Ursula von der Leyen, Nicolas Schmit, Anders Vistisen and Sandro Gozi debate economy – as it happened

The FT’s Henry Foy, who is co-moderating today’s debate, is wearing a Free Evan badge.

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was arrested over a year ago in Russia.

Today’s EU election debate – featuring Ursula von der Leyen, Nicolas Schmit, Anders Vistisen and Sandro Gozi – will focus on economic issues, including the EU single market, economic security and the future of the EU budget.

The Bruegel-Financial Times EU elections debate will start shortly. Stay tuned.

Spain has said it is permanently withdrawing its ambassador from Argentina as a result of a growing diplomatic feud with the South American country’s radical rightwing president, Javier Milei.

Milei – a notoriously pugnacious ally of the fellow populists Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro – sparked the row last weekend by insinuating that Begoña Gómez, the wife of Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, was “corrupt”.

The remarks to a summit of the global far right outraged Spain’s centre-left government, which denounced Milei’s “frontal attack” on its democracy and demanded a full public apology. But Milei doubled down on Monday, declaring that he had no intention of retracting them and was himself “the victim”.

Spain’s foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, responded on Tuesday by announcing that his top envoy to Buenos Aires, María Jesús Alonso Jiménez, would not be returning to her post, having been recalled the previous day.

Read the full story here, by Tom Phillips, Latin America correspondent, and Sam Jones in Madrid.

21 May 202410.22 EDT

Georgia’s ‘foreign agents’ law could be dropped in return for US support bill

Daniel Boffey

A “foreign agents” law that has brought hundreds of thousands of people on to the streets of Georgia’s capital of Tbilisi could be dropped in return for a package of economic and security support from Washington, the ruling party has hinted.

In response to a draft bill tabled in the US Congress that would open up talks on a trade deal in return for fresh commitments on civil rights, the governing Georgian Dream party said in a statement that it would need to see progress on such promises within a year.

The party’s ruling body, known as the political council, issued a statement on Tuesday in which it insisted that the government would not be blackmailed but also signalled that a way out of the crisis was possible if it saw swift progress on preferential trade terms and visa liberalisation.

“Our partners can significantly rearrange their relationships within a year maximum,” the party said. “If they realise this, the relations will be settled very quickly, but if they continue to act in the same approach towards Georgia, it will damage both Georgia and America’s interests.”

Read the full story here.

Who’s debating today?

This afternoon’s EU elections debate will feature the following politicians:

Ursula von der Leyen, for the centre-right European People’s party. Von der Leyen, a German politician, is the current European Commission president and wants a second term.

Nicolas Schmit, for the Party of European Socialists. Schmit, who is from Luxembourg, is now the European commissioner for jobs and social rights. While he is formally the Socialists’ lead candidate, politically he is not considered a contender for the top job of Commission president.

Anders Vistisen, for the far-right Identity and Democracy Party. He is a member of the European parliament from Denmark.

Sandro Gozi, on behalf of Renew Europe Now. Gozi is an Italian politician elected to the European parliament in the French constituency.

Homes evacuated in Italy after strongest quake in 40 years near supervolcano

Homes were evacuated and many people slept in their cars or on the street after the strongest earthquake in 40 years shook the area around the sprawling Campi Flegrei supervolcano close to Naples.

The 4.4-magnitude tremor in Pozzuoli, a densely populated port city, was followed by 150 quakes that were also strongly felt in Naples.

Local media reports said cracks had formed in buildings and chunks of masonry had collapsed. Schools were closed on Tuesday in Pozzuoli and a cluster of towns and districts of Naples.

“We left our home at midnight and went to our son’s in Vomero [Naples],” Mimmo Pignatelli, who lives in Solfatara, a town adjacent to one of Campi Flegrei’s 24 ancient volcanic craters, said.

“We are used to the quakes – but this one was very frightening as it was the strongest in 40 years. We could feel the ground move as we walked.”

Read the full story here.

Eyes on the debate

Senior European politicians will debate this afternoon at an event organised by Bruegel and the Financial Times. Stay tuned.

Here are more images from New Caledonia.

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View image in fullscreen

French authorities announced another 22 arrests today in New Caledonia, for a total number near 300, the Associated Press reported.

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