According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW), the US import ban on Russian oil will hardly harm Russia’s economy. An oil embargo would only become much more effective if the EU also participated in it, it said in a statement on Wednesday, following corresponding model calculations at the institute. “The import stop […]
In the course of the EU electoral law reform, the negotiators of the four major groups in the European Parliament have agreed on the introduction of transnational lists already for the European elections in 2024. As the negotiator for the Greens, Damian Boeselager, announced on Twitter, 28 MEPs are to be able to enter Parliament […]
The EU special summit begins today in Versailles. For one thing, the security and defense strategy “Strategic Compass” must be updated. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, “whole passages on Russia would have to be completely rewritten,” said an EU Foreign Service official. Second, plans for European defense and military capacity building would have to be […]
The European Parliament is set to approve on Wednesday a report urging the EU to ban golden passport schemes by 2025 and immediately stop the issuance of visas and passports to rich Russians in exchange for investments. The move follows Russia’s invasion of Ukraine which has triggered global sanctions of unprecedented severity against Moscow, with […]
Yesterday, the US and the UK announced that they will no longer import oil (and some gas) from Russia in the future (read more in the News). The EU countries cannot afford to take this step ad hoc. Yesterday, the EU Commission presented a plan on how Europe can succeed in reducing its dependence on […]
The plans for a ban on the cryptocurrency Bitcoin in the European Parliament are off the table for the time being. In the final draft for the guidelines for the provision of crypto services (MiCA), a passage that would have meant an “out” for bitcoin in Europe can no longer be found. The report was […]
Italy’s prime minister called on Monday for European Union countries to act swiftly with sanctions against Russian individuals and companies following Moscow’s attack on Ukraine. “And now we have to act, all of us, with speed on this point,” Mario Draghi said in Brussels in brief comments to reporters ahead of a meeting with European […]