Recently, the question was raised why a reasonably punctual arrival with rail transport in the EU metropolis Brussels from the direction of Germany is a matter of luck. The knowledgeable reader Dieter F. was kind enough to provide an explanation by email, a few hours after the publication of our briefing, in simple language and […]
MEP Sven Giegold (Greens) described last Friday as a “historic day for European democracy.” Now many will wonder what makes September 17 so historic for Europe. Perhaps the end of the Russo-Swedish War on September 17, 1809, or the founding of the independent Polish trade union Solidarność in 1980.The first round of citizens’ forums at […]
Deutsche Bahn should discontinue the express train connection between Frankfurt am Main and Brussels. It is not suitable as a reference project to promote rail travel to the Belgian capital with its EU institutions. Even the biggest fans of rail-based transport are put off by the poor state of this route. The fact that the […]
Politically, Margrethe Vestager has achieved a lot in her campaign against aggressive tax planning. Legally, however, the issue is mixed: Two of her state aid decisions on the grounds of overly generous treatment of companies by national tax authorities were overturned by the EU Court of First Instance. Among them, of all things, was the […]
Ursula von der Leyen and her longtime media advisor Jens Flosdorff are famous for their plans to make politics tangible. Hands-on politics means that everyone should be able to understand the project. The best projects are those that no one can actually object to.As the family minister in 2009, she wanted to clean the internet […]
Almost like a fairy tale: European parliamentarians and their staff took an involuntary trip to Mickey Mouse and Sleeping Beauty yesterday. The European Parliament’s charter train, which was supposed to take its guests from Brussels to Strasbourg, took a wrong turn. Due to a wrong switch, the train did not stop in Strasbourg, but in […]
Where was Europe in yesterday’s triell? Baerbock, Laschet and Scholz spent a good 90 minutes arguing about who would be allowed to shape the country’s future in the chancellor’s office. Almost no thought was given to Germany’s borders – although European policy issues were frequently discussed.Take climate protection, for example: Emissions trading and a functioning […]
Thierry Breton knows how to play with social media. Last year, during his visit to the Tesla factory in Austin, Texas, the Industry Commissioner took Elon Musk by surprise: In front of a running cell phone camera, he elicited a commitment to the EU rules for digital platforms from the flabbergasted entrepreneur and owner of […]
The alleged “study” was received by email by all German MEPs. Its title was simply: “Who is the worst German MEP?” That in itself already sounds a little strange. The author of the “study” explains the motivation for his project right at the beginning. The aim is “to ensure that no more lazy politicians are […]
Ursula von der Leyen has had a whole ten months to clear up an explosive issue: the EU Commission’s business trips on private jets, which were not correct in terms of climate policy. That’s how much time has passed since the first written question by left-wing MEP Martin Schirdewan in November 2022.A window of opportunity […]