Ladson family

Ljubljana – Commending on the State of the Union address by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Delo says in Thursday’s front-page commentary that visions and proposals are not enough in the realism of European politics, as it depends mainly on the will of member states how the bloc will function.

The pace of vaccination against Covid-19 must be quickened to avert "a pandemic of the unvaccinated", the European Union's chief executive said on Wednesday, also urging countries around the globe to step up the fight against climate change, Reuters reported.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is to give her annual State of the Union address to the European Parliament on Wednesday in the French city of Strasbourg. Likely talking points include her proposals to help tackle the climate crisis - set out in July - and frozen efforts to reform the bloc's migration system could also feature in her speech, dpa reported.

The problems are almost the same as last year: the pandemic, climate change, economic growth and the deep gap between individual members.

The EU has achieved its goal of fully vaccinating 70 percent of its population against COVID-19, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Tuesday. "I want to thank everyone who made it possible to achieve this great thing," she said.

"But the pandemic is not over. We need more. I call on everyone who can to be vaccinated," Von der Layen said.

The conservative daily quotes from a letter sent by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to European Parliament President David Sassoli, in which she dismisses the criticism that the executive has failed to implement the rule-of-law conditionality.

The EU has not recognised the Taliban, nor is it holding political talks with them, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Saturday, cited by news agencies. The EC president spoke after visiting a reception centre in Madrid for Afghan employees of EU institutions evacuated from Kabul.

Ljubljana – The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, reiterated in an interview with the newspaper Delo that EU countries decide on which energy sources they will use themselves as she responded to a question regarding the expansion of the lifespan of the Krško nuclear power station by 2043 and plans for a second unit.

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday that 70 percent of adults in the bloc have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Overall, 57 percent of over-18s are now fully vaccinated across the 27 nations, she said in a statement.

It is a shame, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbn added during an interview for state radio.
The European Commission's legal action launched against Hungary over measures it said discriminated against LGBT people amounts to "legal hooliganism" and is "shameful", Prime Minister Viktor Orbn told state radio on Friday, as Reuters reports.