EU Friday – 20 March

EU Friday – 20 March

Uncategorized
Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. EU SUMMIT: SHOW US THE MONEY We said it last week and even Politico agreed: Trump stole the Summit. Just read this op-ed by Enrico Letta, the eloquent social-democrat former Prime Minister of Italy now hiding in academics and at the prestigious Jacques Delors think tank. His brilliant report, Much More Than a Market, is long forgotten, as EU leaders have selectively interpreted the recommendations he and his colleague Mario Draghi made two years ago. Yes, we have a 28th regime proposal, captured by the U.S. venture capital-backed "EU-INC" campaign and published in the nick of time a day ahead of the EU Summit. In classic Brussels strategic thinking, it could fly as no one is really happy with it: it…
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EU Friday – 13 March

EU Friday – 13 March

EU Friday
Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. TRUMP SIDELINES DRAGHI AT EU SUMMIT Disruption in the agenda of next week’s European Summit. EU leaders were initially meant to focus on the roadmap to implement the competitiveness recommendations discussed with Draghi and Letta at the Alden-Biesen castle in February, and hear back from the Commission on how they will advance the Savings and Investment Union strategy. But the economic fallout from Donald Trump’s military campaign in Iran has reshuffled priorities, pushing other files down the agenda. During a discussion among ambassadors on Wednesday, several participants stressed the need to maintain momentum on the competitiveness agenda. Yet the immediate focus has shifted to energy prices and broader economic repercussions. Ukraine could also return as an urgent topic for leaders with…
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EU Friday – 6 March

EU Friday – 6 March

EU Friday
Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. MADE IN EUROPE... OR MADE WITH EUROPE? Earlier this week, the debate over Europe’s economic sovereignty resurfaced in Brussels. The Commission was preparing its long-awaited (or should we say, long-delayed) Industrial Accelerator Act, expected to introduce a form of “European preference” in strategic sectors. But even before its publication, rumour had it that the slogan had already evolved. What started as “Made in Europe” quietly became “Made with Europe”, reflecting internal divisions within the Commission over how far Brussels should go on economic protection. Countries with trade agreements with the EU would remain in the game, provided reciprocity is respected. By Wednesday, the verdict was in. Commission Executive VP Stéphane Séjourné presented what he called a “doctrinal shift” in EU industrial…
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