For years, the Weimar Triangle has been struggling with insignificance. The enormous potential of the three states, which together account for about 45 percent of the EU’s gross domestic product and nearly 40 percent of its population, and which also form a geographic axis between Western and Eastern Europe, contrasts with a depressing reality.The last […]
With the Green Deal, the European Union has set itself ambitious climate targets to become climate-neutral by 2050. The Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA), which aims to promote new technologies and their application in industry in order to prevent, reduce or store CO2 emissions, is intended to be a key component in achieving these goals. In […]
In her 16 years as German Chancellor, Angela Merkel has become a defining figure of the EU. Her adoption at the last meeting of the European Council of Heads of State and Government (ER) across all borders has expressed this. The high regard in which she is held is based on her European convictions and […]
A year and a half on from Schrems II, the US and EU are still looking for long-term solutions for transatlantic data transfers. Two ideas put forward are a comprehensive US privacy law, akin to the GDPR, and agreement on an “enhanced Privacy Shield“, by US Department of Commerce and European Commission. While a US […]
Our fiat money regime requires an institutional anchor that credibly and decisively ensures a stable price level and long-term confidence in the euro. Credibility is a central bank’s greatest asset, because it underwrites confidence in the purchasing power of money. And credibility, in turn, rests on the central bank’s independence from political influence, and on […]
Like after every good crisis, a sea change is currently taking place in EU economic governance. While much of the public reform discussions are focusing on fiscal rules and the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP), a more silent revolution is also going in EU economic policy coordination. In a new paper, we argue that this […]
Around a quarter of the known animal and plant species on our planet are threatened, half of which are critically endangered or even threatened with extinction. According to the European Environment Agency, the conservation status of European animal species and ecosystems deteriorated even further between 2013 and 2018. This also has consequences for us humans […]
After the farmer demos in Germany and Europe last winter, an objective, solution-oriented dialog on the future of agriculture at EU level seemed barely conceivable. Since the beginning of the Russian attack on Ukraine, the agricultural discourse has once again become increasingly polarized. The buzzword of food security quickly overshadowed the management of ecological crises. […]
The progress made in recent years has turned the former niche topic of artificial intelligence (AI) into a central aspect of economic and security policy. Many countries are responding to this with considerable determination and speed: for example, by quickly and unbureaucratically setting up AI security authorities, recruiting top technical talent and through close exchange […]
The war itself is enormously tragic, first and foremost for the Ukrainian people, but also for the Russian people and the global order more generally. When something like this happens, we expect it to be like a morality play in which all the bad consequences play out equally dramatically in every dimension, including the economy. […]