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‘I will be completely independent’: New EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra

EU

Talking Europe hosts the newly appointed EU Commissioner for Climate Action, Wopke Hoekstra. The EU has put the Green Deal at the heart of its policy making, and Hoekstra was confirmed in the key job after somewhat fractious hearings in the European Parliament, where some MEPs drew attention to his past work for oil and gas giant Shell. We discuss his plans for implementing the green transition, and the upcoming COP28 summit in Dubai.

Europe’s response to Israel-Hamas war: EU tries to balance competing views

EU

The EU faces what is arguably its stiffest foreign policy test since the war in Ukraine. A devastating attack on Israel by Hamas has been met with a massive Israeli response in the Gaza Strip. It is being described as the worst chapter in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since the war of October 1973. We discuss how convincing – or otherwise – the EU’s response has been so far, as well as the EU’s messaging mess when it comes to the question of continued development aid to the Palestinians.

French taxi drivers sue Uber over unfair competition

Europe

Around 2,480 taxi drivers will embark on another round of their latest legal fight against Uber in Paris on Friday accusing the American giant of unfair competition as they seek around 455 million euros in damages.

Slovakia’s Fico signs coalition deal with far-right parties

EU

A former prime minister of Slovakia who plans to end the country’s military support for Ukraine is poised to return to office after his political party signed a deal Wednesday with two other parties to form a coalition government.