Editorial

Frans Timmermans is leaving Brussels. Even though there had been speculation about this for months, it was the news of the day in EU circles yesterday. The Commission Vice-President wants to do it again at the national level and become Prime Minister of the Netherlands. Regardless of whether he wins or loses the election, he […]

There is a term that students of political science in France must remember: republican monarchy (“monarchie républicaine”). This term has immortalized the French political scientist Maurice Duverger and refers to the expansion of presidential powers in the Fifth French Republic. For example, the president is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and holds the nuclear […]

Will the electricity market reform in the Industry Committee go nuclear today? Just two weeks ago, the negotiators from S&D, EPP, Renew and the Greens proudly announced an agreement they had reached within a few months. The MEPs are also concerned not to be marginalized any longer after a year of emergency decisions. But the […]

Less than two weeks ago, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) gave the green light for the extension of the controversial herbicide glyphosate in its risk assessment. And already the Commission has submitted a draft extension to member states. The official proposal for a delegated act is expected as early as September. And this despite […]

Big crowd in Brussels: More than 50 heads of state and government are expected today and tomorrow, for the summit of EU states with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). The first meeting of its kind in eight years (and only the third ever) is the building block of a “new agenda […]

Tomorrow, July 15th, marks the first “EU Day for the victims of the global climate crisis“. The day was chosen because two years ago, on July 14th and 15th, 2021, a devastating flood catastrophe engulfed large parts of Western Europe, claiming the lives of over 220 people. It is intended as a memorial day for […]

The German government has been negotiating its China strategy for many months. The coalition partners do not seem to have reached any real agreement – although the government will adopt the paper today, it will not present it jointly. Apparently, the differences are too great.Only Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will make a public appearance today: […]

Welcome to Strasbourg, where the tension is as high as the temperatures. In a few hours, MEPs will decide the fate of the Nature Restoration Law (NRL), which has now become political dynamite. The outcome of the vote is uncertain, with a few votes likely to tip the balance, according to some observers. “Plus or […]

Germany is the most populous and economically strongest EU member – but certainly, not the fastest to act. The Berlin government often finds it challenging to take a position in ongoing EU legislative processes: Ministries get tangled up in endless coordination processes, and directives are only handed down in ongoing Council meetings.Falk Steiner and I […]

The meeting place was not chosen at random: The heads of state and government of the 31 NATO states are meeting today in Vilnius, where the military alliance’s two-day summit begins at noon. The border of Belarus is close by, but it is also not far from the so-called Suwalki Gap. This is the point […]