Welcome to Euractiv’s EU Tweets of the Week.
Erdogan and Macron row like only Presidents can,
VDL's wishy-washy on Polish abortion ban,
and lockdown two is the only Covid plan!
As Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan
entered into a war of words
with French President Emmanuel Macron,
Dutch PM Mark Rutte waded in to offer Macron his support
saying the Turkish leader’s words were “unacceptable.”
Von der Leyen also offered her support,
which in Le Chou world looks like this:
Von Der Leyen Shows Solidarity For Iconic French Products
As Erdogan Urges Boycott
Portuguese PM Antonio Cost expressed his solidarity
as did several others.
So many in fact that Sam Morgan is worried
about all the solidarity being used up before winter hits.
Quentin Aries called it a weird Franco-European-Turkish spat.
And suggested Charlie Hebdo
might be Emmanuel Macron’s new favourite rag.
As Erdoğan is suing the French magazine.
Stanley Pignal pointed out that Erdoğan’s party was allowed
to hold electoral rallies in France,
because they “revere freedom of speech.”
You have to take the rough with the smooth he added.
Iran's daily news paper caricatured Macron as
“The Devil Of Paris” on its front cover,
But Jack says he’d be honored to be artistically reimagined
as a suave, sexy demon in a 50K suit!
Progress is hard won, but easily lost.
Strong women’s rights are an asset and an achievement
the whole of Europe must be proud of.
We should push forward, not backwards.
So tweeted European Commission President
Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday.
I don't understand this statement.
What is she talking about?
Why would I report on such a vague tweet at all?
Asked Tanja Milevska
But others, including Carmen Prieto López,
saw straight through VDL’s vague comments:
*cough*Poland*cough*
Is von der Leyen mastering
the art of talking about things without mentioning them again...
Because this is about #Poland’s abortion ban, isn't it?
Yes Beatrice, it is.
S&D MEP Delara Burkhardt said
it sounds like a fortune cookie,
and she thinks we need naming and shaming,
when human rights are under attack!
Come on added Diego Velaquez,
If the European Commission can't come with a more precise
and strong statement than this
then VDL's feminism is a pure facade
if she can't condemn this more clearly.
And finally welcome to Lockdown II the Winter months.
Matina Stevis reckoned she might need a stiff drink
after the European Commission Covid-19 press conference.
In a nutshell:
we're in this for the long-haul.
No shortcuts.
Shortcuts will cost millions of lives
and won't be over until it's over everywhere.
France will impose a second national lockdown.
People will only be allowed to leave home for essential work
or medical reasons.
“Here we go again” tweeted Daniel Luthereau
“Confinement2” & “Depression” trending
and it's not even November yet, wailed Topito.
Germany is planning a "lockdown light".
Well, the toilet paper aisle at the supermarket is again
looking light-ly stocked, observed Ryan Delaney.
ZDF’s Heute-Show defines #LockdownLight as
meaning you can continue to meet friends in certain places.
As long as “certain places” are your office
and “friends” are your boss.
That's it for another week.
We're taking a week off next week,
but join me the following Friday
for more snarks and larks
in the Brussels Bubble Twittersphere.