Gunnar Wiegand

Macron & Takaichi to sign a rare earths deal today - aim to start a project in France at the end of 2026 to refine heavy rare earths used in EVs Will confirm this "and other plans for building rare-earth supply chains that do not rely on China" asia.nikkei.com/politics/inter…

I can promise this: The Senate will not vote to leave NATO and abandon our allies just because Trump is upset they wouldn’t go along with his reckless war of choice.   Thank you to @SecRubio for sponsoring the bill in 2023 requiring a two thirds vote of the Senate to make sure clueless presidents couldn’t act on a whim.

Statement by the High Representative @KajaKallas on behalf of the EU on the approval of the Death Penalty Bill by the Israeli Parliament 👇 link.europa.eu/WxR6q7

This has been an exceptional week with a trilogy of trade successes ↓

Moscow supports Orban because he sabotages the European Union, blocks sanctions and money for Ukraine. Ergo, he who supports Orban, helps Moscow. It really is that simple.

EU-US trade relations must be based on clarity and mutual respect. Parliament wants to remain in the driving seat and have the last word on the application of the EU-US trade agreement, say Members of the European Parliament. Learn more: link.europa.eu/gXYhbW

A swift and decisive intervention by PM @narendramodi ji to shield 1.4 billion Indians from global price and supply shocks amid the #WestAsia crisis impacting energy & commodity markets. ✅ Central excise duty on petrol & diesel for domestic consumption cut by ₹10/litre each, cushioning consumers from rising prices. ✅ Export duties imposed: ₹21.5/litre on diesel & ₹29.5/litre on Aviation Turbine Fuel, ensuring adequate domestic availability. A #CitizenFirst 🇮🇳 approach to safeguard affordability and #EaseOfLiving.

This is Marco Rubio explaining how the USA promised to defend Ukraine forever if they got rid of their nuclear arsenal left after the Soviet Union fell. This is why lil marco was sinking into the couch. He was hoping we wouldn’t find it…so don’t RT right now this very second.

The US signed the Budapest memorandum in 1994 which guaranteed Ukraine’s sovereignty in exchange for giving up its nuclear weapons. Ukraine is exactly the US’s war

The first-ever EU–Armenia summit will take place on 4-5 May in Yerevan. I look forward to meeting with PM @NikolPashinyan 🇦🇲 Armenia is a close EU partner, and we look forward to deepening this relationship. We are united by shared values and a commitment to international law and the rules-based international order. consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press…

A wrap on the EU's trade trifecta, with an explainer on SAFE and why the security partnerships are actually the big cheese of these deals latika.me/TradeTrifecta

1/2✅👏Green light for strong negotiating mandate. #EP is weatherproofing EU-US deal against headwinds from US. We have clear safety measures in place for this. New threats of tariffs or lack of benefits for EU manufacturers&consumers will lead to the legislation being phased out

The situation in Lebanon is appalling - with already more than 1.3 million internally displaced persons. I spoke with President Aoun to express the EU’s condolences for the loss of civilian lives and our solidarity and support for Lebanon and its people. Lebanon made the right decision to ban Hezbollah’s military activities. Hezbollah must cease its attacks immediately. Israel should stop its military operations and engage in direct talks with the Lebanese authorities. All parties must respect international law and protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.

Australia is one of the world’s most important producers of critical raw material. In contrast, Europe is one of the world’s major users. So today, we agreed on four major projects, covering production of rare earths, lithium, and tungsten. And we also agreed to launch negotiations on Australia’s accession to Horizon, Europe’s flagship innovation programme!

After almost a decade of work – we can say: we did it. We have concluded the EU-Australia Free Trade Agreement. And it is such a win for both sides ↓ twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…

Carney: "Europe, Australia, Canada, Japan and South Korea. This is a coalition with a GDP larger than the US, three times China’s trade flows and the world’s largest investment in R&D. We can build a better future" Hats off to leaders who inspire hope and a brighter future.

The EU-Australia defence and trade partnership is the right move at the right time.  Europe cannot depend on a single partner for its security and must diversify its access also to critical raw materials.  Building a global network with like-minded democracies, from Copenhagen to Canberra, is how Europe strengthens its strategic autonomy.

EXCLUSIVE Europe will overtake the US as Australia's second-largest trading partner Australia's trade Minister Don Farrell predicts, as EU Commmission President Ursula @vonderleyen and PM @AlboMP sign trade, security and defence partnership. ALSO, Australia's going to join Horizon! But farmers are likely to be unhappy. All the details from my joint interview with Senator Farrell and EU Trade Commissioner @MarosSefcovic in @thenightlyau. latika.me/EUTradeDealSIG…

@EnricoLetta @DelorsInstitute @IEuniversity @iespega Exactly! 👍

After Mercosur, India, Indonesia, Mexico, now #Australia. Good move. Fair and open trade, against protectionism. Protecting and fostering our 🇪🇺 competitiveness that needs openness. @DelorsInstitute @IEuniversity @iespega