Pro-EU Georgians are protesting against the so-called ‘Russian law’ in Tbilisi, despite a major crackdown by riot police.

POLITICO reports from on the ground 👉 politi.co/44ErTDX

Three Ciudadanos MEPs in Renew fold into the EPP, and will run on the Partido Popular list, in bad news for the liberals in the European Parliament

elmundo.es/espana/2024/05…

Slovak parliament has approved a form of ‘foreign agent’ bill, requiring NGOs that receive funding from abroad to identify themselves as such.

Similar ‘Russian-style’ bill in Georgia is currently causing mass protests.

Top of the Spanish socialist list

Big number three spot for foreign affairs MEP Javi López

S&D leader is on the list to run in the European election in Spain

French-speaking Belgian centre-right party Les Engagés is thinking to leave the EPP - arguing the line of the center-right grouping in the EU is more and more shifting to the right. Via Le Soir

lesoir.be/584690/article…

Quite fitting that the morning after von der Leyen have her strongest sign yet of willingness to work with ECR she’s meeting Fiala, the ECR Czech Prime Minister

Maltese labor party MEPs Cyrus Engerer will not stand again for the European Parliament in June.

most important fact check of the night by my expert colleague Carlo ⬇️👇

This is clearly not the way.

Europe needs to stop those who want to destroy our democracies.

Not to make pacts with them!

So who won?

In fact, our POLITICO livestream is being watched by more than 100,000 people as we speak - and that’s just one platform.

Thanks for watching though!

More than ever before, Ursula von der Leyen just signaled willingness to cooperate with the European Conservatives and Reformists group: politico.eu/article/europe…

Follow our live blog for the sass, the pics and the analysis of #MaastrichtDebate politico.eu/article/europe…

Fun!

“Resistance is justified when people are occupied” shout Maastricht university students outside the EU #maastrichtdebate .

The stage is set, the red carpet unfurled and the tension is starting to rise here in Maastricht where we are holding the first EU election debate

Ursula von der Leyen clashes Nicolas Schmit, PES lead candidate, Bas Eickhout, Anders Vistisen and others

#maastrichtdebate

We’re here with the EU Politics team for tonight’s #MaastrichtDebate

Special appearance early on stage by Eddy Wax ✍️

It'd be logical for the European Parliament to vote on the next Commission President in September, rather than July, says Jaume Duch while insisting that the decision about when to schedule it will be taken by the political group leaders _after_ the EU election.

Ursula von der Leyen will also take part in the European Parliament's own debate (organized by EBU) on May 23, facing Nicolas Schmit, PES lead candidate , Sandro Gozi , Terry Reintke and Walter Baier, according to Jaume Duch at a press conference