Under the directive, member states will be forced to sanction companies that do not comply with the new standards by 2026. If they don’t, the member states themselves could be subject to punitive measures.

A new center-right party, the Bündnis Deutschland (BD), was founded by 50 ex-members of other German parties. The BD aims to be the voice of the neglected middle class, but the media has already framed it as right-wing.

While the cost of doing business in Europe has increased dramatically in the last year, the euro has also lost value against the dollar. The depreciation benefits euro-zone exports to America.

Moscow has defended itself against the allegations of interference, but Macron hammered home his accusations, describing the Russian attitude as “predatory.”