The EU tackles the “weaponization of trade” with three new instruments. Affected are the rules for public tendering, foreign subsidies and safeguard measures, or other constraints against EU exports that are not in line with WTO rules. Falk Steiner describes three EU tools in more detail in his analysis. The pandemic has shone a bright […]
It seems like the negotiations between Moscow and Kiev are picking up the pace: Yesterday, Russian negotiator Leonid Sluzki said that both sides could agree on a common position “as early as in the next few days”. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mychajlo Podoljak also expects “concrete results in a few days”. However, whether such an agreement […]
With drastic words, Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins yesterday called for even tougher sanctions against Russia: “We must not only isolate Putin’s economy, but cripple it.” However, at the informal summit of 27 heads of state and government, there was no majority in favor of stopping oil and gas imports from Russia, as Stephan Israel […]
With strong words, Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the German Bundestag today: Germany helped build a wall to isolate Ukraine and hand it over to Russia, Zelenskyy said during the live-broadcast. As an example, he cited Germany’s long holding on to the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline and the West’s refusal to […]
Full gas storage facilities have gained strategic importance since Russia’s war of aggression. Norway is now specifically postponing the overhaul of a production facility in order to maintain the level of natural gas exports in the summer. Germany is forging ahead with the gas of the future and now wants to assess the construction of […]
At yesterday’s meeting in Brussels, the EU finance ministers agreed on a common approach to dealing with the rapidly rising energy prices resulting from the Ukraine crisis. The focus is on relieving the burden on citizens and companies with rebates, subsidies, and energy independence from Russia. Eric Bonse has taken a look at the measures. […]
Summits keep Brussels and capitals busy. An EU summit Thursday and Friday, an extraordinary NATO summit on Thursday, both attended by US President Joe Biden and, in part, with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy joining in.In the morning, Chancellor Scholz will introduce the Chancellery budget in the Bundestag during the budget debate. Some announcements for […]
How can peace be achieved? The EU foreign and defense ministers met yesterday in Brussels for the “Jumbo Council” to answer this question, among others. The result is a new security policy strategy. This strategy was not explicitly drawn up for the war in Ukraine, but it should be part of the response, according to […]
As Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, Robert Habeck, told journalists on Sunday in Doha, his expectations of the meeting with the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, had been exceeded. It had been “magnificently” firmly agreed to enter into a long-term energy partnership. Afterwards, he sent a message to Russian warlord Vladimir Putin: […]
We are in the middle of the EU-NATO-G7 summit marathon. Yesterday evening, Council President Charles Michel was confirmed in office by the 27 EU heads of state and government. He ran unopposed and will thus remain Council President and President of the Euro Summit since 2014. You can read about what was discussed in terms […]