While Europe continues to breathe a sigh of relief at Emmanuel Macron’s victory in France, the president himself is unlikely to have much time to catch his breath. On one hand, the agenda of the French Council presidency is still packed with unresolved issues and on the other, Macron is facing parliamentary elections. In order […]
Next Thursday, the Digital Services Act (DSA), the second major project under the French Council Presidency after the Digital Markets Act (DMA), is to be discussed in the final trilogue. Two topics, in particular, are still occupying the negotiators – with an uncertain outcome. Falk Steiner analyzes the two stumbling blocks.Following the dispute over the […]
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier reacted with disappointment to Ukraine’s announcement that his visit was “not welcome”. Germany’s leadership role in the EU thus remains on shaky ground. The German government also tends to be a blocker for tougher sanctions against Russia. In the event of a gas supply stop on the Russian side, European cooperation […]
Shipping continues to be the problem child of decarbonization. The maritime sector is lagging behind, and the Commission’s proposal for the Fit for 55 dossier on sustainable marine fuels is considered too unambitious. Now the EP rapporteur for the dossier is causing friction with his colleagues, as Lukas Scheid has learned. Is it going to […]
As expected, French President Emmanuel Macron and his strongest challenger Marine Le Pen entered the presidential election runoff yesterday. Two weeks from Sunday, on April 24, the nearly 49 million eligible voters will have to decide between far-right Le Pen and pro-European Macron. Read more about the election results in the News. Launched in 2020 […]
On Thursday, the Russian state railroads announced that it intends to restrict rail transports to Poland from April 10, without giving any reasons. However, shipments to the EU are likely to decrease overall in the foreseeable future as yesterday, the 27 member states agreed on a fifth package of sanctions against Russia in response to […]
For the first time, the EU Commission has triggered the rule of law mechanism introduced in 2021. The budget cuts that Hungary now faces will hit the country hard, writes Eric Bonse. Public procurement will be particularly affected. On the other hand, the proposal by EU Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi to make right-wing liberal Pole […]
The EU’s fifth sanctions package against Russia, which is being discussed today, is tougher than initially planned. In response to the atrocities in Bucha, the EU is now considering, among other things, a coal embargo. However, this would mean an imminent bottleneck for Germany, as a result of which some power plants would have to […]
The Bucha massacre, during which many civilians were killed by Russian troops, has further fueled the European debate about an embargo on Russian energy sources. However, the German government still sees no way around Russian gas. Things are different for oil and coal, as Till Hoppe writes in his Feature.In order to get away from […]
Russian soil will be off-limits to numerous European parliamentarians, public figures, and journalists in the future. Yesterday, the Russian Foreign Ministry imposed an entry ban on the “top leadership of the EU as well as the vast majority of members of the European Parliament who support an anti-Russian policy”. As of today, gas bills from […]