I thought the 5-year ban was a dangerous, desperate idea. Political rights like who can vote or stand for election should be defended no matter who’s being targeted.

Le Pen and her colleagues were found guilty of misappropriation of European funds by paying the salaries of some of their party officials in France with money that should only be spent on salaries of European Parliament assistants. European Parliament assistants can be party officials, and the official seat of the European Parliament is in France (Strasbourg), so the crime they committed wasn’t far from the EU’s rules.

A fine and criminal record makes sense. But custodial sentences? And suspending political rights for 5 years??

Meanwhile, German-Israeli nationals who just participated in war crimes, crimes against humanity and acts of genocide in Gaza are free to return to Germany for R&R.

EU Member States decided on Wednesday—while citizens were literally dropping dead from extreme heat—that “green finance” should include companies engaged in fossil fuel expansion (eg new oil drilling). The banality of evil. https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-countries-oil-exploration-green-investment/

They may have overplayed their hand.