Euobserver.com

Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban and Italian interior minister Matteo Salvin pledged in a meeting in Milan on Tuesday to create a pan-European anti-migrant alliance ahead of next year's European elections. "There are two sides at the moment in Europe. One is led by Macron, who is supporting migration. The other one is supported by countries who want to protect their borders," Orban said.

"Russia would want us to pay for it but Syria under Assad is not safe," Reuters quoted an EU official as saying. Syria is not safe for refugees to go back and the EU is not likely to spend money on rebuilding the country as long as Syrian president Bashar al-Assad does not allow the opposition share power, the source said. EU foreign ministers might discuss the matter this week.

Northern Ireland has beaten Belgium's record of 589 days with no elected government without signs of a solution in the near future. The region has been without government since January 2017, when the nationalist Sinn Fein party pulled out requesting equal treatment with the pro-British Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). The unionists demonstrated on Tuesday outside parliament, urging the nationalists to end their "boycott".

When Irish rock band U2 kicks off its European tour in Berlin this week, it will wave "a big, bright, blue EU flag" on stage, lead singer Bono announced in an op-ed published in German daily FAZ. "Europe is a thought that needs to become a feeling," he wrote, adding that nationalistic visions of the future "looks to me a lot like the past".

French president Emmanuel Macron made a strong case for Europe while in Denmark on Tuesday pressing for more Danish involvement in the European Union. Denmark has a defence opt-out clause in its EU membership treaty. "I am not calling for a referendum but for a debate," prime minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen said, adding that Denmark planned to participate in a French-led European Intervention Initiative on a bilateral basis.

German commissioner said Italy would be cutting off its nose to spite its face on budget threats, but did not comment on Rome's plans to overspend on EU deficit rules.

Slovakia is about to take up a one-year stint as president of the Visegrad Four, with a determination to anchor Central Europe in "Jadro Europy" - the core of Europe.

EP secretary general Klaus Welle decided to keep documents secret, ignoring the democratic will of MEPs and court precedents.

Nicolas Hulot, an environment activist, quit by surprise on Tuesday, saying the French government was not up to the challenges.

Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban, the "enfant terrible" of the centre-right European People's Party (EPP), said that Italian interior minister Matteo Salvini was "a companion of destiny". "He's my hero," he said before meeting him in Milan on Tuesday to discuss migration policies. Orban has been refusing to take asylum seekers from Italy, while Salvini has insisted that migrants go to other EU countries than Italy.

The French Guiana spaceport has been the site of European launches for decades. One of the unchallenged advantages is its proximity to the equator.

France and Germany have reiterated calls for Europe to reduce military and financial dependence on the US after Trump "turned his back" on the EU.

French prime minister Edouard Philippe instructed his ministers on Monday to prepare measures in case of a no-deal Brexit, including measures to facilitate the stay of British citizens in France and ensuring smooth border controls. The government will ask parliament in the coming weeks to allow it to adopt the contingency plans by decree, a statement said. The UK is due to leave the European Union in March 2019.

Far-right activists clashed with police and leftist protestors for a second day in the eastern German city of Chemnitz, demanding foreigners to leave Germany. Monday's events were a continuation of Sunday's protests, which were triggered by a stabbing of a 35-year old German. A Syrian and an Iraqi remained under arrest on suspicion of the lethal attack. German chancellor Angela Merkel warned that "vigilante justice" would not be tolerated.

A probe against Italian interior minister Matteo Salvini for allegedly kidnapping 177 Eritrean migrants aboard the Diciotti coast guard ship will be a "boomerang", Salvini said Monday, Ansa reports. "I only did my job as minister and I'm ready to do it again," he said. The migrants were rescued on 16 August and held for five days at sea and five days at Catania harbour before being let off.

If Europe wants to be a global leader, our political leadership has to change dramatically. Power needs a new face in Europe, and it needs to get legitimacy from the people, argues liberal MEP Sophie in 't Veld.

French president Emmanuel Macron said Monday that Europe's security should not rely only on the US and called for a new push on the European defence review. Macron told French ambassadors, "it's up to us" to guarantee Europe's security and sovereignty. He said discussions on defence cooperation should include all European countries and their partners, including Russia, on condition that progress is made with Moscow on the fighting in Ukraine.

Poland will ignore the ruling of the EU's top court, the country's deputy PM said Monday. The European Court of Justice is checking if recently adopted legislation on the retirement age of supreme court judges breaks EU rules. If the court suspends the law, "our government will probably have no choice but to … ignore the ruling of the ECJ as contrary to the Treaty of Lisbon," Jaroslaw Gowin said.

Top officials from Italy's ruling Five Star Movement have said EU funds to Hungary should be suspended because it was unwilling to take in migrants.

German chancellor Angela Merkel has reportedly told broadcast ARD she is unhappy about the European Commission's proposal to adopt stricter climate targets for 2030. "This constant setting of new targets, I don't think it makes sense," she was quoted as having said by Bloomberg. "I'm not so happy about these new proposals, since many EU member countries are already behind in meeting their pledges."