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Manuel Berkel

Manuel Berkel Published: June 26th, 2024

S&D: García unopposed in re-election

The 136 Socialist MEPs in the European Parliament unanimously re-elected Spanish Socialist Iratxe García Pérez as group president on Tuesday. Following her election, García reiterated that there would be no cooperation with the far right for the S&D: “As Socialists and Democrats, we have made our red line clear and it runs towards both the […]

Manuel Berkel Published: June 25th, 2024

There is a lot of movement in the political groups this week. The S&D is electing its chair today; the only candidate is the current group leader Iratxe García Pérez. Tomorrow sees the election of the vice-chairs. There are four new candidates for the nine posts. Ana Catarina Mendes from Portugal is a newcomer to […]

Manuel Berkel Published: June 24th, 2024

Court of Auditors: Benefits of gas crisis policy hardly recognizable

The European Court of Auditors has doubts about the outgoing EU Commission’s track record on one key point. During the gas crisis, some political measures did improve security of supply – particularly the reduction in consumption and the obligation to fill gas storage facilities. “However, EU law was perhaps not the decisive factor in achieving […]

Manuel Berkel Published: June 20th, 2024

Tennet: blame game between The Hague and Berlin

The governments in Germany and the Netherlands are blaming each other for the failure of talks on the sale of the German business of electricity grid operator Tennet. “The Dutch government has given us a very short deadline for a decision by July 1. Only the owner of Tennet Holding can control the process”, said […]

Manuel Berkel Published: June 19th, 2024

Repasi: Criticism of the EPP’s ‘maximum demands’

The SPD in the European Parliament has called on the EPP to be more realistic in its demands for more weight in the ongoing personnel negotiations. “Without an absolute majority, the EPP is dependent on cooperation with the other political forces in the European Parliament, as it is in the other EU institutions. Maximum demands […]

Manuel Berkel Published: June 19th, 2024

Hydrogen: ENNOH takes next step

The future hydrogen network association ENNOH has established rules for its internal organization, including the voting rules for the General Assembly. “I am very pleased that we have an ambitious timetable for the establishment of ENNOH in the first half of 2025 and that you have made progress today in agreeing on your future rules”, […]

Manuel Berkel Published: June 17th, 2024

Poland: Historian to coordinate cooperation with Germany

The historian and Germany expert Krzysztof Ruchniewicz is Poland’s new Commissioner for German-Polish Cooperation. Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski appointed the 57-year-old to the post, the ministry announced on Platform X on Saturday. The appointment was in recognition of his “contribution to German-Polish understanding and the European idea,” it continued. Ruchniewicz is Professor of Contemporary History […]

Manuel Berkel Published: June 17th, 2024

Green Deal: How the SPD wants to secure the regulation

SPD MEP Jens Geier wants a new organization to ensure the implementation of the Green Deal and thus protect it from political attacks. “In future, a new Implementing Office should report annually on the implementation of the Green Deal,” said Geier, who negotiated the Gas Market Directive in the last legislature and led the European […]

Manuel Berkel Published: June 16th, 2024

Nature Restoration Act: How a turning point emerges

The controversial Nature Restoration Act could surprisingly clear the final hurdle on Monday. Austria’s Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler announced on Sunday that she would approve the law at a meeting with her counterparts in Luxembourg. This means a qualified majority for the renaturation law has been achieved, according to Council circles.However, all previous supporters among […]

Manuel Berkel Published: June 14th, 2024

Cedec: New president for Europe’s municipal utilities

Urban Keussen was elected as the new President of the European association of public utilities Cedec on Wednesday. He succeeds Florian Bieberbach, the head of Münchner Stadtwerke (SWM), who had led Cedec since 2019. Keussen is Chief Technology Officer at EWE and was previously a manager in Eon’s distribution grid business and head of the […]