Just before Christmas, the EU institutions are once again putting the pedal to the metal during the end-of-year sprint. In the truest sense of the word: After the Commission published its much-discussed gas package last week and the EU heads of state and government once again failed to find a common response to escalating energy prices at their protracted summit meeting, the delegated acts on the EU guidelines on state aid for industry and on taxonomy are eagerly awaited in the coming days.