Russian President Vladimir Putin taking on the rotating monthly presidency of the 15-member United Nations Security Council came just after a young boy was killed by artillery launched by Moscow’s invading forces, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Saturday.
“Unfortunately, we … have news that is obviously absurd and destructive,” Zelenskyy said in his daily address Saturday night. “Today, the terrorist state began to chair the U.N. Security Council.”
The Ukrainian leader announced that a five-month-old child named Danylo had been killed by Russian munitions in Donbas on Friday. “One of the hundreds of artillery strikes that the terrorist state launches every day,” the Ukrainian leader said. “And at the same time, Russia chairs the U.N. Security Council.”
Even though the position at the top of the Security Council is largely ceremonial, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called Russia’s presidency a “slap in the face to the international community” given the ongoing conflict.
The last time Russia held the rotating monthly presidency was in February 2022, when Putin ordered the brutal full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
At present, in addition to the five permanent members, the U.N. Security Council also includes countries supportive of Ukraine such as Japan, Ghana, Malta and Albania, along with others such as the United Arab Emirates, Mozambique and Brazil which take a more neutral approach to the conflict.
In his Saturday address, Zelenskyy also said he had spoken with French President Emmanuel Macron for an hour on Saturday. He also welcomed Switzerland’s decision — as another temporary U.N. Security Council member — to join the 10th sanctions package against the Russian state.
PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron is jetting off on an ambitious diplomatic mission to woo Beijing away from Moscow. Officials in Washington wish him luck with that.
France hopes to dissuade China’s leader Xi Jinping from getting any cozier with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and wants the Chinese instead to play a mediation role over the war in Ukraine.
However, it is unclear what leverage Macron has — and the backdrop to his three-day trip starting Tuesday isn’t easy. Europe continues to reel from the impact of cutting off trade ties to Russia and geopolitical tensions are ratcheting up between China and the U.S., the world’s two biggest economies.
The French president wants to play a more personal card with his Chinese counterpart, after drawing fierce criticism for hours of fruitless phone calls with Putin last year — an effort that failed to stop Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Macron is expected to spend several hours in discussions with Xi, and the trip includes a visit to a city that holds personal value for the Chinese president.
“You can count with one hand the number of world leaders who could have an in-depth discussion with Xi,” said an Elysée advisor who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
But while expectations in France of a breakthrough are moderate, the view among other Western officials is even bleaker.
Given Macron’s failed attempts at playing a center-stage role in resolving conflicts, such as stopping the war in Ukraine or salvaging the Iran nuclear deal, there are doubts in the U.S. and elsewhere that this trip will deliver major results.
The White House has little expectation that Macron will achieve a breakthrough, according to three administration officials not authorized to speak publicly about private conversations. Xi is unlikely to act on Macron’s requests or curtail any of China’s assertive moves in the Pacific, the officials said.
White House aides ruefully recalled Macron’s failed attempts to insert himself as a peacemaker with Putin on the eve of the invasion more than a year ago and anticipate more of the same this time.
There is also some concern in the Biden administration about France’s potential coziness with China at a time when tensions between Washington and Beijing are at their highest in decades, even though the White House is supportive of the trip, the three officials said. There is no ill will toward Macron’s efforts in Beijing, they stressed.
But what might further complicate Macron’s endeavors is an emerging feud between the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is traveling with the president, and the Chinese.
Last Thursday, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen delivered a keynote address on EU-China relations at the European Policy Centre in Brussels | Valeria Mongelli/AFP via Getty Images
In a high-profile speech on EU-China relations Thursday, von der Leyen urged EU countries to “de-risk” from overdependency on China. She also implied that the EU could terminate the pursuit of a landmark trade deal with China, which was clinched in 2020 but subsequently stalled. Her remarks sparked swift blowback from Chinese diplomats. Fu Cong, China’s ambassador to the European Union, said Friday he was “a little bit disappointed.”
“That speech contained a lot of misrepresentation and misinterpretation of Chinese policies and the Chinese positions,” Fu told state-owned broadcaster CGTN.
The Europeans’ visit will also be scrutinized from a human rights perspective given China’s authoritarian pivot and alleged human rights abuses across the nation.
“President Macron and von der Leyen should not sweep the Chinese government’s deepening authoritarianism under the rug during their visit to Beijing,” said Bénédicte Jeannerod, France director at Human Rights Watch. “They should use their public appearances with Xi Jinping to express strong concerns over widespread rights abuses across China, heightened oppression in Hong Kong and Tibet, and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang.”
Macron’s playbook
Speaking ahead of the visit to Beijing, the French leader said his aim was to “try and involve China as much as possible to put pressure on Russia” on topics such as nuclear weapons.
But will Macron’s charm work on Putin’s “best friend” Xi?
China has sought to position itself as a neutral party on the conflict, even as it has burnished its ties with the nation, importing energy from Russia at a discount. Despite massive international pressure on Moscow, Xi decided to make the Kremlin his first destination for a state visit after he secured a norm-breaking third term as Chinese leader. Meanwhile, POLITICO and other media have reported that the Chinese have made shipments of assault weapons and body armor to Russia.
Western European leaders that were cozy with Moscow just before the war started are now calling for engagement with China, including Macron himself. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was in China just days before Macron’s arrival, saying that the world “must listen to its voice” on Russia and Ukraine.
During his visit, which aides have been discussing since at least November last year, Macron will spend several hours with Xi in Beijing, and accompany him to the city of Guangzhou. The Chinese leader’s father, Xi Zhongxun used to work there as Guangdong province governor.
“Altogether the president will spend six to seven hours in discussions with the Chinese leader. The fact that he will be the first French president to visit Guangzhou is also a personal touch, since President Xi’s father used to be a party leader there,” said the Elysee official cited earlier.
The French are hoping the time Macron spends privately with Xi will help win Chinese support on issues such as stopping Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine or halting the illegal transfer of Ukrainian children.
It’s also expected that Macron will try to test Xi’s reaction to Russia’s threat to host nuclear missiles in Belarus, a decision that flies in the face of China’s non-proliferation stance, barely a month after Beijing revealed its 12-point plan for resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
Despite massive international pressure on Moscow, Xi decided to make the Kremlin his first destination for a state visit after he secured a norm-breaking third term as Chinese leader | Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images
“It’s absolutely fundamental to have moments of private encounters,” said Sylvie Bermann, France’s former ambassador to China. “Diplomacy is about playing the long game …With China, I don’t think it is easy to strike up relationships as Westerners. But maybe it means that we’ll be able to talk when the time comes.”
Despite the show of goodwill however, the French president will not hold back from sending “some messages” to Beijing on supporting Russia, particularly when it comes to arms deliveries, a senior French official said.
“We aren’t going to threaten, but send some warnings: The Chinese need to understand that [sending weapons] would have consequences for Europe, for us … We need to remind them of our security interests.” The official said Macron would steer clear of threatening sanctions.
Antoine Bondaz, China specialist at Paris’ Foundation for Strategic Research, questioned the emphasis on trying to bond with Xi. “That’s not how things work in China. It’s not France’s ‘small fry’ president, who spends two hours walking with Xi who will change things, China only understands the balance of power,” he said. “Maybe it works with Putin, who has spent over 400 hours with Xi in the last ten years, but Macron doesn’t know Xi.”
EU unity on show as trade takes center stage
Trade will also feature high on Macron’s priorities as he brings with him a large delegation of business leaders including representatives from EDF, Alstom, Veolia and the aerospace giant Airbus. According to an Elysée official speaking on condition of anonymity, a potential deal with European plane maker Airbus may be in the works, which would come after China ordered 300 planes for €30 billion in 2019.
Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire and Foreign Affairs Minister Catherine Colonna are also traveling with the president.
With the EU facing an emerging trade war between China and the U.S., the presence of von der Leyen, will add yet another layer of complexity to the mix. The French president said in March that he had “suggested to von der Leyen that she accompany him to China” so they could speak “with a unified voice.”
“I don’t have a European mandate, as France has its independent diplomacy — but I’m attached to European coordination,” he said.
A joint trip with the EU head sets him apart from Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor whom French officials criticized in private for hurrying to China for a day trip with Xi last year, focusing more on German rather than EU interests.
With von der Leyen by his side, Macron may well hope to be seen as the EU’s leading voice. In the U.S., the French president had tried that tactic and obtained some concessions on America’s green subsidies plan for the bloc.
In China, that card may be harder to play.
Clea Caulcutt reported in Paris, Stuart Lau in Brussels and Jonathan Lemire in Washington.
A Union Jack flag flies near the Elizabeth Tower, commonly referred to as Big Ben, at the Houses of Parliament in central London, U.K., on March 29, 2017.
Justin Tallis | AFP | Getty Images
Britain struck a historic trade deal to join a vast Indo-Pacific trade bloc after nearly two years of intense negotiations.
The U.K. said this was the country’s largest post-Brexit trade deal and makes it the first European nation to join the CPTPP, since it came into force in 2018.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hailed the deal and said it puts the U.K. at the center of a dynamic and growing group of Pacific economies.
“We are at our heart an open and free-trading nation, and this deal demonstrates the real economic benefits of our post-Brexit freedoms,” he said in a statement. “British businesses will now enjoy unparalleled access to markets from Europe to the south Pacific.”
The trade bloc spans Canada, Mexico, Japan, Australia, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia, among others. The agreement is expected to be formally signed at the end of the year, after final approval from Parliament and the 11 member states.
The trade pact evolved out of the now-defunct Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, that originated in the United States but fell apart after former President Donald Trump scrapped U.S. involvement.
Britain said the deal will cut tariffs on exports of food, drink and cars, and will grant access to a market of around 500 million people and will be worth 15% of global GDP once the UK joins the trade bloc.
The U.K. estimates joining the CPTPP will boost its economy by £1.8 billion in the long term and lift wages by £800 million compared with 2019 levels.
The trade secretary, Kemi Badenoch, said the deal sends a “powerful signal” that Britain is using its “post-Brexit freedoms to reach out to new markets around the world and grow our economy.”
Natalie Black, the U.K.’s trade commissioner for Asia Pacific, called it a “progressive deal” for Britain.
“This deal is, yes, about economic performance today. But is very, very much about economic performance in the future,” she told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” on Friday.
“This is the part of the world that is going to drive economic growth, and also drive the rules of the road of trade going forward. We want to be part of those discussions.”
Still, it remains to be seen how much the deal actually benefits Britain’s growth prospects. Based on the government’s own estimates, the deal will raise long-term domestic GDP by just 0.08%, which will do little to offset the European trade losses incurred as a result of Brexit.
Deborah Elms, executive director of the Asian Trade Centre, said it’s very hard to calculate these trade figures, especially based on existing trade flows.
“If you are a U.K. company, you probably have limited existing trade flows to many of the CPTPP countries like Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Singapore, ” she told CNBC’s “Capital Connection.” “Simply, because the distance is far and because you used to be very tightly enmeshed with the European Union.”
The trade flows are always “under what you actually are likely to see in the reality as businesses recognize the benefits and start to use a trade agreement like the CPTPP,” she added.
Still, negotiations to finalize trade deal, haven’t always been easy. An impasse between Britain and Canada over agricultural market access had to be smoothed over to remove the final hurdle in closing the agreement.
“This has been a complex deal to negotiate,” acknowledged Black. “We’ve been negotiating across multiple time zones across a range of complex issues. And they’re not always straightforward. But, ultimately, all parties have agreed that the U.K. is a great new member of CPTPP.”
There are many “aspirant economies” who have either “declared that they want to formally join or we know are interested in joining,” said Black.
While the trade commissioner said it “wouldn’t be appropriate” to comment on individual economies, she noted the barriers to joining the trade bloc are very high.
“It’s really up to those who come behind us to make sure they meet the expectations of members of having high quality applications.”
DUBLIN — U.S. President Joe Biden will pay a five-day visit to both parts of Ireland next month to mark the 25th anniversary of the U.S.-brokered Good Friday peace accord, according to a provisional Irish government itinerary seen by POLITICO.
The plans, still being finalized with the White House, have the president arriving in Northern Ireland on April 11. That’s one day after the official quarter-century mark for the Good Friday Agreement, the peace deal designed to end decades of conflict that claimed more than 3,600 lives.
With Irish roots on both sides of his family tree, Biden has long taken an interest in brokering and maintaining peace in Northern Ireland. He has welcomed the recent U.K.-EU agreement on making post-Brexit trade rules work in the region — a breakthrough that has yet to revive local power-sharing at the heart of the 1998 accord.
According to two Irish government officials involved in planning the Biden visit itinerary, the president will start his stay overnight at Hillsborough Castle, southwest of Belfast, the official residence for visiting British royalty, as a guest of the U.K.’s Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris.
Then he’s scheduled to visit Stormont, the parliamentary complex overlooking Belfast, at the invitation of its caretaker speaker, Alex Maskey of the Irish republican Sinn Féin party.
That could prove controversial given that, barring a diplomatic miracle, the Northern Ireland Assembly and its cross-community government — a core achievement of the 1998 agreement — won’t be functioning due to a long-running boycott by the Democratic Unionists. That party has not yet accepted the U.K.-EU compromise deal on offer because it keeps Northern Ireland, unlike the rest of the U.K., subject to EU goods rules and able to trade more easily with the rest of Ireland than with Britain. Nonetheless, assembly members from all parties including the DUP will be invited to meet Biden there.
The president is booked to officiate the official ribbon-cutting of the new downtown Belfast campus of Ulster University. During his stay in Northern Ireland he also is expected to pay a visit to Queen’s University Belfast, where former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton serves as chancellor.
Next, the Irish government expects the presidential entourage to cross the border into the Republic of Ireland, potentially by motorcade, the approach last adopted by Bill Clinton during his third and final visit to Ireland as president in 2000.
This would allow Biden to pay a visit to one side of his Irish family tree, the Finnegans, in County Louth. Louth is midway between Belfast and Dublin. Biden previously toured the area in 2016 as vice president, when he met distant relatives for the first time and visited the local graveyard.
In Dublin, it is not yet confirmed whether Biden will deliver a speech at College Green outside the entrance of Trinity College. That’s the spot where Barack Obama delivered his own main speech during a one-day visit as president in 2011.
A White House advance team is expected in Dublin this weekend to scout that and other potential locations for a speech and walkabout. He isn’t expected to hold any functions at the Irish parliament, which begins a two-week Easter recess Friday.
Members of Ireland’s national police force, An Garda Síochána, have been told by commanders they cannot go on leave during the week of April 10-16 in anticipation of Biden’s arrival. The Irish expect U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to accompany the president and take part in more detailed talks with Northern Ireland’s leaders.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar plans to host the president and Blinken at Farmleigh House, a state-owned mansion previously owned by the Guinness brewing dynasty, inside Dublin’s vast Phoenix Park.
The final two days of Biden’s visit will focus on the other side of his Irish roots, the Blewitts of County Mayo, on Ireland’s west coast, which he also visited in 2016. Distant cousins he first met on that trip have since been repeated guests of the White House, most recently on St. Patrick’s Day.
White House officials declined to discuss specific dates or any events planned, but did confirm that Biden would travel to Ireland “right after Easter.” This suggests an April 11 arrival in line with the Irish itinerary. Easter Sunday falls this year on April 9 and, in both parts of Ireland, the Christian holiday is a two-day affair ending in Easter Monday.
LONDON — Britain will be welcomed into an Indo-Pacific trade bloc late Thursday as ministers from the soon-to-be 12-nation trade pact meet in a virtual ceremony across multiple time zones.
Chief negotiators and senior officials from member countries agreed Wednesday that Britain has met the high bar to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), four people familiar with the talks told POLITICO.
Negotiations are “done” and Britain’s accession is “all agreed [and] confirmed,” said a diplomat from one member nation. They were granted anonymity as they were unauthorized to discuss deliberations.
The U.K. will be the first new nation to join the pact since it was set up in 2018. Its existing members are Australia, Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam and Canada.
Britain’s accession means it has met the high standards of the deal’s market access requirements and that it will align with the bloc’s sanitary and phytosanitary standards as well as provisions like investor-state dispute settlement. The resolution of a spat between the U.K. and Canada over agricultural market access earlier this month smoothed the way to joining up.
Member states have been “wary” of the “precedent-setting nature” of Britain’s accession, a government official from a member nation said, as China’s application to join is next in the queue. That makes it in the U.K.’s interests to ensure acceding parties provide ambitious market access offers, they added.
Trade ministers from the bloc will meet late Thursday in Britain, or early Friday for some member nations in Asia, “to put the seal on it all,” said the diplomat quoted at the top. The deal will be signed at a later time as the text needs to be legally verified and translated into various languages — including French in Canada. “That takes time,” they said.
Speaking Wednesday afternoon, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson said: “Negotiations have been proceeding well on CPTPP, and ministers are due to have discussions with their counterparts later this week.”
Any update will, they added, provided at the “earliest possible opportunity.”
A Turkish is on view during a presentation at the Lithuanian Air Force Base in Siauliai, Lithuania, on July 6, 2022. Lithuania on July 6, 2022 exhibited a crowdfunded Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 combat military drone that it plans to send to Ukraine to help the war-torn country fight Russia’s invasion.
Petras Malukas | AFP | Getty Images
In the early weeks of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a music video surfaced online.
It featured clips of missile launchers and Russian tanks in a drone’s crosshairs, as deep-voiced men sang the words in Ukrainian: “The occupiers came to us in Ukraine, with brand new uniforms and military vehicles, but their inventory melted into steel … Bayraktar!”
The last word drops as an explosion is seen obliterating a Russian target.
The video quickly went viral, the song written as an homage to the powerful Turkish-made Bayraktar TB-2 drone that helped Ukrainian forces devastate Russia’s initial offensive. The now-famous drone is produced by Istanbul-headquartered defense company Baykar Makina – whose chief technology officer happens to be Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s son-in-law.
Drones aren’t the only thing elevating Turkey’s status as a growing player in the global defense industry. The sheer number of international deals the country’s defense firms have made in the last few years reveals rapidly rising demand, major R&D investment and a growing source of leverage for Turkey’s foreign relations.
In 2022, Turkey hit a record $4.4 billion in arms exports – a figure larger than some European countries’ annual defense budgets. After exceeding its export target for the year, Turkey’s government aims to bring that figure to $6 billion in 2023. Turnover for the country’s defense industry as a whole last year was $10 billion, according to Turkey’s Presidency of Defense Industries.
Revenue from overseas defense exports rose by 42% between 2020 and 2021, with foreign contracts making up as much as 90% of revenue for some Turkish companies — like Baykar, the Atlantic Council reported in December. Turkey is home to some 2,000 companies in the sector.
A vessel claimed to be a Russian Raptor boat is destroyed with use of Ukrainian, Turkish-supplied Bayraktar drone, near Snake Island, Ukraine in this screen grab obtained from a social media video on May 2, 2022.
Courtesy: Ukraine Naval Forces
The transformation has its roots in the early 2000s, when Ankara outlined a strategy to build a modern and self-sustained defense sector and encourage domestic investment. Erdogan’s two-decade long project, which continues to see strong state investment in local firms, is paying off as arms sales bolster Turkish influence abroad.
And while Turkey’s military manufacturing footprint is still small compared to major players like the U.S., Russia, and China, it’s won outsized attention for the performance of its weapons like the Bayraktar drone, which has been used in Libya, Syria, and the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict in addition to Ukraine.
Sales of weapons and technologies, especially drones, “have helped [Turkey] improve ties” internationally, the Atlantic Council wrote, in particular with “states such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan, and even establish new ties with various other countries such as Poland, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia.”
The sales bolster Turkey’s clout in the Gulf states and Europe, too. At IDEX, the Middle East’s largest arms fair held in February in Abu Dhabi, Turkey’s presence was impossible to miss. Enormous Turkish-branded pavilions showcased everything from armored trucks and drones to assault rifles, tactical gear and laser-guided missiles.
The Ukraine-Russian war has created a huge demand, even the countries that are not participating in the war are stockpiling. We are already doubling our manufacturing capacity just to meet demand.
Emin Öner
Chairman of the board, Assan Group
“There is significant international demand from the Middle East, from Asia, from Europe. Also with the war in Ukraine, Turkiye is trying to do our best in supporting with equipment, including with UAVs and land platforms,” Alper Öziblen, chairman of Turkish defense company Pavo Group, told CNBC at IDEX.
“This shows us that Turkish products have been mature enough to use in the battlefields,” he said. “Our clients, our partners are very happy.”
Tulpar, Turkish heavy infantry fighting vehicle designed by the Sakarya-based automotive manufacturer Otokar, on display at the 16th edition of International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, February 21 2023.
Photo by Mohammed Zarandah | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Öziblen and other Turkish executives CNBC spoke to all confirmed they had ongoing or planned partnerships and deals with the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and other oil-rich Gulf states. Many of those countries are investing heavily in growing their own defense sectors — and some, like the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have provided substantial financial support to Turkey or pledged billions of dollars in trade and investment.
Öziblen highlighted the expertise of his and other Turkish companies in areas like cryptography, essential for secure communications on the battlefield, as well as electronic subsystems for drones and land platforms.
“Information technology is a major part of the defense domain, and we are positioning ourselves in that domain,” he said. And the investment shows in the numbers: research and development in Turkey’s defense sector “recently increased by 30 percent,” the Atlantic Council’s report wrote.
As NATO allies race to supply Ukraine with arms to combat Russia, many of those allies – particularly in Europe – are running severely low on their own weapons stocks. Turkish defense manufacturers say they are booked for the next several years with orders to help replenish NATO stockpiles.
Those firms also have high demand from Turkey’s military alone — it is, after all, the second-largest military in NATO after the United States.
A view from the stand of Turkish ASSAV Defense Company at the 16th edition of International Defense Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, February 21 2023.
Mohammed Zarandah | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
“The Ukraine-Russian war has created a huge demand, even the countries that are not participating in the war are stockpiling. We are already doubling our manufacturing capacity just to meet demand [from NATO countries],” Emin Öner, chairman of the board of Turkish defense firm Assan Group, told CNBC.
“All the manufacturers are booked for at least five more years,” Öner said. He said that his company was fully booked with orders for the next few years, with shifts running round the clock — despite that fact that Assan does not currently make products for Ukraine. It would do so if the Turkish government requested it, he said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (C) and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (R) pose during a joint news conference after their meeting in Lviv, Ukraine on August 18, 2022.
Metin Atkas | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Not all of Turkey’s defense firms supply arms to Ukraine. Among those that do, some, like Baykar, do not comment publicly about it. Turkey’s government is playing a careful balancing act between Ukraine and Russia to act as a mediator between the two, and has maintained relations with Moscow, offering a new home for many Russians fleeing sanctions.
For Pavo Group’s Öziblen, however, his company’s provision of defense equipment to Ukraine is a point of pride.
“If [Ukraine] needs some know-how, knowledge, for specific systems, we are transferring it to them free of charge,” he said.
“It’s a kind of responsibility,” Öziblen added. “It’s more than business for us, actually. Ukraine matters more than business.”
Workers’ compensation carriers must reimburse injured employees for the cost of medical marijuana if a physician determines the drug is medically necessary, a state appellate court said.
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Community Play Date: 5-7 p.m. May 19, Purina Bark Park, inside of Freedom Park, 121 N. Edgewood Road, Eden. The event will commence with a “ribbon tugging” ceremony and feature live performances from the Purina Incredible Dogs team as well as food and treats available for purchase. edennc.us/departments/parks-recreation.
Pet Adoption Special: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays, through May 31, Burlington Animal Services, 221 Stone Quarry Road, Burlington. All dog adoptions are fee-waived, and all cat adoptions are reduced to $20. Adoptions include spay or neuter and vaccinations. www.burlingtonnc.gov/pets. Fosters are needed as well, visit www.burlingtonnc.gov/foster.
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Wellness Clinic: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. second Saturday, RCSPCA Building, 300 W. Bailey St., Asheboro. Wellness checkups, skin and ear checks, heartworm tests, pet weighing, microchips, vaccines, preventative medicine. 704-288-8620 or info@cvpet.com.
Volunteer Days: 10 a.m. Sundays, Carolina Veterinary Assistance and Adoption Group, 394 Cook Florist Road, Reidsville. Walk, brush, interact with pets, gardeners are welcome to help in the community garden. 336-394-4106 or www.cvaag.org.
Adoption Fair: noon-3 p.m. Saturdays, PetSmart, 2641 Lawndale Drive, Greensboro. With Triad Independent Cat Rescue. Visit www.triadcat.org or email meowmire.yahoo.com.
Low-cost Rabies Clinic: noon-2 p.m. third Saturday, SPCA of the Triad, 3163 Hines Chapel Road, Greensboro. www.triadspca.org.
Adoption Fair: noon-3 p.m. Saturdays, PetSmart, 1206 Bridford Parkway, Greensboro. With Juliet’s House Animal Rescue. julietshouse1@gmail.com.
Cat Adoptions: Sheets Pet Clinic, 809 Chimney Rock Court, Greensboro. $100 for one cat, 6 months or older; $150 for two adopted together to the same home, 6 months or older. $125 for each kitten, $200 for two kittens adopted at the same time. Fees includes spay/neuter, microchipping, testing for feline leukemia and/or feline immunodeficiency virus, current and age-appropriate vaccinations, FeLV vaccinations for kittens, flea treatment, and deworming. All adoptees receive an “exit exam” from a veterinarian before going home. Every cat or kitten adopted from Sheets Pet Clinic receives half-price vaccinations for the rest of its life, if brought in for yearly wellness exams. Every cat receives one-month free pet insurance. Also, adoption fairs, 1-3 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month. petadoptions@sheetspetclinic.com or www.sheetspetclinic.com.
SPCA of the Triad: Open for adoptions from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays and noon-4 p.m. Sundays, 3163 Hines Chapel Road, Greensboro. Submit an adoption application and wait for approval email. www.triadspca.org, www.facebook.com/TriadSPCA, www.instagram.com/spca_of_the_triad/. Funds are needed for SPCA’s new 9,000 square foot, $3 million facility which will hold more than twice as many homeless pets than the current shelter.
Pet Adoption Special: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays, through May 31, Burlington Animal Services, 221 Stone Quarry Road, Burlington. All dog adoptions are fee-waived, and all cat adoptions are reduced to $20. Adoptions include spay or neuter and vaccinations. www.burlingtonnc.gov/pets. Fosters are needed as well, visit www.burlingtonnc.gov/foster.
Wellness Clinic: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. second Saturday, RCSPCA Building, 300 W. Bailey St., Asheboro. Wellness checkups, skin and ear checks, heartworm tests, pet weighing, microchips, vaccines, preventative medicine. 704-288-8620 or info@cvpet.com.
Megan Blake Dog Training Classes: 4:30 p.m. Sundays, LeBauer Park, 200 N. Davie St., Greensboro. Ask questions, learn new dog behaviors. Registration recommended. www.greensborodowntownparks.org/post/group-dog– training.
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Volunteer Days: 10 a.m. Sundays, Carolina Veterinary Assistance and Adoption Group, 394 Cook Florist Road, Reidsville. Walk, brush, interact with pets, gardeners are welcome to help in the community garden. 336-394-4106 or www.cvaag.org.
Adoption Fair: noon-3 p.m. Saturdays, PetSmart, 2641 Lawndale Drive, Greensboro. With Triad Independent Cat Rescue. Visit www.triadcat.org or email meowmire.yahoo.com.
Low-cost Rabies Clinic: noon-2 p.m. third Saturday, SPCA of the Triad, 3163 Hines Chapel Road, Greensboro. www.triadspca. org.
Adoption Fair: noon-3 p.m. Saturdays, PetSmart, 1206 Bridford Parkway, Greensboro. With Juliet’s House Animal Rescue. julietshouse1@gmail.com.
Cat Adoptions: Sheets Pet Clinic, 809 Chimney Rock Court, Greensboro. $100 for one cat, 6 months or older; $150 for two adopted together to the same home, 6 months or older. $125 for each kitten, $200 for two kittens adopted at the same time. Fees includes spay/neuter, microchipping, testing for feline leukemia and/or feline immunodeficiency virus, current and age-appropriate vaccinations, FeLV vaccinations for kittens, flea treatment, and deworming. All adoptees receive an “exit exam” from a veterinarian before going home. Every cat or kitten adopted from Sheets Pet Clinic receives half-price vaccinations for the rest of its life, if brought in for yearly wellness exams. Every cat receives one-month free pet insurance. Also, adoption fairs, 1-3 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month. petadoptions@sheetspetclinic.com or www.sheetspetclinic.com.
SPCA of the Triad: Open for adoptions from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays and noon-4 p.m. Sundays, 3163 Hines Chapel Road, Greensboro. Submit an adoption application and wait for approval email. www.triadspca.org, www.facebook.com/TriadSPCA, www.instagram.com/spca_of_the_triad/. Funds are needed for SPCA’s new 9,000 square foot, $3 million facility which will hold more than twice as many homeless pets than the current shelter.
Pet Adoption Special: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays, through May 31, Burlington Animal Services, 221 Stone Quarry Road, Burlington. All dog adoptions are fee-waived, and all cat adoptions are reduced to $20. Adoptions include spay or neuter and vaccinations. www.burlingtonnc.gov/pets. Fosters are needed as well, visit www.burlingtonnc.gov/foster.
Wellness Clinic: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. second Saturday, RCSPCA Building, 300 W. Bailey St., Asheboro. Wellness checkups, skin and ear checks, heartworm tests, pet weighing, microchips, vaccines, preventative medicine. 704-288-8620 or info@cvpet.com.
Megan Blake Dog Training Classes: 4:30 p.m. Sundays, LeBauer Park, 200 N. Davie St., Greensboro. Ask questions, learn new dog behaviors. Registration recommended. www.greensborodowntownparks.org/post/group-dog– training.
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Volunteer Days: 10 a.m. Sundays, Carolina Veterinary Assistance and Adoption Group, 394 Cook Florist Road, Reidsville. Walk, brush, interact with pets, gardeners are welcome to help in the community garden. 336-394-4106 or www.cvaag.org.
Adoption Fair: noon-3 p.m. Saturdays, PetSmart, 2641 Lawndale Drive, Greensboro. With Triad Independent Cat Rescue. Visit www.triadcat.org or email meowmire.yahoo.com.
Low-cost Rabies Clinic: noon-2 p.m. third Saturday, SPCA of the Triad, 3163 Hines Chapel Road, Greensboro. www.triadspca. org.
Adoption Fair: noon-3 p.m. Saturdays, PetSmart, 1206 Bridford Parkway, Greensboro. With Juliet’s House Animal Rescue. julietshouse1@gmail.com.
Cat Adoptions: Sheets Pet Clinic, 809 Chimney Rock Court, Greensboro. $100 for one cat, 6 months or older; $150 for two adopted together to the same home, 6 months or older. $125 for each kitten, $200 for two kittens adopted at the same time. Fees includes spay/neuter, microchipping, testing for feline leukemia and/or feline immunodeficiency virus, current and age-appropriate vaccinations, FeLV vaccinations for kittens, flea treatment, and deworming. All adoptees receive an “exit exam” from a veterinarian before going home. Every cat or kitten adopted from Sheets Pet Clinic receives half-price vaccinations for the rest of its life, if brought in for yearly wellness exams. Every cat receives one-month free pet insurance. Also, adoption fairs, 1-3 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month. petadoptions@sheetspetclinic.com or www.sheetspetclinic.com.
SPCA of the Triad: Open for adoptions from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays and noon-4 p.m. Sundays, 3163 Hines Chapel Road, Greensboro. Submit an adoption application and wait for approval email. www.triadspca.org, www.facebook.com/TriadSPCA, www.instagram.com/spca_of_the_triad/. Funds are needed for SPCA’s new 9,000 square foot, $3 million facility which will hold more than twice as many homeless pets than the current shelter.
Community Play Date: 5-7 p.m. May 19, Purina Bark Park, inside of Freedom Park, 121 N. Edgewood Road, Eden. The event will commence with a “ribbon tugging” ceremony and feature live performances from the Purina Incredible Dogs team as well as food and treats available for purchase. edennc.us/departments/parks-recreation.
Pet Adoption Special: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays, through May 31, Burlington Animal Services, 221 Stone Quarry Road, Burlington. All dog adoptions are fee-waived, and all cat adoptions are reduced to $20. Adoptions include spay or neuter and vaccinations. www.burlingtonnc.gov/pets. Fosters are needed as well, visit www.burlingtonnc.gov/foster.
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Wellness Clinic: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. second Saturday, RCSPCA Building, 300 W. Bailey St., Asheboro. Wellness checkups, skin and ear checks, heartworm tests, pet weighing, microchips, vaccines, preventative medicine. 704-288-8620 or info@cvpet.com.
Volunteer Days: 10 a.m. Sundays, Carolina Veterinary Assistance and Adoption Group, 394 Cook Florist Road, Reidsville. Walk, brush, interact with pets, gardeners are welcome to help in the community garden. 336-394-4106 or www.cvaag.org.
Adoption Fair: noon-3 p.m. Saturdays, PetSmart, 2641 Lawndale Drive, Greensboro. With Triad Independent Cat Rescue. Visit www.triadcat.org or email meowmire.yahoo.com.
Low-cost Rabies Clinic: noon-2 p.m. third Saturday, SPCA of the Triad, 3163 Hines Chapel Road, Greensboro. www.triadspca.org.
Adoption Fair: noon-3 p.m. Saturdays, PetSmart, 1206 Bridford Parkway, Greensboro. With Juliet’s House Animal Rescue. julietshouse1@gmail.com.
Cat Adoptions: Sheets Pet Clinic, 809 Chimney Rock Court, Greensboro. $100 for one cat, 6 months or older; $150 for two adopted together to the same home, 6 months or older. $125 for each kitten, $200 for two kittens adopted at the same time. Fees includes spay/neuter, microchipping, testing for feline leukemia and/or feline immunodeficiency virus, current and age-appropriate vaccinations, FeLV vaccinations for kittens, flea treatment, and deworming. All adoptees receive an “exit exam” from a veterinarian before going home. Every cat or kitten adopted from Sheets Pet Clinic receives half-price vaccinations for the rest of its life, if brought in for yearly wellness exams. Every cat receives one-month free pet insurance. Also, adoption fairs, 1-3 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month. petadoptions@sheetspetclinic.com or www.sheetspetclinic.com.
SPCA of the Triad: Open for adoptions from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays and noon-4 p.m. Sundays, 3163 Hines Chapel Road, Greensboro. Submit an adoption application and wait for approval email. www.triadspca.org, www.facebook.com/TriadSPCA, www.instagram.com/spca_of_the_triad/. Funds are needed for SPCA’s new 9,000 square foot, $3 million facility which will hold more than twice as many homeless pets than the current shelter.
Community Play Date: 5-7 p.m. May 19, Purina Bark Park, inside of Freedom Park, 121 N. Edgewood Road, Eden. The event will commence with a “ribbon tugging” ceremony and feature live performances from the Purina Incredible Dogs team as well as food and treats available for purchase. edennc.us/departments/parks-recreation.
Pet Adoption Special: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays, through May 31, Burlington Animal Services, 221 Stone Quarry Road, Burlington. All dog adoptions are fee-waived, and all cat adoptions are reduced to $20. Adoptions include spay or neuter and vaccinations. www.burlingtonnc.gov/pets. Fosters are needed as well, visit www.burlingtonnc.gov/foster.
People are also reading…
Wellness Clinic: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. second Saturday, RCSPCA Building, 300 W. Bailey St., Asheboro. Wellness checkups, skin and ear checks, heartworm tests, pet weighing, microchips, vaccines, preventative medicine. 704-288-8620 or info@cvpet.com.
Volunteer Days: 10 a.m. Sundays, Carolina Veterinary Assistance and Adoption Group, 394 Cook Florist Road, Reidsville. Walk, brush, interact with pets, gardeners are welcome to help in the community garden. 336-394-4106 or www.cvaag.org.
Adoption Fair: noon-3 p.m. Saturdays, PetSmart, 2641 Lawndale Drive, Greensboro. With Triad Independent Cat Rescue. Visit www.triadcat.org or email meowmire.yahoo.com.
Low-cost Rabies Clinic: noon-2 p.m. third Saturday, SPCA of the Triad, 3163 Hines Chapel Road, Greensboro. www.triadspca.org.
Adoption Fair: noon-3 p.m. Saturdays, PetSmart, 1206 Bridford Parkway, Greensboro. With Juliet’s House Animal Rescue. julietshouse1@gmail.com.
Cat Adoptions: Sheets Pet Clinic, 809 Chimney Rock Court, Greensboro. $100 for one cat, 6 months or older; $150 for two adopted together to the same home, 6 months or older. $125 for each kitten, $200 for two kittens adopted at the same time. Fees includes spay/neuter, microchipping, testing for feline leukemia and/or feline immunodeficiency virus, current and age-appropriate vaccinations, FeLV vaccinations for kittens, flea treatment, and deworming. All adoptees receive an “exit exam” from a veterinarian before going home. Every cat or kitten adopted from Sheets Pet Clinic receives half-price vaccinations for the rest of its life, if brought in for yearly wellness exams. Every cat receives one-month free pet insurance. Also, adoption fairs, 1-3 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month. petadoptions@sheetspetclinic.com or www.sheetspetclinic.com.
SPCA of the Triad: Open for adoptions from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays and noon-4 p.m. Sundays, 3163 Hines Chapel Road, Greensboro. Submit an adoption application and wait for approval email. www.triadspca.org, www.facebook.com/TriadSPCA, www.instagram.com/spca_of_the_triad/. Funds are needed for SPCA’s new 9,000 square foot, $3 million facility which will hold more than twice as many homeless pets than the current shelter.
Community Play Date: 5-7 p.m. May 19, Purina Bark Park, inside of Freedom Park, 121 N. Edgewood Road, Eden. The event will commence with a “ribbon tugging” ceremony and feature live performances from the Purina Incredible Dogs team as well as food and treats available for purchase. edennc.us/departments/parks-recreation.
Pet Adoption Special: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays, through May 31, Burlington Animal Services, 221 Stone Quarry Road, Burlington. All dog adoptions are fee-waived, and all cat adoptions are reduced to $20. Adoptions include spay or neuter and vaccinations. www.burlingtonnc.gov/pets. Fosters are needed as well, visit www.burlingtonnc.gov/foster.
People are also reading…
Wellness Clinic: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. second Saturday, RCSPCA Building, 300 W. Bailey St., Asheboro. Wellness checkups, skin and ear checks, heartworm tests, pet weighing, microchips, vaccines, preventative medicine. 704-288-8620 or info@cvpet.com.
Volunteer Days: 10 a.m. Sundays, Carolina Veterinary Assistance and Adoption Group, 394 Cook Florist Road, Reidsville. Walk, brush, interact with pets, gardeners are welcome to help in the community garden. 336-394-4106 or www.cvaag.org.
Adoption Fair: noon-3 p.m. Saturdays, PetSmart, 2641 Lawndale Drive, Greensboro. With Triad Independent Cat Rescue. Visit www.triadcat.org or email meowmire.yahoo.com.
Low-cost Rabies Clinic: noon-2 p.m. third Saturday, SPCA of the Triad, 3163 Hines Chapel Road, Greensboro. www.triadspca.org.
Adoption Fair: noon-3 p.m. Saturdays, PetSmart, 1206 Bridford Parkway, Greensboro. With Juliet’s House Animal Rescue. julietshouse1@gmail.com.
Cat Adoptions: Sheets Pet Clinic, 809 Chimney Rock Court, Greensboro. $100 for one cat, 6 months or older; $150 for two adopted together to the same home, 6 months or older. $125 for each kitten, $200 for two kittens adopted at the same time. Fees includes spay/neuter, microchipping, testing for feline leukemia and/or feline immunodeficiency virus, current and age-appropriate vaccinations, FeLV vaccinations for kittens, flea treatment, and deworming. All adoptees receive an “exit exam” from a veterinarian before going home. Every cat or kitten adopted from Sheets Pet Clinic receives half-price vaccinations for the rest of its life, if brought in for yearly wellness exams. Every cat receives one-month free pet insurance. Also, adoption fairs, 1-3 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month. petadoptions@sheetspetclinic.com or www.sheetspetclinic.com.
SPCA of the Triad: Open for adoptions from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays and noon-4 p.m. Sundays, 3163 Hines Chapel Road, Greensboro. Submit an adoption application and wait for approval email. www.triadspca.org, www.facebook.com/TriadSPCA, www.instagram.com/spca_of_the_triad/. Funds are needed for SPCA’s new 9,000 square foot, $3 million facility which will hold more than twice as many homeless pets than the current shelter.
BERLIN — Germany’s Christian Democrats, the country’s largest opposition group, are planning to shift away from the pragmatic stance toward China that characterized Angela Merkel’s 16 years as chancellor, claiming that maintaining peace through trade has failed.
It’s a remarkable course change for the conservative party that pursued a strategy of rapprochement and economic interdependence toward China and Russia during Merkel’s decade and a half in power. The volte-face has been spurred by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and Beijing’s increasingly aggressive stance — both economically and politically — in the Asian region and beyond.
According to a draft position paper seen by POLITICO, the conservatives say the idea of keeping peace through economic cooperation “has failed with regard to Russia, but increasingly also China.” The 22-page paper, which is to be adopted by the center-right Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) parliamentary group in the Bundestag around Easter, outlines key points for a new China policy.
In a world order that is changing after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Chancellor Olaf Scholz last year announced a Zeitenwende, or major turning point, in German security policy. Economy Minister Robert Habeck and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, in particular, have stressed the necessity of a comprehensive China strategy, an idea already mentioned in the coalition agreement to form Scholz’s government. Their ministries have elaborated two different drafts, but a comprehensive strategy is not yet in sight.
“We realize at this point in time, with some surprise, which is why we prepared and presented this paper, that the German government is significantly behind schedule on key foreign and security policy documents,” said CDU foreign policy lawmaker Johann Wadephul.
The foreword to the position paper states that “the rise of communist China is the central, epochal challenge of the 21st century for all states seeking to preserve, strengthen, and sustain the rules-based international order.” The CDU/CSU parliamentary group is open to working out a “national consensus” with Scholz’s government. That consensus, the group says, must be embedded in the national security strategy and in a European China strategy.
The relationship with China is described in the same triad fashion that wasformulated by the European Commission in 2019 and is in the coalition agreement of the current German government. Under this strategy,the Asian country is seen as a partner, economic competitor and systemic rival.
But the CDU/CSU group’s paper says policy should move away from a Beijing-friendly, pragmatic stance toward China, especially on trade. “We should not close our eyes to the fact that China has shifted the balance on its own initiative and clearly pushed the core of the relationship toward systemic rivalry,” the text states.
“I say to this also self-critically [that] this means for the CDU/CSU a certain new approach in China policy after a 16-year government period,” Wadephul said.
The paper calls for a “Zeitenwende in China policy,” too, concluding that Germany should respond “with the ability and its own strength to compete” wherever China seeks and forces competition; should build up its resilience and defensive capability and form as well as expand alliances and partnerships with interest and value partners; and demonstrate a willingness to partner where it is openly, transparently and reliably embraced by China.
The CDU/CSU papercalls for a European China strategy and a “European China Council” with EU neighbors for better cooperation. A central point is also strengthening reciprocity and European as well as German sovereignty.
“Decoupling from China is neither realistic nor desirable from a German and European perspective,” according to the text.
To better monitor dependencies, the paper proposes an expert commission in the Bundestag that would present an annual “China check” on dependencies in trade, technology, raw materials and foreign trade, with the overall aim of developing a “de-risking” strategy.
China’s President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for “peace talks” and “responsible dialogue” over Ukraine in a joint statement with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin — but also criticized sanctions, blamed NATO expansion for the conflict and made no offer to withdraw invading forces.
Released on the second day of Xi’s state visit to Moscow, which has so far underscored his close friendship with Putin, Xi’s joint statement with the Russian leader shows Beijing’s wholesale adoption of Russia’s narratives.
“Russia reiterates efforts to resume peace talks as soon as possible, which is praised by the Chinese side,” said the statement, carried by China’s Xinhua news agency. “Russia welcomes China’s willingness to play a constructive role in resolving the Ukraine crisis through political and diplomatic means.”
Reverting to the Kremlin line that NATO expansion sparked the conflict — rather than Russian aggression against a democratic neighbor, whose independence it resents — Xi and Putin proclaimed: “Both sides oppose any countries or national blocs jeopardizing the reasonable security interests of other nations in the quest for military, political or other forms of superiorities.”
The resolution of the Ukraine “crisis,” according to the two countries, which wouldn’t call it a war, “shall respect all countries’ reasonable security concerns and prevent the formation of bloc confrontation.”
Putin and Xi called on “the international community to support constructive efforts” toward “responsible dialogue.”
“Both sides call for a halt to any moves that could cause tension and continue the warfare, in order to avoid the crisis deteriorating, if not getting out of control,” the statement added.
Unsurprisingly, Beijing made no mention in the statement of providing military support to Moscow, despite recent evidence — including reporting by POLITICO — showing Chinese companies’ moves to send arms to Russia.
Xi also didn’t repeat his opposition to the use of nuclear threats in this latest statement, contrary to a call he made while meeting European leaders, such as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
There’s also no mention of a ceasefire, let alone a complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territories as demanded by Kyiv and the West.
The statement on Ukraine was signed after Xi and Putin conducted talks over a broad range of issues at the Kremlin on Tuesday.
“Xi pointed out that … China-Russia relations have maintained a momentum of robust, sound and steady growth. The two countries have enjoyed deepening political mutual trust, convergence of interests, and understanding between the peoples, and have advanced cooperation on trade, investment and energy, and on exchanges at people-to-people and sub-national levels,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said. “China-Russia cooperation is covering more areas, building greater consensus and delivering early harvests. More cooperation is being comprehensively advanced.”
PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron will face a moment of reckoning Thursday as lawmakers gear up for a final vote on the government’s deeply unpopular pension reform.
The controversial bill, a centerpiece of Macron’s second term, has sparked weeks of nationwide protests led by trade unions and faced intense criticism from both the far left and the far right in the National Assembly.
The French president wants to increase the legal age of retirement to 64 from 62 and extend contributions for a full pension in an effort to balance the accounts of France’s state pensions system — among the most generous in the world. According to projections from France’s Council of Pensions Planning, the finances of the pensions system are balanced in the short term but will go into deficit in the long term.
Despite government concessions on various aspects of the bill in recent weeks, opposition to the reform remains very high, with polls saying two-thirds of French citizens oppose it.
Speculation is running high that Macron might not have enough support in the National Assembly, and may choose a constitutional maneuver to bypass parliament — in a move that could unleash a political storm in France.
On Thursday, the French Senate and the National Assembly are expected to cast a crucial vote on the second reading of the bill, after the Senate voted in favor last week. The outcome will determine the shape of Macron’s second term and stands to bear heavily on his legacy.
The worst case: Macron loses the vote in parliament
Losing the parliamentary vote would be a stunning defeat for the French president, who pinned his bid for a second term on his promises to reform France’s pensions system. But political commentators have been speculating in recent days that Macron’s Renaissance party doesn’t have enough votes to pass the bill.
The French president lost its absolute majority in the National Assembly in parliamentary elections last June. He has since been forced into making ad-hoc deals with MPs from France’s conservative party Les Républicains. But the once-mighty conservatives appear split on the reform, despite assurances this week from their leader Olivier Marleix that there was “a clear majority” backing the bill.
A defeat in parliament would have seismic and long-term repercussions for Macron’s second term and it is likely that the president’s trusted lieutenant Prime Minister Elizabeth Borne would have to resign in such a scenario. Party heavyweights however say they will not shy away from seeking a vote.
“There will be a vote, we want a vote, everyone must take its responsibilities,” said Aurore Bergé, leader of the Renaissance group in the National Assembly.
“There can be an accident … we’ll manage it as we can,” admitted Jean-Paul Mattei, a centrist MP who belongs to Macron’s coalition, with reference to a defeat in parliament.
However, this is the most unlikely scenario as expectations are that the government will bypass a vote if they sense that they are short on votes.
Protestors hold an effigy of French President Emmanuel Macron, during a demonstration on the 8th day of strikes and protests across the country against the government’s proposed pensions overhaul in Paris on March 15, 2023 | Alain Jocard/AFP via Getty Images
Pretty bad: Macron bypasses parliament and loses credibility
In the face of a potential defeat in the National Assembly, Macron has a nuclear option: invoke article 49.3 of the French constitution. This mechanism allows the government to force through legislation without submitting it to a vote.
While the constitutional maneuver may seem like an easy way out, it’s a highly risky move as it allows lawmakers to table a motion of no confidence within 24 hours. Macron’s government has faced down motions of no confidence in the past but the stakes are much higher this time around.
Beyond surviving a motion of no-confidence, Macron and Borne will also come under fire for refusing to submit to the democratic process.
According to Frédéric Dabi, general director of the IFOP polling institute, the impact on public opinion if the government uses the 49.3 article as opposed to passing a tight vote in parliament would be “radically different.”
“Public opinions on the 49.3 article have changed … it is regarded as a tool to brutalize the National Assembly: it’s now seen as authoritarian instead of merely authoritative. People want more transparency, more democracy today,” he said.
France’s hardline unions would no doubt use this to stoke unrest and call for further strike action.
Trade union leader Laurent Berger has warned the government against using the 49.3 article, saying that it would be “incredible and dangerous.”
“Nobody can predict what will happen, the protest movement seems to be running out of steam, but if the government invokes article 49.3 it could be read as forcing the issue and may relaunch the protest movement,” said Dabi.
Still not great: Macron wins vote but faces mass protests
If the French president wins the vote in parliament, it’ll be seen as a victory but one that may completely drain his political capital, and whip up protests on the streets.
“It’ll be a victory for Macron, but it’ll only bear its fruit in the long term. In the short term, he’ll face a tense country where relations have become very strained,” said Chloé Morin, a writer and political analyst.
Trade union leader Berger has said that he would “take on board” the result of Thursday’s vote in parliament. But protests, which have been almost weekly since January, may continue nonetheless across the country in an effort to force the government into backing down and withdrawing the text.
Morin thinks it is unlikely there will be “an explosion of protests” after the vote as people are resigned to seeing it pass.
French police officers intervene during a protest by local council employees against the government’s retirement reform in front on the prefecture in Seine Saint-Denis, in Bobigny, a surburb of Paris on March 14, 2023 | Thomas Samson/AFP via Getty Images
“However, the protest movement might become more radical with lightning protests or sabotages, led by a minority in the citizens’ movement,” said Morin.
In October last year, industrial action in France’s refineries led to nationwide shortages at petrol stations, forcing the government to intervene in what was seen as Macron’s biggest challenge since his re-election last year.
There are dangerous precedents for Macron too. In December 2019, the government was forced to abandon a new green tax when faced with the explosive Yellow Vests protests that shook the political establishment.
PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to bypass parliament and impose his deeply unpopular pensions reform has revealed an uncompromising and weakened leader who now faces severe backlash from emboldened opposition lawmakers and protesters.
Macron had vowed to abandon his top-down approach to politics and work with opposition parties during his second term. But when it comes to old-style politicking, Macron’s troops still have a lot to learn.
Despite intense lobbying efforts with MPs and frantic meetings at the Elysée on Thursday and in the weeks leading up to the decisive moment, the French president and his stalwart lieutenant Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne faced the likelihood of a defeat in parliament and decided instead to invoke a controversial constitutional tool — article 49.3 — to bypass a vote.
“My political interest would have been to submit to a vote … But I consider that the financial, economic risks are too great at this stage,” Macron privately told ministers according to a participant at the meeting.
Macron’s flagship pensions reform aims to increase the legal age of retirement to 64 from 62 and extend contributions for a full pension in an effort to balance the accounts of France’s state pensions system. Macron’s Renaissance party lost its absolute majority in the National Assembly in parliamentary elections last year, but the government was able to pass legislation in recent months with the support of the conservative party Les Républicains. It appears, however, that in the nail-biting run-up to the vote, there were concerns the president wasn’t able to rally enough troops in favor of the bill.
Arriving in parliament on Thursday, Borne faced scenes of anger and unrest in the National Assembly as she made her announcement triggering article 49.3. Far-left lawmakers from the France Unbowed party booed and chanted the national hymn the Marseillaise as far-right National Rally MPs shouted “Resign! Resign!” The speaker of the house was forced to suspend debates to allow Borne to make her speech.
“We can’t take the risk of seeing 175 hours of parliamentary debate come to nothing,” Borne said.
After the announcement, opposition MPs vowed to continue the battle against the reform, either in parliament, by supporting a motion of no-confidence, or in the streets.
The leader of the far-right National Rally, Marine Le Pen, slammed the move as a “personal failure” for Macron. “It’s his reform, he’s the one who proposed it and defended it during his campaign,” she told reporters at the National Assembly.
Spontaneous protests erupted Thursday evening in several cities across France, including Paris, where thousands of protestors descended on the Place de la Concorde after the move, clashing with police and setting fire to scaffolding. Trade unions called for a day of protest on March 23, undeterred by Macron’s decision to push through the legislation.
Article 49.3, ‘a denial of democracy’
Invoking article 49.3 is widely seen as a perilous move for the government as it allows MPs to put forward a motion of no-confidence within 24 hours and risks radicalizing protest movements in France. Trade unions have already shown great unity and led almost weekly marches and strikes, bringing out hundreds of thousands of citizens to the streets. In Paris, a strike by garbage collectors has seen an estimated 7,000 tons of garbage left on the street.
While the French constitution does allow governments to bypass parliament under certain conditions, its use is increasingly seen as undemocratic in France amid social tensions and the growing mistrust of politicians.
“The government’s use of the 49.3 procedure reflects the failure of this presidential minority,” Charles de Courson, a longtime independent lawmaker, told the BFMTV news channel.
“They are not just a minority in the National Assembly, they are a minority in the whole country. The denial of democracy continues,” he said.
Speaking ahead of the vote, Frédéric Dabi, general director of the IFOP polling institute, said that opinions on invoking article 49.3 — as opposed to passing a tight vote in parliament — are “radically different.”
“Public opinions on the 49.3 article have changed … it is regarded as a tool to brutalize the National Assembly: it’s now seen as authoritarian instead of merely authoritative. People want more transparency, more democracy today,” he said.
But the show of force also exposes a weakened president, who after having lost a majority in parliament and amid low popularity ratings, was unable to turn the tide of public opinion in France.
Surviving now, and later
In the short term, the government will have to survive several motions of no-confidence that are expected to be voted on Monday. Macron’s government has faced down motions of no confidence in the past but the stakes are much higher this time around.
“It’s maybe the first time that a motion of no-confidence may overthrow the government,” Green MP Julien Bayou told reporters, adding that the government was “prepared to wreak havoc” in the country.
Longer term, the move destroys prospects of a closer alliance between Macron’s Renaissance party and the conservative Les Républicains following a string of ad-hoc deals in recent months. In a worrying sign for Macron’s second term, as the debates on the pensions reform reached a climax, the leadership of the conservative party could not muster its own faithful despite concessions on the bill from the ruling party.
The great irony for Macron — needing partners and not finding them — is that he is the man who upended France’s political landscape by crushing the traditional left-wing and right-wing parties in 2017.
The dilemma for Macron is how he will get anything done in the next four yours of his presidency, given the reinvigorated opposition he is sure to face in a parliament dominated by the far left and the far right, and without reliable coalition partners.
Perhaps the only silver lining for Macron is the view from abroad.
“On the international scene, it’s a sign that France can make reforms, even if, frankly, many may think we are having a nervous breakdown over something so small, given that the government has made so many concessions [on the bill],” said Chloé Morin, a writer and political analyst ahead of the vote.
“Everybody knows that [reforming pensions] in France is difficult …That’s what’s at stake for Macron: he is a president who is building his legacy,” she said.
Germany and Japan agreed on Saturday to strengthen cooperation on economic security in the aftermath of tensions over global supply chains and the economic impact of the war in Ukraine.
In the first high-ministerial government consultations held between the two countries, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reached out to Tokyo to seek to reduce Germany’s dependence on China for imports of raw materials.
“The current challenges of our time make it clear: It is important to expand cooperation with close partners and acquire new partners. We want to reduce dependencies and increase the resilience of our economies.” the German chancellor said in a tweet.
Scholz and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said they believe the agreement will allow both countries to diversify value chains in order to be able to reduce economic risks.
In a joint statement, the two countries said they will work on establishing “a legal framework for bilateral defense and security cooperation activities,” including ways to protect critical infrastructures, trade routes and to secure future supply of sustainable energy.
Germany’s decision to prioritize consultations with Japan came after the Asian country put forward an economic security bill last year aimed at securing the uptake of technology and bolstering critical supply chains.
Japan is Germany’s second-largest trading partner in Asia after China, with a bilateral trade volume of €45.7 billion mainly based on the import and export of machinery, vehicles, electronics and chemical products.
The two leaders also exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine, cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region and the G7 meeting in Hiroshima scheduled for May.
PARIS — Emmanuel Macron’s government narrowly survived a no-confidence vote in the French parliament Monday, after it pushed through a deeply unpopular pensions overhaul without a vote last week, sparking outrage and spontaneous protests across the country.
In a high-stakes vote in France’s lower house of parliament, 278 MPs, mostly from the left and the far right, voted in favor of a cross-party motion of no confidence, falling just short of the 287 votes needed to topple the government. A second motion, backed only by the far-right National Rally, did not garner enough votes.
The outcome of the first vote was much tighter than anticipated and increases the pressure on Macron to withdraw his reform. It may also give a boost to the protest movement led by trade unions against the measures. The French president will also be under pressure to respond either by addressing the country or reshuffling his government.
Speaking ahead of the votes, the centrist MP Charles de Courson, one of the authors of the cross-party motion, accused Macron’s government of lacking “courage” during the parliamentary debates.
“You could have submitted [your reform] to a vote, and you probably would have lost it, but that’s the game when you are in a democracy,” he told MPs.
The leader of Macron’s Renaissance parliamentary group Aurore Bergé lashed out at accusations the government had failed to seek compromises with MPs and accused opposition parties of working against the common good.
“When people speak of a grand coalition, it should be so that people work together for the good of the country. It’s the opposite that you are offering us … you want to bring our country to a halt, in our institutions and … in the street,” she said.
The motions of no confidence were proposed last week after Macron authorized the use of a controversial constitutional maneuver on Thursday to bypass a vote in parliament on his pensions reform bill. The French president wants to raise the legal age of retirement to 64 from 62, in an effort to balance the accounts of France’s indebted state pension system and to bring France’s retirement age in line with other European countries such as Spain and Germany where it ranges from 65 to 67 years old.
The no-confidence motions were voted on in the National Assembly as industrial action disrupted flights, public transport, waste collection and refineries ahead of a nationwide day of protests on Thursday. Trade union leaders hope for a show of force against the government and have also warned that social unrest risks spiraling after several protests in Paris turned violent in recent days.
“I send this alert to the president, he has to withdraw the bill before there’s a disaster. [Our protests] have been very controlled since the beginning, but the temptation of violence, of radicalization … is there,” said CFDT trade union leader Laurent Berger on Sunday.
While the government has survived efforts to topple it, speculation is now running high that Macron will want to replace his beleaguered Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne in a government reshuffle aimed at refreshing his image. According to an IFOP-JDD poll published on Sunday, Macron’s popularity rating fell by 4 points in one month to 28 percent.
A tight win for Macron
Monday’s no-confidence motions had been widely seen as unlikely to pass ahead of the vote because the French National Assembly has been deeply divided since parliamentary elections last year. While Macron’s Renaissance party has lost its absolute majority, opposition parties backing the no-confidence motion failed to get enough votes because most MPs from the conservative Les Républicains refused to support it.
Still, more conservative MPs than expected decided to ignore the party line and back the cross-party motion of no confidence, exposing the deep divides within Les Républicains.
Elisabeth Borne will live to see another day as French Prime Minister | Pool photo by Gonzalo Fuentes/AFP via Getty Images
On Monday, one of the leading rebels, conservative MP Aurélien Pradié, said voting in favor of the motion of no-confidence was needed to “emerge from the chaos.”
“The Macron club has not understood what is going on. And if we need to jolt them with a motion of no-confidence, I will back it and lend my voice to the people who feel disdained,” he told Europe 1 radio.
This article has been updated with more details on the votes.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article misstated the number of MPs who voted in favor of a cross-party motion of no confidence.
TEWKSBURY — The Tewksbury Planning Board met on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023, at town hall to address two retail marijuana proposals.
The board conducted a site plan review for The Stories Company’s proposed retail marijuana dispensary at 2122 Main St. “Donuts Village,” next to Donna’s Donuts, will include a 5,400 square foot building to be split between a dispensary and a retail or restaurant space.
The proponents’ presenting team included cannabis attorney Valerio Romano and former Boston police commissioner Ed Davis as a security consultant; Davis is a Tewksbury resident. The proponent plans to replace the sidewalk on Main Street and may add electric vehicle chargers in the future.
Board members largely responded positively to the plan.
“Do you think having a cannabis store would deter someone from moving in next to you?” asked member Vinny Fratalia.
Romano said that the proponent hoped to find an appropriate use to go next to the retail store.
“The downstream revenue for communities that host cannabis retailers is fairly significant,” he explained. “It could be something of a boon for that business as well as other ones… people come in and have money in their pockets to spend. Input from the board on what that use might be would be welcome as well.”
