Alberto Nardelli
@AlbertoNardelli
Followers
78K
Following
10K
Media
4K
Statuses
67K
Correspondent-at-large for Europe, Bloomberg. Send me news: [email protected] / DMs open, ask for Signal, ProtonMail
Joined March 2007
NEW: The U.S. has privately warned Europe that Russia may invade Ukraine
14
75
153
We have obtained a secret audio recording of a Moscow meeting between three Russian operatives and a close aide to Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini negotiating a plan to pump money from a Russian oil deal into Salvini’s far-right Lega party.
794
13K
17K
UK prime minister Boris Johnson told the nation yesterday, "as we come to that Brexit deadline I am encouraged by the progress we are making.". I asked an EU official whether it was true that there has been progress in talks. Their response: "No there hasn't.".
228
4K
9K
All this, to end the free movement of people. It's quite extraordinary if you think about it.
358
3K
7K
An observation: Salvini, who tweets pretty much every time a migrant gets found with a pen knife, has had very little to say about far-right activists arrested with a frigging missile and an arsenal of weapons
147
3K
6K
Things that will surprise many British observers about the German #EP2019 result:. 1) Germany has a Green party.2) some 90% of Germans voted for pro-EU parties.3) the AfD isn't very popular.
100
1K
5K
Trump fact check: he claims Germany gets 70% of its energy from Russia. Actual figure, according to German government, is 9%
Trump behauptet, Deutschland beziehe bis zu 70 Prozent seiner Energie aus Russland. Laut Bundesregierung sind es 9 Prozent. #NATOGipfel.
203
3K
5K
Strong statement from Macron 'we will not renegotiate a less ambitious deal. There is no plan b, there is no planet b'.
49
2K
5K
An EU official tells me that the irony of all this debate in the Commons is that “it makes crystal clear why we need a backstop in the first place”.
65
2K
5K
Raab on the BBC refusing to condemn Trump’s remarks, something a British foreign secretary would likely not hesitate to do if the president of another foreign country had made similar comments.
98
551
4K
This tape provides the first hard evidence of Russia’s clandestine attempts to fund Europe’s nationalist movements, and the apparent complicity of some senior figures from the far right in those attempts
95
2K
3K
NEW: Biden assured key allies in June that US security enablers would remain in place in Afghanistan as NATO troops withdrew, so much so that U.K. thought it could maintain its Kabul embassy
241
2K
4K
A German journalist interviewed the co-leader of the far-right AfD, asking questions about climate change, pensions, housing & digitalisation. The far-right politician didn’t have any answers. Every journalist should read this. (via @marceldirsus)
56
2K
3K
Italian PM has just announced that lockdown extends to the whole of Italy, movement restricted to reasons of work, health and emergencies.
86
2K
3K
imagine living in the UK for most of your life and then daring to call it home.
EU migrants have been able to “treat the UK as if it’s part of their own country” for too long, Boris Johnson said yesterday as he reprised the core message of Vote Leave’s 2016 EU referendum campaign.
55
884
3K
Am told UK declined to sign joint statement with Germany, Italy and France on Trump's decision to pull out of Paris climate agreement.
416
4K
3K
I sent this tweet to an EU source. Their response: “oh for fuck sake”.
Dominic Raab breaks his silence - Govt shd go back to EU to seek legally binding changes to the backstop. If not prepare for No Deal.
105
759
3K
“The Mail understands that in early 2016 the then home secretary Theresa May declined a request by one of the security services to investigate Banks”
177
2K
3K
Germany has treated more than 200 coronavirus patients from other European countries, and is prepared to take more. The costs — some €20 million — will be covered by the German government
59
1K
3K
BREAKING: Milan's public prosecutor has opened an investigation into Lega and Russia after BuzzFeed News released a tape of the Moscow meeting involving a close Salvini aide
59
1K
2K
When the existence of the Metropol meeting was reported by two Italian journalists earlier the year, Savoini and Salvini dismissed the story as a fantasy. This recording blows those statements apart.
27
1K
2K
The Brexit extension letter has been sent to the U.K. ambassador. I am told that the letter was signed.
37
411
2K
Some thoughts on the tragedy that hit Genova. Here's Salvini implying that it’s the EU’s fault because it constrains spending First, the obvious: it’s tragic that even in tragedy Italian politicians, across parties, immediately started blaming someone else.
Se ci sono vincoli europei che ci impediscono di spendere soldi per mettere in sicurezza le scuole dove vanno i nostri figli o le autostrade su cui viaggiano i nostri lavoratori, metteremo davanti a tutto e a tutti la sicurezza degli Italiani.
80
1K
2K
Brexit status update. A short thread:. - UK has not put forward any concrete proposal/text. A fundamental point that needs repeating when you read X could be a solution or Y could replace a backstop. We have a saying in Italy: my grandmother would be a bicycle if she had wheels.
81
772
2K
We have seen the UK’s Brexit analysis. It shows that Britain will be worse off outside the single market and customs union under all modelled scenarios
265
2K
2K
NEW: Flight records show that the close Matteo Salvini aide who negotiated a proposed oil deal to fund Salvini's Lega party made multiple trips to Moscow around the time of the meeting.
57
1K
2K
Had it not been for Merkel, Greece would have been kicked out of the euro. AfD emerged on back of that (ie they wanted to kick Greece out of the euro), and grew after Merkel took in 1m refugees avoiding a humanitarian catastrophe while the rest of Europe sat on its hands
Angela Merkel’s government bears chief responsibility for plunging Europe into catastrophic austerity which has ruined living standards, caused mass unemployment, decimated public services, and fuelled the far right. Her government isn’t woke, it’s a catastrophe for Europe.
74
699
2K
United Kingdom, 2019/20. Manager: Boris Johnson. Form: LLL.
65
472
2K
#G7 trade discussion yesterday. I understand that Trump presented a list of grievances, listing what each country, one by one, owed the US - trade deficits, tariffs, defence and so on. Basically, a live performance of his Twitter threads.
140
1K
2K
The recording is of a meeting that took place at the Metropol Hotel in Moscow last October. The six men — three Russians, three Italians — are explicit that the purpose of the potential agreement is to fund Lega and its European election campaign
16
942
2K
A short thread. Many seem to be arguing that MPs were clear in what the UK wants from the EU, and the EU is now playing games. This argument is grossly misplaced, and somewhat detached from reality.
82
840
2K
After four incredible years, I am leaving BuzzFeed News this month. I'm extremely grateful to all my editors and colleagues, past and present. But I’m very excited to be joining Bloomberg as correspondent-at-large for Europe. I start in September — and can't wait to get going!.
191
62
2K
The president of Iceland has issued a statement clarifying his pineapple on pizza remarks
81
1K
2K
UK PM May presented her views to EU27 leaders at #EUCO. I am told she was “evasive” and “tightlipped”. The prime minister was repeatedly asked by several leaders what she would do if MPs vote the deal down. May didn’t answer the question.
283
1K
2K
This too is Europe: 160,000 people marched through Barcelona today demanding Spain take in more refugees ht @kjalee
36
2K
2K
Senior EU official tells me UK now has 3 options:. 1) leave with no deal on March 29.2) ask for extension (dependant on reason, length & EU27 unanimity).3) revoke article 50. “There will be no further talks,” the source says. Our story on tonight's vote:
291
2K
2K
Salvini's aide, Gianluca Savoini, who attended the government dinner with Putin in Rome last week, mentions Salvini several times during the meeting. He describes him as "the first man that wants to change all of Europe". The Russians describe Salvini as the "European Trump"
37
930
2K
“The first evidence” (if you’ve been hiding in a cave for the past three years without access to electricity).
The leaked paper is the first evidence that Germany may be preparing to let Britain walk away with No Deal rather than back down to Boris Johnson’s demand to drop the Irish backstop.
32
463
2K
EU27 received an update on Brexit today. They were told:. - UK committed to send concrete proposals three weeks ago but hasn't done so. Every week, the UK promises to send proposals the following week, but to date nothing has been received.
36
1K
2K
Matteo Salvini can’t seem to remember much about his 20 year bromance with his aide Gianluca Savoini. So @MarkDiStef and I have put together this handy explainer for him
30
912
2K
BREAKING on @TheTerminal: Draghi, Macron and Scholz back EU candidate status for Ukraine - a big moment.
0
372
2K
You can read the full story and listen to excerpts of the audio recording here:
19
835
2K
A European diplomatic source describes today’s meeting between Brexit secretary Steve Barclay and EU27 ambassadors as “completely useless”.
130
757
2K
And you can enjoy the complete transcript of the one hour plus meeting can be enjoyed here:
19
810
2K
Still can’t get over this. Hear Arsenal have conceded 0 goals this month
52
255
2K
The BuzzFeed UK news is tremendously sad. We broke some pretty decent stories over the past few years and had lots of fun. I am so proud of everyone on the team. For those who like football analogies we were like Sampdoria 1991. Everything just clicked and it was beautiful.
80
126
2K
France to Trump: “international cooperation can not be dictated by fits of anger and throwaway remarks”
37
588
1K
Important update for "Festival of Brexit" fans — An FOI shows: . - The government has so far spent £728,118.00 on the festival. This amount relates to internal Festival Team's staff related costs. - There is still no agenda. The process for appointing a delivery body is underway.
137
967
1K
French pollsters take a bow - you were perfect. ps those same pollsters have Macron winning the runoff by more than 20 points.
52
630
1K
UK: it takes us 4 years to fix a clock, but we can definitely do Brexit in 2 years
Silencing Big Ben until 2021 ‘is bonkers’.
61
823
1K
We — @BuzzFeedNews, @Bellingcat and @The_ins_ru — have identified two of the Russian men who met with a longtime Salvini aide in a Moscow hotel last October to hatch a secret plan to fund Salvini's far-right Lega party
40
1K
1K
Just a reminder that EU, and EU27, have been expecting UK to start blaming EU for no-deal for weeks. All this may whip up UK voters, but will make no difference on EU27 position nor on the consequences that no-deal would have on Britain’s economy.
47
588
1K
Boris Johnson doesn’t want a deal. He’s preparing for an election. He will paint himself as the champion of Britain, everyone else as talking the country down. Reality is project fear & gloom. He speaks in slogans. No details nor policies. It’s the 2016 referendum all over again.
56
616
1K
The source described Trump as a "whirlpool", "out of control".
47
416
1K
“If we need to leave with no deal and negotiate a free trade agreement during the transition period, so be it.” . The man who was in charge of delivering Brexit still doesn’t understand how the process works. There is no transition without an exit deal.
This deal is not what the people voted for. It will tie us to the Customs Union for years to come with no way out. But there is still time to negotiate a Canada+++ deal that delivers on the referendum. So let’s get on with it.
55
594
1K
Random thought: what happened to Theresa May's "Festival of Brexit Britain"?.
223
296
1K
DD: we've done loads of work. 58 detailed docs of prep. MPs: Anyone read them?.DD: Just summaries.MPs: Show us the docs.DD: They don't exist
Written Statement by David Davis just out - apparently “it is not the case that 58 sectoral impact assessments exist”. #brexitshambles
71
1K
1K
Macron hit back hard, imparting on "an economic lesson" to the US president, a source said, over how free trade works and why Trump's tariffs don't.
18
315
989
The coronavirus hit Germany and the UK just days apart. @alexwickham and I have examined how the German and British governments responded since, day-by-day — a timeline:
59
718
1K
May said in #PMQs that due diligence was carried out on Seaborne by Deloitte, Mott MacDonald and Slaughter & May. Deloitte: “The standard tests could not be completed on Seaborne given a lack of existing financial information due to it only being incorporated in April 2017.”
124
820
1K
Queen announces that Harry and Meghan to enter transition period ahead of Canada plus deal.
BREAKING: Statement from The Queen just issued by Buckingham Palace on today’s meeting #HarryandMeghan
31
213
1K
"The English league is the richest in the world". Yup, all the best players are migrants. There is your metaphor. #EURO2016.
20
1K
1K
NEW: I have spent a bit of time working to answer a simple, but important, question: was Boris Johnson a good foreign secretary?. I have spoken to senior US, European and UK diplomats & officials who all worked and dealt with Johnson directly
155
638
1K
Boris Johnson has written and signed a letter to Donald Tusk to "confirm the UK's formal agreement" to extending Brexit to 31 Jan. 2020
212
784
1K
The Invisible Hulk meets the prime minister of Luxembourg
40
347
1K
Last month: ‘Strong Merkel will help UK & Brexit’. Now: ‘Weak Merkel helps UK & Brexit’. In Brexit Britain everything is great & glorious regardless. Also: how propaganda works.
28
531
1K
11 years in office, 1 million refugees later, and still more popular than Theresa May and pretty much every elected leader in Europe
Germany - ARD poll:. 73% of Germans feel safe.56% are satisfied with Merkel.CDU/CSU 37%, +2 on last month.
39
854
1K
As Germany votes soon, for me one of Merkel’s biggest legacies is she has embedded decency, and a politics of values, calm & facts over populist & nationalist attitudes, into the German mainstream. Looking at Europe today, that was neither obvious nor should be taken for granted.
32
187
1K
I would have never imagined to see the day in which the front pages of a British newspaper would attack the judiciary this way
141
1K
1K
Just a reminder that the Brexit deal was agreed last November. Since then, the substance of the agreement remains unchanged, and we've had four months of internal Tory party politics.
20
385
1K
Elon Musk shared a made up headline this morning posted by the co-leader of Britain First. He later deleted the post, after it racked up more than 1.5 million views. No such news article exists and the original post now has a community note.
0
415
978
Idea that Germany is in “crisis” is bollocks. Merkel led her party for 18 years, won 4 terms, was not going to run for a 5th. She will leave on her terms, her preferred successor in place, and the centrist course she paved protected against those who wanted to shift to the right.
30
247
990
In the past 6 months the BBC have apparently interviewed Marine Le Pen 3 times compared to 0 interviews with election frontrunner Macron.
90
1K
980
Salzburg. A short thread:. 1) Nothing that Tusk said on Chequers, that Macron said about some Brexiteers (while stressing he respected the choice of British voters), and that Merkel said about the single market and four freedoms, is anything they hadn’t said before.
16
558
959
Happy Birthday, EU. The freedom to live your life anywhere in Europe was an improbable idea 60 years ago. We have come so far. #EU60 🇪🇺.
26
653
973
Anyone arguing for ideas that don’t actually do this, are, in effect, wanting the UK to renege on its commitments. This is what makes UK prime minister May’s decision to back such ideas all the more puzzling - and, paradoxically, makes the need for a backstop even clearer.
43
187
917
I understand Ivanka Trump is sitting at the #G20 leaders table this morning instead of US President Donald Trump. Source: "Incredible!!!".
142
635
876
Lots of people tweeting "why didn't Clinton speak like this before". She did. She's been speaking like this for more than 20 years.
31
481
887
Un membro dello staff del ministro Salvini (assunto Agosto 2018 come consigliere per le attività strategiche internazionali, stipendio €65,000/anno) era prenotato sugli stessi voli di Savoini nelle date del Metropol — SU2411 16 ottobre 2018 e SU2414 il 18
20
586
962
NEW: Two former Italian prime ministers have called for an inquiry into a proposed Russian oil deal to fund Salvini’s far-right Lega party
33
475
841
The way (pretty much every) British politician talks about the freedom of movement of people in the EU is very sad.
27
202
884
Relax everyone. Davis says he has a good idea of what Europeans want. Mentions Germany, Holland and. Czechoslovakia.
110
395
882
More than 3 years since Germany welcomed nearly 1m refugees. One in three now work or are in training schemes. These figures continue to rise fast (. Merkel’s approval stands at 60% (ht @emilyrs). Not giving in to populists isn’t easy, but it can be done.
27
513
900
me when someone orders a cappuccino after lunch.
25
166
903
NEW: One of the Italian men who took part in the Moscow meeting with a long-time Matteo Salvini aide has come forward. In a letter to an Italian newspaper he said he is prepared to talk to prosecutors investigating the proposed oil deal
24
529
827
“Disinformation isn’t designed to make you believe something false but convincing; it is designed to make you doubt everything true and demonstrable; to make the very existence of unimpeachable facts null and void”
27
514
838