Author

Markus Grabitz

Markus Grabitz Published: April 24th, 2024

Conservative party family ECR agrees on election program

The European Conservative Party family (ECR) is not entering the European election campaign with a lead candidate. This was decided by party leader Giorgia Meloni, who is also Prime Minister of Italy and leads the Fratelli d’Italia, and Mateusz Morawiecki, former Prime Minister of Poland and leading politician of the PIS. At the meeting, the […]

Markus Grabitz Published: April 24th, 2024

European Parliament celebrates 2004 enlargement round with guests

It was the EU’s largest round of enlargement to date. On May 1, 2004, ten states joined: Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. On Wednesday, the penultimate sitting day before the European elections in June, the European Parliament is celebrating this event with guests who played a role […]

Markus Grabitz Published: April 23rd, 2024

Damning report on progress in phasing out combustion engines

The European Court of Auditors considers 2026 a crucial year for the decarbonization of passenger cars and has given a sobering report on progress made in moving away from combustion engines. Nikolaos Milionis, the auditor representing Greece, questioned during the presentation of the report whether EU regulations had so far contributed to reducing actual transportation […]

Markus Grabitz Published: April 23rd, 2024

EU Court of Auditors: rough exit from combustion technology

The European Court of Auditors considers the year 2026 to be crucial for the decarbonization of passenger cars in the EU. Annemie Turtelboom, Member of the Court of Auditors for Belgium, said with regard to the adopted carbon fleet regulation: “In two years, that means 2026, the EU Commission will reassess the situation as part […]

Markus Grabitz Published: April 18th, 2024

Who advertises with the name of a drug baron?

Should the name of a drug lord be a protected trademark in the EU? The name of a man who is responsible for countless mafia murders and who has exported endless suffering, particularly by smuggling cocaine in breathtaking quantities? The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) was against it. And rejected the applicants who wanted […]

Markus Grabitz Published: April 17th, 2024

Following the surprising withdrawal of Markus Pieper (CDU) as the Commission’s SME Envoy, there will be no high-ranking expert for the time being to insist on the reduction of harmful bureaucracy and reporting obligations. Much to the regret of the business community, the Commission has announced that it will not restart the appointment procedure until […]

Markus Grabitz Published: April 16th, 2024

Court of Auditors: Loopholes for NGOs in transparency register of EU institutions

The transparency register of the EU institutions offers loopholes for non-governmental organizations (NGOs). NGOs that receive their funding from third-party donors could use the rules of the Transparency Register to avoid disclosing financial information. For example, they can claim to represent only their own interests or the common interests of their members. The European Court […]

Markus Grabitz Published: April 16th, 2024

Italian socialists want fresh start for EU joint investments

The leader of the Italian Socialists, Elly Schlein, presented her party’s campaign for the European elections in Rome on Monday. This stands for a “more social, fairer and more ecological Europe,” said the leader of the Partito Democratico (PD). The European Union is facing “epochal challenges” that no member state can overcome alone. The 38-year-old […]

Markus Grabitz Published: April 16th, 2024

The initiative came from the Commission President: shortly before Christmas, Ursula von der Leyen proposed lowering the protection status of the wolf from “strictly protected” to “protected.” The EU should advocate this within the framework of the Bern Convention of the Council of Europe. In a second step, the Commission would then have amended the […]

Markus Grabitz Published: April 11th, 2024

Pieper case: Parliament reprimands Commission

By 382 votes in favor to 144 against, Parliament rebuked the appointment of Markus Pieper (CDU) as the Commission’s SME Envoy. MEPs from the far left to the Greens, Socialists and Liberals to the far right of ID supported the motion, which was voted on as part of the Commission’s budget discharge for 2022. The […]