If that’s not a clear signal: On the day that Donald Trump calls the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a dictator, the ambassadors of the EU states are clearing the way for new sanctions against Russia. The EU foreign ministers will formally adopt the 16th sanctions package on Monday in time for the third anniversary […]
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President António Costa received the US Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, for talks in Brussels on Tuesday. A peace solution must respect the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and be based on strong security guarantees, the Commission explained. Stephan Israel and Viktor […]
The heads of state and government of nine European countries plus the heads of the EU and NATO sat together at the Élysée Palace yesterday until late into the evening. They tried to formulate a response to the latest developments, which can hardly be captured by the hackneyed term “turning point.” You can read the […]
Commission Vice-Chair Henna Virkkunen has invited the industry to the Digital Working Group today as part of the auto dialog. While the Commissioners have tended to play the role of moderator at the meetings in the past, Virkkunen is likely to come in for criticism this time. She will be confronted with the incomprehension of […]
The planned “omnibus” laws are an invitation to make jokes, and politicians and journalists alike will be able to fully exploit their potential in the coming months. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wants to send five of them on their way. The first on Feb. 26 to simplify sustainability reporting, the second for easier […]
A specter has returned to the economic policy debate. Some in the EU Commission apparently want to cap the high energy prices by law, or at least more and more associations are warning against this. Initially, it was the gas industry in agreement with the financial sector, but yesterday the electricity industry repeated its warning: […]
From the Europeans’ point of view, it would be a success if the week with the American visitors went off without any major upsets. After US Vice-President JD Vance was in Paris yesterday, the new US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is eagerly awaited in Brussels today. The American is traveling to Brussels for a […]
When the Commission adopts its Working Program for 2025 today, a number of important projects will be listed, as expected. A first draft was circulated last week, with some minor surprises. It has only become clear after inquiries that a legislative procedure that was already well advanced is missing: the ePrivacy Regulation. Commission officials have […]
Can the EU step in if Donald Trump goes ahead with the cutbacks at the US development agency USAID as announced and projects around the world are left without funding? This question is also likely to be on the minds of the development ministers at tonight’s informal dinner and tomorrow’s informal meeting in Warsaw. On […]
Anyone interested in the race for artificial intelligence and the optimal rules for AI will be looking to Paris these days. This is where French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting the AI Action Summit. The focus is on the question of how solutions and standards can be developed to ensure that artificial intelligence serves the […]