Crises and their impact on global supply chains, the war in Ukraine, and climate change are leaving their mark on the value chains of the basic materials industry. Access to raw material markets is crucial for our future, but so is the know-how to process them. European demand for non-ferrous (NF) metals will multiply by […]
The extraordinary shock of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine are reverberating throughout the German economy. Sharp increases in the prices of energy and raw materials, as well as continued and new disruptions to global supply chains, are postponing economic recovery. Consumer and producer prices are rising […]
For a month, from mid-May to mid-June, the discussion about the so-called fuel rebate kept large parts of Germany on tenterhooks. What had happened?Here is a brief recap: With the end of many Covid lockdowns and then again with the start of the Ukraine war, prices for gasoline and diesel had risen significantly around the […]
Slaves produce clothes we wear, pick fruit we eat, dig for minerals used in our phones and build some of the physical infrastructure on which our economies rely. They are working all over the world: in developing and developed countries, on all continents, and in most sectors. Catastrophic incidents such as the 2013 collapse of the […]
When after the EU-US Summit in 2021 both parties agreed to create the Trade and Technology Council many analysts sighted in relief- but with caution. Previous undertakings had proved unsuccessful and the state of relations between the EU and the US is not in its best shape. It is important to mention that the TTC […]
Vepřo knedlo zelo is on the menu this week, perhaps the most traditional Czech dish: roast pork with dumplings and pickled cabbage. Since the Czech Republic took over the rotating EU presidency from France on July 1, the back-and-forth between Brussels and Prague has grown more intense by the day. And the EU diplomats can […]
It has become a classic of Brussels politics for legislative texts to be leaked to the press shortly before their official presentation. These “leaks” are a strategy that allows the EU institutions to gauge the current political temperature and make last-minute adjustments just in case – you never know.“The package was prepared under the leadership […]
Europe is watching closely how China responds to the war in Ukraine. During their recent meetings with the Chinese leadership, EU leaders called on China to use its close relations with Russia to support efforts to end the bloodshed in Ukraine. On April 28, the German Bundestag was more direct, adopting a resolution that, among […]
Not only in defense but also in energy and resilience, a single internal market offers the potential for improvement that we need today. And the Treaty explicitly provides for it in Article 194 TFEU. The European Union must therefore act urgently now in the following four areas: Internal energy marketThe dependence on Russian natural gas, […]
The war in Ukraine is a frightening reminder of the impact of our dependence on fossil fuels. For too long, we have relied on oil and gas to keep flowing, driving consumption ever higher – regardless of where the raw materials come from. Given the sharp rise in energy prices and the threat of supply […]