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)
Read More
Updated 5:10 AM EST, February 4, 2024
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PARIS (AP) — Parisians were voting Sunday whether to muscle SUVs off the French capital’s streets by making them much more expensive to park, the latest leg in a drive by Socialist Mayor Anne Hidalgo to make the host city for this year’s Olympic Games greener and friendlier for pedestrians and cyclists.

Hidalgo is looking for voters’ backing for a proposal to triple parking fees for SUV drivers from out of town.

In get-out-the-vote posts on social media, Hidalgo argued that SUVs take up too much space on narrow Parisian streets, are too polluting and “threaten our health and our planet,” and cause more traffic accidents than smaller cars.


“The time has come to break with this tendency for cars that are always bigger, taller, wider,” she said. “You have the power to take back ownership of our streets.”

The cost for non-residents to park SUVs in Paris’ central districts, in the arrondissements numbered 1 through 11, would soar to 18 euros ($19.5) per hour for the first two hours, compared to 6 euros per hour for smaller cars.


After that, parking would become increasingly punitive. A six-hour stay with an SUV — enough, say, to take in a show and a restaurant — would cost a whopping 225 euros ($243), compared to 75 euros for smaller vehicles.

Away from the heart of the city, in Paris’ outer arrondissements numbered 12 through 20, an out-of-town SUV driver would pay 12 euros per hour for the first two hours, progressively rising to 150 euros for six hours.

The mini-referendum was open to Parisians registered to vote. The question they were asked to vote on was: “For or against the creation of a specific rate for the parking of heavy, bulky, polluting individual cars?”

Voting stations were to close at 7 p.m., with results expected later Sunday evening.

 

[Plain Jane]

As Finns choose a new president, one thing is certain: A hard line on Russia will continue

Finland on Sunday will choose their next head of state, whose main task will be to steer the Nordic country’s foreign and security policy.

apnews.com

As Finns choose a new president, one thing is certain: A hard line on Russia will continue​

JARI TANNER
Updated 2:02 AM EST, February 9, 2024
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HELSINKI (AP) — Finns on Sunday will choose either of two experienced politicians to be their next head of state, whose main task will be to steer the Nordic country’s foreign and security policy now that it is a member of NATO, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Ex-Prime Minister Alexander Stubb, 55, on the center right, and former foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, 65, from the green left, largely agree on Finland’s foreign policy and security priorities.

These include maintaining a hard line toward Moscow and Russia’s current leadership, strengthening security ties with Washington, and the need to help Ukraine both militarily and at a civilian level.

In the last days of campaigning, however, tiny differences in style and approach between the candidates have emerged.

“After the exceptionally polite campaigning of the first round, there has been a bit more confrontation” between the two men vying for the post, said Teivo Teivainen, professor of world politics at the University of Helsinki.


Finland’s presidential election runoff to feature former prime minister and ex-top diplomat
Stubb and Haavisto differ in their stance on the hypothetical question of whether Finland, a NATO newcomer, would allow the transportation of the alliance’s nuclear weapons through its territory.


“Stubb has a more positive attitude in bringing in nuclear weapons into Finland’s territory,” Teivainen said. “This reflects his slightly more positive line towards NATO integration and the United States.”

Unlike in most European countries, the president of Finland holds executive power in formulating foreign and security policy together with the government, especially concerning countries outside the European Union such as the United States, Russia and China.

The head of state also commands the military, particularly important in Europe’s current security environment and the changed geopolitical situation of Finland, which joined NATO in April 2023 in the aftermath of Russia’s attack on Ukraine a year earlier.

A brief look at a map shows why foreign and security policy are so important in this northern European country of 5.6 million people: Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer (832-mile) border with Russia. In November, Helsinki closed all eight official border crossings with its eastern neighbor, alleging that Moscow was using migrants to destabilize Finland in an alleged act of “hybrid warfare.”

A politician with the conservative National Coalition Party, Stubb took the top spot in the first round of the election on Jan. 28 with 27.2% percent of the votes, ahead of the eight other candidates — five men and three women.

Stubb, who led the government in 2014-2015 and earlier held several other Cabinet posts, is the favorite to win the presidency and succeed highly popular President Sauli Niinistö, whose second six-year term expires in March. He is not eligible for reelection.

Haavisto, the runner-up in the first round, was Finland’s top diplomat in 2019-2023 and the main negotiator of its entry into NATO. A former conflict mediator with the United Nations and a devout environmentalist, Haavisto took 25.8% of the votes in the first round.

A runoff was required because none of the candidates got more than half of the votes on Jan. 28. Recent polls indicate Stubb is the front-runner: he is predicted to get 53% to 54% of the votes and Haavisto 46% to 47%.


Haavisto, a former leader of the Green League who is running as an independent, is seeking the post for a third consecutive time after the 2012 and 2018 elections.

The head of state is expected to remain above the fray of day-to-day politics and largely to stay out of domestic political disputes.
However, Finland was hit by massive labor union strikes earlier this month, and the two candidates have faced questions on the campaign trail.

Stubb distanced himself from his party’s approach of giving employers and employees more freedom to settle disputes locally and said he wouldn’t interfere with labor market issues as a president. For his part, Haavisto said he would try — at the very minimum — to bring the parties together for talks behind the scenes.

The swing voters will be the supporters of the far-right populist The Finns party and the rural-based Center Party. The candidates for those parties were eliminated in the first round, but some 615,000 people, or nearly 20% of voters, cast their vote for the speaker of Parliament, Jussi Halla-aho, the former leader of The Finns.


Those voters favoring traditional values will now decide the Finnish presidency, analysts say.

“The second round of the election will primarily be decided by the voters of The Finns and the Center Party,” Teivainen said. “There’s a lot of conservatism and patriotism among them, so Haavisto’s homosexuality and civil service background have significance.”
Conscription military service or civil service is mandatory for Finnish males.

Haavisto’s strong advocacy for green policies is seen alienating or splitting some voters, while Stubb’s center-right backers seem much more united in their support.

 

[Plain Jane]

UK Cops Ridiculed For Saying (Still At Large) London Acid Attacker Could Be "North, South, East, West, Or Abroad" | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

UK Cops Ridiculed For Saying (Still At Large) London Acid Attacker Could Be "North, South, East, West, Or Abroad"​

BY TYLER DURDEN
SATURDAY, FEB 10, 2024 - 09:20 AM
Authored by Paul Joseph Watson via Modernity.news,
The London acid attacker is nowhere to be found, which police being ridiculed for saying he could be “north, south, east, west or abroad”.


12 people were injured, including two children, when Abdul Ezedi threw a “corrosive substance” at them in Clapham, south London last week.

Police initially failed to put out a proper description of the suspect for nearly 24 hours, and he has been on the loose ever since.

Now authorities are facing ridicule for basically admitting they have no idea where Ezedi has gone.

“He could have gone north, he could have gone east, south, west, or he could have gone abroad,” said Metropolitan Police Cmdr Savile, adding that his body could also be in the River Thames.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1755266509109084666

View: https://twitter.com/anglofuturist/status/1755266509109084666?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1755266509109084666%7Ctwgr%5E0146efb1d2e3038f4738ef0fa4959505528c53c0%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fpolitical%2Fuk-cops-ridiculed-saying-still-large-london-acid-attacker-could-be-north-south-east-west


The ridicule followed.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1755315429810049046

View: https://twitter.com/anglofuturist/status/1755315429810049046?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1755315429810049046%7Ctwgr%5E0146efb1d2e3038f4738ef0fa4959505528c53c0%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fpolitical%2Fuk-cops-ridiculed-saying-still-large-london-acid-attacker-could-be-north-south-east-west


Maybe if Ezedi had sent a transphobic tweet, he would have been caught immediately.

Compare the manhunt for Ezedi, an illegal immigrant from Afghanistan, to that of Raoul Moat, a British native.

Moat’s disappearance was one of the biggest stories of the decade and the police operation to find him the subject of 24/7 news coverage, while Ezedi’s disappearance is now barely a headline at all a week later.

Ezedi should have been deported years ago after committing multiple sex crimes, although he was given asylum on his third application.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1755276454441423149

View: https://twitter.com/GoodwinMJ/status/1755276454441423149?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1755276454441423149%7Ctwgr%5E0146efb1d2e3038f4738ef0fa4959505528c53c0%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fpolitical%2Fuk-cops-ridiculed-saying-still-large-london-acid-attacker-could-be-north-south-east-west

Experts and authorities both say that Ezedi was likely helped by members of “the community” to disappear and hide, meaning other illegal immigrants, people traffickers and Muslims.

Proving once again how “diversity is our greatest strength.”

(Video at the link.)

 

[northern watch]

From my email inbox Bloomberg Opinion Today February 12 2024

“Whatever the hell they want”​

Speaking of things that miiiight persuade people to vote for Biden: How about Trump’s threat to leave NATO countries under attack by Russia in the lurch? At a campaign rally over the weekend, Trump recalled a conversation he claimed he had with “the president of a big country” in Europe:

Supposed European leader: “Well, sir, if we don’t pay, and we’re attacked by Russia, will you protect us?”
Trump: “You didn’t pay? You’re delinquent?”
Supposed European leader: “Yes. Let’s say that happened.”
Trump: “No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay. You gotta pay your bills.”

In other words: Trump — a man who is notorious for not paying his own bills — believes Putin and his military should “do whatever the hell they want” to NATO members that don’t meet their defense spending responsibilities. Which is, uh, most of Europe:



“The possibility that Trump would decline to defend a European country attacked by Russia — and might even pull the US out of NATO entirely — is the kind of seismic reality that should focus voters’ minds,” Tim O’Brien writes (free read). “Encouraging invasions of our closest allies by murderous regimes is appalling and unhinged — and it endangers American national security, global stability, and our economy at home,” a Biden spokesman said, responding to Trump’s statements.

The former president’s dangerous remarks arrive at a precarious time. The MAGA arm of the GOP is dead-set on throwing military funding for Ukraine into the fireplace, despite the move making zero strategic sense from a national security, geopolitical or humanitarian standpoint. “It only helps Russia and makes Europe more vulnerable,” Tim writes. “Yet that’s what Republicans are allowing to happen, and it signals what the party’s stance on NATO would be should Trump become president again.”

And then there’s the whole question of what might happen without NATO: “If the US allows Ukraine, Israel and/or Taiwan to be overrun by their adversaries, there will be dire consequences for Americans, too,” Niall Ferguson warns. And by “dire consequences,” Niall means something worse than another 9/11. Like, say, the US losing World War III.

 

[Plain Jane]

New NATO member Finland elects a president set to keep up hard line on neighboring Russia

Finland is getting a new president after former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb narrowly won a runoff vote. He will take over for the next six years in March.

apnews.com

New NATO member Finland elects a president set to keep up hard line on neighboring Russia​

JARI TANNER
Updated 10:20 AM EST, February 12, 2024
Share
HELSINKI (AP) — Former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb has narrowly won a runoff vote to become Finland’s next president, who will steer security policy that includes integrating the new NATO member into the alliance at a time of concern over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The final tally from Sunday’s runoff shows Stubb, of the center-right National Coalition Party, had 51.6% of the votes, while independent candidate and former Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto from the green left got 48.4% of the votes. The two were the top vote-getters in the second round of the election. Haavisto had served as Finland’s top diplomat in 2019-2023.

Stubb is taking over from the hugely popular President Sauli Niinistö, whose second six-year term expires next month and who wasn’t eligible for reelection.

A runoff was required after none of the original nine candidates got a majority of the votes in the first round on Jan. 28. In tradition with consensus-driven Finnish politics and no below-the-belt attacks during the campaign, Stubb visited Haavisto’s election party event late Sunday after the result was clear.

“You’re one of the nicest people I have ever met,” Stubb told his opponent Haavisto at the party event, according to Finnish broadcaster YLE.


The presidency is a key political post in this northern European country of 5.6 million people. Unlike in most European countries, the president of Finland holds executive power in formulating foreign and security policy together with the government.

But he is also expected to remain above the fray of day-to-day politics and stay out of domestic political disputes while acting as a moral leader of the nation.

The head of state also commands the military — a key role after Finland joined NATO in April 2023 in the aftermath of Russia’s attack on Ukraine a year earlier. Finnish media outlets on Monday pointed out how Europe’s security is at stake as never before since World War II, due to Russia’s invasion.

At a news conference in Helsinki, Stubb was asked by The Associated Press to assess the state of the Finnish military and whether he intended to be a hands-on commander.

“We have one of the strongest military forces in Europe,” Stubb replied. He pointed to Finland´s wartime military strength of 280,000 through reservists - a number that is augmented by some 900,000 men and women who have received military training through conscription service.

“When the Cold War ended, Finland did not run down its military - quite the contrary,” Stubb said, referring to the modern state of the country´s defense forces.

“We will play our part in the alliance (NATO). People trust us and they know that we are serious about our defense for rather obvious reasons. Will I be an active commander-in-chief? Yes, I intend to do that,” he said.

Doubts also linger in Finland as elsewhere in Europe over the United States’ future commitment to NATO — doubts that former President Donald Trump appeared to rekindle over the weekend as the front-runner for the Republican nomination ramped up his attacks on foreign aid and long-standing international alliances.

“Stubb will become a president of difficult times, possibly even a wartime president,” Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat said in an editorial.

The 55-year-old Stubb, who was prime minister in 2014-2015 and started his political career as a lawmaker at the European Parliament in 2004, will become the 13th president of Finland since its independence from the Russian empire in 1917.

Stubb later served briefly as finance minister before exiting Finnish politics altogether in 2017. He had also earlier served as foreign minister and minister for European affairs and foreign trade. He holds a doctorate in international relations at the London School of Economics and has worked as a professor at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy, since 2020.

During his campaign, Stubb said Finland’s priorities include maintaining a hard line toward Moscow and Russia’s current leadership, strengthening security ties with Washington, and the need to help Ukraine both militarily and at a civilian level.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was among the first foreign dignitaries to send “sincere congratulations” to Stubb. The war in Ukraine has deeply affected the citizens of Finland, which shares a 1,340-kilometer (832-mile) border with Russia.

Zelenskyy said in message on X, formerly Twitter, that “Ukraine and Finland, in solidarity with other partners, are strengthening the security of the entire Europe and each nation on our continent. I look forward to advancing our relations and our shared vision of a free, united, and well-defended Europe.”

Voter turnout in the runoff was reported at 70.7%, compared to the first round when it was 75%.

 

[Plain Jane]

The Portuguese Are Suffering Disproportionately From Too Much "Climate Change" | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

The Portuguese Are Suffering Disproportionately From Too Much "Climate Change"​

BY CAPITALIST EXPLOITS
WEDNESDAY, FEB 14, 2024 - 12:48

PORTUGAL​

It would appear that the unfortunate Portuguese are suffering disproportionately from climate change.


This really begs the question that’s been on so many minds. What happens when a sufficient number of the populace realise what’s actually happened?

Now, it is possible that this doesn’t happen, but every day that passes this probability falls as more folks awaken.

Speaking of which…

SLOVAKIA​

I’m quite sure that exactly none of this will be televised or reported in in any meaningful way in the Western media and their respective presstitutes, and the groundwork will almost certainly be being laid now to discredit him and vilify him in the public eye such that anyone hearing of this will immediately think, “Oh, it’s that crazy misogynist, racist dictator, etc., etc.” I can already see the headlines.

In any event, it is going to be increasingly difficult to hold down the blindingly obvious forever. Expect fireworks.

Once again, tying this all back to what to do about it. Well, I find it increasingly difficult to see how the European Union stays united. And if the European Union fractures, then the euro becomes increasingly problematic, and with it European governments likely go bankrupt.

It’s entirely possible that we see a sovereign debt crisis sweep across the European continent before the pointy shoes manage to get their CBDCs in place. By the way, the real reason they want them is to retain control in the wake of a debt default. They are now racing against the debt bomb at the same time that the citizens themselves are waking to the incredible frauds perpetrated in the name of “health” and “science.”

Consider what happened. We watched seniors murdered in nursing homes with Remdesivir, Midazolam, and ventilators. We watched ordinary people coaxed, bullied, and hit with the most strenuous propaganda in order to have them become guinea pigs for a gene-altering transhuman bioweapon.

Most will never believe the above. That’s not what is required for a revolution, though. Only a small but vocal percentage is what is required. Could Slovakia be the beginnings of an unravelling? Time will tell, but I wouldn’t want to bet against it.

 

[Plain Jane]

'Neutral' Swiss plan to boost defense spending in a world destabilized by Ukraine, Mideast wars

Switzerland’s government plans to boost its defense spending by up to 19% over the next four years. It cites rising global instability, including wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

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Neutral’ Swiss plan to boost defense spending in a world destabilized by Ukraine, Mideast wars​

FILE - Soldiers of the Swiss army wear protective face masks during a rifle shooting exercise in the military compound of Chamblon near Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland, on April 30, 2020. Switzerland’s government plans to boost its defense spending by up to 19% over the next four years. It cites rising global instability, through war in places like Ukraine and the Middle East. (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone via AP, File)
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Updated 6:18 AM EST, February 15, 2024

GENEVA (AP) — Switzerland’s government plans to boost its defense spending by up to 19% over the next four years, citing a rise in global instability, including wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and gaps created when Swiss authorities cashed in on a peace dividend from the fall of the Berlin Wall decades ago.

Laying out mid- and long-range projections for military spending, Defense Minister Viola Amherd, who also holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year, said that as a result of cost-cutting measures over the last 30 years, “the army has been weakened,” and it would take time to make up lost ground.

“For the first time, we are indicating how the army must evolve in the next 12 years,” Amherd told reporters on Wednesday. She said the weakening of Swiss defense was “not an accusation, but a fact, which can be traced to the fall of the Berlin Wall.”

The move reflects growing worries about security in the self-described “neutral” country that is all but surrounded by friends in the European Union, a 27-member bloc that does not include Switzerland. In recent years, Swiss authorities have decried rising threats in cyberspace and spying activities in the rich Alpine country.

Many other European countries and members of NATO — which also does not include Switzerland — have been beefing up their military spending in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The Swiss military plans to raise the ceiling on defense spending to 25.8 billion Swiss francs ($29.2 billion) between 2025 and 2028, up from 21.7 billion francs in the previous four-year period.

Switzerland’s government plans to use the extra funding to develop and upgrade radar systems, short-range missile defense, its tank fleet, missiles used by ground forces and cyberattack defense capabilities, among other things.

Word of the planned increase came as the government announced a 1.4 billion franc deficit for 2023 and an across-the-board 1.4% spending cut in all other government departments except defense in its three-year financial plan.

 

[Plain Jane]

Voters in two UK special elections deliver their verdict as gloom mounts for Sunak's government

People in two districts of England are voting in special elections that could spell bad news for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

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Voters in two UK special elections deliver their verdict as gloom mounts for Sunak’s government​

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People arrive at St Peter’s Church Hall as voting gets underway in the Wellingborough by-election, which was triggered by the recall of MP Peter Bone, in Rushden, England, Thursday Feb. 15, 2024. (Joe Giddens/PA via AP)
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BY JILL LAWLESS
Updated 8:59 AM EST, February 15, 2024
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LONDON (AP) — Voters in two districts of England are casting ballots Thursday to replace lawmakers who left suddenly – one in protest, the other under a cloud.

The outcome could deepen gloom among the governing Conservatives, and add momentum to rivals plotting against Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The Conservatives won the House of Commons seats of Kingswood in southwest England and Wellingborough in the country’s center by large margins at the last national election in 2019.

Lawmaker Chris Skidmore quit the Kingswood seat last month to protest Sunak’s lack of commitment to green energy. Long-serving Wellingborough legislator Peter Bone was ousted over allegations of bullying and sexual misconduct.


Losing either seat would give the Conservative government the unwanted record of suffering more by-election losses between national elections than any administration since the 1960s.


Polls close at 10 p.m. (2200GMT), with results announced early Friday.

The Conservatives have lost four byelections — and won one — since Sunak took office in October 2022. He replaced Liz Truss, who rocked the economy with a plan for unfunded tax cuts and lasted just seven weeks in office.

Sunak, the fifth Conservative leader since 2016, has restored a measure of stability, but failed to revive the governing party’s popularity. With a national election due this year, the Tories consistently lag between 10 and 20 points behind the Labour Party in opinion polls.

The Conservatives have been in power nationally since 2010, years that saw austerity following the world banking crisis, Britain’s divisive decision to leave the European Union, a global pandemic and a European war that triggered the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades.

Polls show the Conservatives are losing support across the country, from affluent southern voters turned off by Brexit to working-class northern voters who switched from Labour for the 2019 election, when then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised to spread prosperity to long-neglected areas.

Those promises remain largely unmet, and Britain’s economic growth has come to a virtual standstill, with the country slipping into recession at the end of 2023 for the first time since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

Sunak’s only consolation is that Labour is also experiencing turmoil, with leader Keir Starmer struggling to stamp out allegations of antisemitism within the party. This week the party disowned its candidate for another special election over comments he made about Israel.

Azhar Ali was selected to run for Labour in a Feb. 29 special election for the Rochdale constituency in northwest England. He was suspended by Labour after a newspaper published remarks he had made during a local party meeting last year claiming that Israel allowed Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack to happen as a pretext to invade Gaza.

Labour also suspended one of its general election candidates over alleged comments made at the same meeting.

Critics said the incidents are evidence Labour has not rooted out the antisemitism that festered under previous leader Jeremy Corbyn, a staunch supporter of the Palestinians and a critic of Israel.

Labour finance spokeswoman Rachel Reeves said that “if we’d have known about these things, we would have taken action sooner.”

“We can’t see everything everywhere, but when we do see evidence of antisemitism, we act swiftly to ensure the highest standards, and rightly so, amongst our MPs and amongst our parliamentary candidates,” she said Thursday.

 

[Melodi]

Understand that the party system differs from the US in the UK (or Ireland). Torries are technically conservative, and Labour is technically more liberal, but those are historical and rather general characteristics.

What happens (to me after 30 years of observation and living there in the 90s) is that one party or the other will get entrenched. And over time, the usual suspects get sucked in to be beholding to various interests and become multi-millionaires the same way US politicians do.

When that happens, almost nothing changes, and issues are neglected no matter what promises are made. Eventually, those problems become so vast that people "revolt" by voting the current occupant of Parliament out of office. Elections can happen at any time in both places, so things occasionally change seemingly without warning by US standards.

A few years ago, under Tony Blear, the Labor Party became the hidebound party of war, doing very little about some of the day's major issues other than getting reelected. The tables turned, and several years later, the Tories have managed to do the same thing. Except they had COVID-19 to make their legacy even worse.

So now people have had enough of being ignored (again), so they are voting them out of office (with a few exceptions, MPs are rather local). This is one reason an election has been delayed so long because the current gang in power knows that, barring some bolt from the view, their days in power will soon be over.

 

[Plain Jane]

US senators to submit resolution condemning democratic backsliding in Hungary

Two U.S. senators will submit a bipartisan resolution to Congress condemning democratic backsliding in Hungary and urging its nationalist government to lift its block on Sweden’s accession into the NATO military alliance.

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US senators to submit resolution condemning democratic backsliding in Hungary​

BY JUSTIN SPIKE
Updated 2:45 AM EST, February 18, 2024
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BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Two U.S. senators will submit a bipartisan resolution to Congress condemning democratic backsliding in Hungary and urging its nationalist government to lift its block on Sweden’s accession into the NATO military alliance.

The resolution, authored by U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat, and Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, comes as Hungary’s government is under increasing pressure to ratify Sweden’s bid to join NATO, something it has delayed for more than 18 months.

Unanimity is required among all NATO member countries to admit a new ally, and Hungary is the only one of the 31 member states not to have backed Sweden’s bid.

In the resolution, obtained by The Associated Press, the senators note “the important role Hungary can have in European and trans-Atlantic security,” but point out its failure to keep earlier promises not to be the last NATO ally to sign off on Sweden’s membership.

Hungary, the resolution says, “has not joined all other NATO member states in approving the accession of Sweden to NATO, failing to fulfil a commitment not to be last to approve such accession and jeopardizing trans-Atlantic security at a key moment for peace and stability in Europe.”


Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a staunch nationalist who has led Hungary since 2010, has said that he favors Sweden’s NATO accession, but that lawmakers in his party remain unconvinced because of “blatant lies” from Swedish politicians on the state of Hungary’s democracy.

After Turkey’s parliament voted to back Stockholm’s bid in January, attention has shifted to Budapest, the last holdout, as NATO members seek to expand the alliance amid Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The senators’ resolution criticizes Orbán’s increasingly warm relations with Russia and China, and notes that while Hungary has opened its doors to Ukrainian refugees fleeing Moscow’s invasion, it has also “resisted and diluted European Union sanctions with respect to the Russian Federation.”

Orbán, widely considered to be the Kremlin’s closest EU ally, has long been criticized for flouting the bloc’s standards on democracy and the rule of law. The EU has withheld billions in funding from Budapest over alleged breaches of its rules.

A bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers, including Shaheen and Tillis, is set to visit Budapest on Sunday for a “mission focused on strategic issues confronting NATO and Hungary,” underscoring the growing impatience among Hungary’s allies after its delays in ratifying Sweden’s NATO bid.

The senators’ resolution charges that Orbán has “used migration, the COVID-19 crisis, and the war against Ukraine” to justify successive states of emergency that have allowed the Hungarian government “to rule by decree, bypassing the parliament.”

It also criticizes Orbán for meddling in Hungary’s media landscape, restricting civil liberties and seeking to crack down on dissenting voices.

In a state of the nation speech in Budapest on Saturday, Orbán indicated that Hungary’s legislature might soon move forward on approving Stockholm’s NATO membership.

“It’s good news that our dispute with Sweden is nearing a conclusion,” he said. “We are moving toward ratifying Sweden’s accession to NATO at the beginning of the spring session of Parliament.”

 

[northern watch]

 

[Plain Jane]

Hungary and Sweden agree on defense deal ahead of final vote on Sweden's NATO accession

The prime ministers of Hungary and Sweden have concluded a defense industry agreement that will expand Budapest’s fleet of Swedish-built fighter jets.

apnews.com

Hungary and Sweden agree on defense deal ahead of final vote on Sweden’s NATO accession​

BY JUSTIN SPIKE
Updated 7:23 AM EST, February 23, 2024
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BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — The prime ministers of Hungary and Sweden concluded a defense industry agreement on Friday that will expand Budapest’s fleet of Swedish-built fighter jets, paving the way for Hungary’s likely ratification of Sweden’s long-delayed NATO bid.

The meeting in Budapest between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Swedish counterpart, Ulf Kristersson, came after months of heightened tensions between the two countries over Hungary’s refusal to give its backing for Sweden to join NATO.

Kristersson made the trip to Hungary after repeated invitations to do so by the Hungarian government, something Orbán had hinted would be a precondition for his government endorsing Sweden’s NATO bid.

Friday’s defense agreement appeared to be a decisive point of reconciliation between the two governments, and Orbán has indicated that his party is ready to approve Sweden’s bid on Monday.

In a news conference following their bilateral meeting, Kristersson said Sweden would sell four Swedish-made JAS 39 Gripen jets to Hungary, expanding its current fleet of 14 jets. Sweden will also extend support systems and service provision for the jets.


“I strongly welcome this deepened cooperation on advanced fighting capabilities,” Kristersson said, adding that the Gripen jets are “a pride of Sweden.”

Orbán said the additional fighters “will significantly increase our military capabilities and further strengthen our role abroad,” and will grow Hungary’s ability to participate in joint NATO operations.

The agreement paved the way for Hungary’s likely ratification of Sweden’s NATO bid on Monday, when a vote on the matter is scheduled in parliament. Unanimous support among all NATO members is required to admit new countries, and Hungary is the last of the alliance’s 31 members that has still not given its backing.

During Hungary’s more than 18 months of delays in scheduling a vote, Orbán had said his government was in favor of bringing Sweden into NATO, but that lawmakers in his governing Fidesz party were unconvinced — offended by “blatant lies” from some Swedish politicians that he said had cast doubt on Hungary’s democratic credentials.

Hungary’s allies in NATO and the European Union had put increasing pressure on Budapest to drop its opposition to Sweden’s membership. Last weekend, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators visited Hungary and announced they would submit a joint resolution to Congress condemning alleged democratic backsliding, and urging Orbán’s government to immediately lift its block on Sweden’s trans-Atlantic integration.

Orbán’s critics in the EU have alleged that he has stalled on Sweden’s NATO bid to extract concessions from the bloc, which has frozen billions in funding to Hungary over alleged breaches of rule-of-law and democracy standards. The EU has demanded that Budapest take steps to safeguard judicial independence and human rights and tackle corruption.

Hungary’s government has railed against Swedish officials that supported freezing the funds, and blamed them for a breakdown in trust between the two countries.

On Friday, Orbán said that while Hungary and Sweden don’t agree on all issues, building trust was essential to his country supporting Sweden’s joining of the alliance.

“To be a member of NATO together with another country means we are ready to die for each other,” he said. “A deal on defense and military capacities helps to reconstruct the trust between the two countries.”

 

[northern watch]

 

[Plain Jane]

Illegal Arrivals Into Spain Soar 500% In 2024... But Socialist PM Rewards Morocco with €45BN Funding Package | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

Illegal Arrivals Into Spain Soar 500% In 2024... But Socialist PM Rewards Morocco with €45BN Funding Package​

BY TYLER DURDEN
TUESDAY, FEB 27, 2024 - 02:00 AM
Authored by Thomas Brooke via ReMix News,
The number of illegal migrants arriving on Spanish territory in the first six weeks of 2024 is almost six times more than the corresponding period last year, official figures show.


A total of 12,262 new arrivals by land and sea were recorded up to Feb. 11 compared with 2,568 arrivals in the first six weeks of 2023 — a difference of 493 percent, according to weekly data published by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The vast majority of arrivals are boat migrants from Africa — 12,204 sea arrivals and 58 land arrivals were recorded.

The vast majority of newcomers are exploiting the geographical vulnerability of the Canary Islands, southwest of the Spanish mainland, where 10,902 migrants have landed so far this year. The extent of the crisis can be measured by the fact this figure is up 902 percent for the same period last year — a time when local leaders on the Spanish archipelago were already sounding the alarm regarding unsustainable levels of illegal immigration.

The total number of arrivals since the turn of the year is already more than a fifth of the total figure recorded last year, despite usually being a time of fewer crossings due to adverse weather conditions, and more than a third of all arrivals in 2022.

The most current figures provided by Spain’s interior ministry as reported by La Gaceta show the trend continuing with a total of 14,084 illegal arrivals so far this year.

The Socialist government in Madrid is under pressure to contain the crisis from conservative opponents and local government leaders in the migrant hotspots who have expressed security concerns.

The number of reported rape cases in the Canaries has skyrocketed amid the immigration surge in recent years, rising in 2022 to 167 cases compared to the 91 reported the previous year — an increase of 84 percent — and more than double the 73 cases recorded in the last pre-pandemic year of 2019.

The other major issue is the saturation of public services in the affected areas with Madrid, which have needed to create additional emergency accommodation for newcomers in disused military barracks and hotels on the Spanish mainland.

Footage is now widely circulated on social media of huge lines of migrants awaiting taxpayer-funded charter flights from the Canaries to Madrid in order to be dispersed throughout the country.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1743275371867324923

View: https://twitter.com/RMXnews/status/1743275371867324923?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1743275371867324923%7Ctwgr%5E8a142b30e47dd081d26b32e06e223e1fb9edf49f%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fgeopolitical%2Fillegal-arrivals-spain-soar-500-2024-socialist-pm-rewards-morocco-eu45bn-funding


The main Barajas airport in the Spanish capital has also had to extend capacity by 50 percent at its asylum center to accommodate greater numbers flying directly into Spain from North Africa.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1753221410271400089

View: https://twitter.com/RMXnews/status/1753221410271400089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1753221410271400089%7Ctwgr%5E8a142b30e47dd081d26b32e06e223e1fb9edf49f%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fgeopolitical%2Fillegal-arrivals-spain-soar-500-2024-socialist-pm-rewards-morocco-eu45bn-funding


Spain’s left-wing prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, conducted a working visit to the Moroccan capital of Rabat on Wednesday to discuss, among other matters, the issue of illegal immigration.

At a press conference following his meeting with the Moroccan head of state, Mohammed VI, Sánchez announced plans to invest €45 billion of Spanish taxpayers’ cash to improve Morocco’s infrastructure and economy by 2050, leading conservatives to accuse the socialist politician of favoring the African nation at Spain’s expense.

 

[Plain Jane]

The EU is watching Albania's deal to hold asylum seekers for Italy. Rights activists are worried

Albania has agreed to host two migrant processing centers on its territory that will be run by Italy under a deal that worries human rights activists.

apnews.com

The EU is watching Albania’s deal to hold asylum seekers for Italy. Rights activists are worried​

BY COLLEEN BARRY AND LLAZAR SEMINI
Updated 10:51 AM EST, February 22, 2024
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MILAN (AP) — Albania has agreed to host two migrant processing centers on its territory that will be fully run by Italy, under a deal that worries many human rights activists. The European Union, however, sees the agreement as a possible template for the future.

Italy has long complained about not getting enough help from its EU partners in dealing with migrants arriving on its shores from northern Africa. Italy’s right-wing Premier Giorgia Meloni is keen to show she is taking action as arrivals spiked 55% this year, to nearly 160,000 — though still well below the levels reached during the 2015 crisis.

In January Italy’s lower chamber of parliament approved the novel deal with non-EU member Albania, followed a month later by the Senate.

Also in January, Albania’s Constitutional Court rejected a legal challenge that could have blocked the deal. Albania’s parliament approved the deal with 77 votes to zero on Thursday, while 63 lawmakers were marked not present as the opposition refused to participate. The president also will issue a decree as the final step of approval.

Migrants from Africa seeking a better life in Europe have been a sensitive issue for EU member countries in the Mediterranean. It is set to be a hot issue in Europe-wide elections in June. EU members and institutions are trying to push long-awaited asylum and migration reforms through the bloc’s parliament before the polls. Mainstream parties hope the new rules will allow them to refute anti-migrant arguments espoused by populist and far-right groups.

WHAT’S KNOWN ABOUT THE DEAL​

Under a five-year agreement announced in November, Albania will shelter up to 36,000 migrants a year as Rome fast-tracks their asylum requests.

Those picked up within Italy’s territorial waters, or by rescue ships operated by non-governmental organizations, would retain their right under international and EU law to apply for asylum in Italy and have their claims processed there.

Italy has agreed to take back any migrants whose requests have been rejected, and they will likely be repatriated. Children and pregnant women will not be covered by the plan.

One of the processing centers will be located in the port of Shengjin, one of the main tourist areas on the Adriatic Sea, about 75 kilometers (46 miles) south of the Albanian capital, Tirana.

The second facility will be 20 kilometers (12 miles) north at a former military airport in Gjader. Italy will spend nearly 600 million euros ($650 million) over five years for the construction and operation of the two centers under Italian jurisdiction. Up to 3,000 migrants at a time can stay at the two facilities. Outside security will be provided by Albanian guards.

The facilities are expected to be operational by spring.

WHAT ITALY GETS OUT OF IT​

The deal could help relieve chronic overcrowding at initial asylum processing centers in Italy, where hundreds of thousands of migrants are held after risky sea voyages across the Mediterranean Sea from Libya, Tunisia, Turkey and other countries.

Italy has sought more help from its fellow EU nations.

Many of the migrants are ineligible for asylum as they leave due to poverty, not persecution or war. While waiting for a final decision on their asylum applications, many make their way to northern Europe, hoping to find family or jobs.

Italy has sought help from other EU nations to handle the increasing number of arrivals. Data from its Interior Ministry showed that migrant arrivals in Italy in 2023 were about 155,750, or about 55% more than the previous year, including more than 17,000 unaccompanied minors.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ALBANIA​

When the deal was announced, Meloni said Albania “behaves as if it’s one” of the EU member states. Albania “is not only a friend of Italy, but also a friend of the European Union,” she said.

Many in Albania see it as quid pro quo for Italian hospitality when thousands of Albanians fleeing poverty after the fall of communism in 1991 found refuge in Italy.

Albania, a small west Balkan country, does not belong to the EU but is seeking membership, beginning talks with Brussels last year. Despite poverty, it has a history of accepting refugees, including members of China’s Uyghur ethnic group, Afghans and dissidents from Iran, as well as taking a million ethnic Albanians from neighboring Kosovo during wartime in 1999.

But members of Albania’s center-right opposition opposed the deal on human rights grounds. Thirty opposition lawmakers went to the Constitutional Court in an unsuccessful bid to block ratification.

HUMANITARIAN AND LEGAL CONCERNS​

Migration experts say the agreement follows a worrying trend of EU nations looking beyond the bloc’s borders to manage migration. Denmark has floated the idea of sending asylum seekers to be held in African nations.

The Council of Europe’s commissioner for human rights has expressed a range of concerns, including whether migrants would have access to adequate legal aid.

The European Commission, which supervises the application of EU laws, left the door open for the agreement, as long as it’s only applied to migrants picked up in international waters.

The Migration Policy Institute Europe says the deal fails to describe what migration procedures would be followed, leaving open questions as to how exactly the process would work.

___​

Semini reported from Tirana, Albania. Associated Press writer Nicole Winfield contributed from Rome.