The European Union was originally conceived as a project with a long-term vision. But just at the end of another term, its structures seem to be preventing it from living up to this long-term goal. Now is the time to think creatively about the next five-year cycle.Former Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti often referred to […]
By the end of 2022, the G7 aims to launch an “open, cooperative international Climate Club” to foster coordinated action to achieve the Paris climate agreement’s maximum-warming target of 1.5° Celsius without leaving anyone at a competitive disadvantage. Though we have been hearing calls for international climate action for decades, there is good reason to […]
Much of the conventional wisdom about Europe’s current natural-gas crisis – triggered by reduced deliveries from Russia – rests on two assumptions: that the German economy depends on cheap Russian gas, and that this bet has gone spectacularly wrong. But while German industry is strong, and the country imports a lot of natural gas from […]
Sometimes less is more – even in the sustainability sphere. The EU wants to force significantly more companies to report on measures that ensure greater sustainability. To ensure this, the EU is planning another comprehensive set of rules with the CSR Directive.As good as it sounds on paper – in practice, the CSR Directive, with its […]
Estimates of Ukraine’s postwar reconstruction costs vary widely. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal recently put the likely bill at $750 billion, while European Investment Bank President Werner Hoyer thinks the country may need $1.1 trillion. Every day that the war continues, the figure increases.Ukraine will need to rebuild power stations, electricity grids, and critical water, […]
The narrative at the start of the new EU term late last year suggested a stronger focus on competitiveness and tackling barriers to business growth, innovation and job creation. After five years of legislative overdrive and mounting red tape, chambers of commerce and industry across Europe saw this 2024-2029 pivot as timely and necessary.Talking with […]
According to legend, the wedding of the goddess Thetis and the hero Peleus was the one event that should not be missed. All the gods and goddesses attended, except one: Eris, the goddess of discord, had not been invited. Out of anger and insult, she decided to take revenge by throwing a golden apple – […]
“This thriller never ends,” summarizes European Parliament member Jutta Paulus, responsible for the Greens/EFA group in the negotiations on the Nature Restoration Law, abbreviated NRL.The official adoption of the law was supposed to happen next Monday in the Council of Environment Ministers. In principle, this was expected to be a formality. Because the law had […]
The old line that “history does not repeat itself, but often rhymes,” is an apt description of the evolving relationship between the West and its rivals. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union was a global superpower, owing to its military prowess. Today, Russia’s armed forces appear to be in a dismal state, but the […]
The energy crisis triggered by Russia’s war in Ukraine and geopolitical factors are complicating the fight against the climate crisis. In their opening statements at COP27, leaders did condemn Putin’s actions and urged greater commitment to climate action and clean energy. But there is no doubt in my mind: Putin’s absence from the summit is […]