Welcome to Better Europe’s weekly update on EU Affairs.
MADE IN EUROPE NOW REALLY COMING NEXT WEEK
The Commission’s “Made in Europe” moment is starting to look a little too messy. The Industrial Accelerator Act, meant to entrench a European preference in sectors like tech and green, was delayed once again (from January!) and is now expected next week, on 4 March. Officially, due to “ongoing discussions”. In reality, the College seems split on how far the European preference should go. For France, set to benefit most due to its control over key European industries, the sky is the limit. Germany however, is showing resistance, and pressure is not only coming from inside the Justus Lipsius building. Washington warned that Made in Europe would contradict the spirit of the July 2025 Turnberry agreement. London is making similar remarks, with the UK government stepping up lobbying in Brussels to argue that excluding British firms from green and strategic procurement would hurt both sides. Business Secretary Peter Kyle openly urged the EU to stop “raising barriers” with its allies. The irony is hard to miss — after years of defending Brexit ‘sovereignty’, the UK now worries about being treated as a third country. Rendez-vous next week.
UKRAINE 2027
Four years after Russia’s invasion, the EU institutions are standing firm, happily seizing our fourth rotation around the sun as an occasion to reconfirm their commitment to solidarity with Ukraine. During a super ‘mini plenary‘ this week, MEPs once again affirmed that “Ukraine’s future lies in the EU,” a message echoed by the Presidents of the European Council, the Commission and the Parliament in their joint statement. Volodymyr Zelensky went further, calling for a clear accession date and openly suggesting 2027 as a target. Without a concrete perspective, he warned, “Putin will find a way to block Ukraine for decades”. Beyond the political message, however, lies a structural question: Ukraine would immediately become one of the largest Member States, with significant implications for the next Multiannual Financial Framework. Its agricultural output would trump France, forcing recalibrations of the Common Agricultural Policy. And Ukraine is not the only country looking towards enlargement – Iceland just announced a referendum to reopen accession talks, even if it already participates in the single market. But for today, beyond geopolitics, any enlargement also raises practical questions on the Union’s capacity to integrate more member states without reform.
ANOTHER SHIELD FOR OUR DEMOCRACY
The Commission is opening a new chapter in its Democracy Shield architecture! This week, it announced the launch of the European Centre for Democratic Resilience, an internal task force within DG Communication designed to tackle disinformation and foreign interference targeting European democracies. “With the European Centre for Democratic Resilience, we will strengthen our collective capacity to counter information manipulation and disinformation from foreign actors,” Ursula von der Leyen said. The Centre will develop tools to support resilient elections, prepare a plan to counter foreign information manipulation and interference, and set up a platform bringing together relevant stakeholders. This move reflects a broader institutional trend; democratic resilience is increasingly framed as a matter of sovereignty. The dynamic is closely linked to the wider defence debate, as information manipulation is now treated as a hybrid threat. It is hard not to notice the paradox, at a time when EU institutions are also squeezing civil society organisations through funding constraints and regulatory pressure. In any case, the debate will continue next week in Parliament. STOA is hosting a high-level conference on academic freedom and democracy, while the FEMM Committee will mark International Women’s Day with discussions on stereotypes, disinformation and online violence. The connection is obvious: the health of democratic systems depends on the integrity of the information ecosystem. The ambition is to close the gaps: if the intention is laudable, the reality may prove more complex.