Description
Added on the 02/04/2020 13:02:54 - Copyright : AFPTV - First images
The current President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, addresses the European Parliament. The MEPs then vote on whether or not to grant her a second term. SOUNDBITE
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hails the EU parliament's adoption of a contentious asylum policy reform as a "huge achievement for Europe". The parliament's main political groups overcame opposition from far-right and far-left parties to pass the new migration and asylum pact -- a sweeping reform nearly a decade in the making. SOUNDBITE
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg urges the United States to stick with Europe as the military alliance turned 75 on Thursday under the shadow of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the spectre of Donald Trump's possible return to power in the US. "I don't believe in America alone, just as I don't believe in Europe alone. I believe in America and Europe together in NATO because we are stronger and safer together," Stoltenberg says at a ceremony at NATO headquarters in Brussels. SOUNDBITE
Yulia Navalnaya, widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, meets Charles Michel, President of the European Council, in Brussels. The 47-year-old Kremlin critic died in an Arctic prison on February 16 after spending more than three years behind bars, prompting outrage and condemnation from Western leaders and his supporters. IMAGES
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni visit Lampedusa following a recent surge in migrant arrivals to the small Italian island. During her visit, von der Leyen said irregular migration was a "European challenge" needing a "European answer", offering a 10-point plan to help Rome deal with the crisis. This week a record of around 8,500 people -- more than the island's entire local population -- have arrived in around 200 boats, according to the UN migration agency. IMAGES