Welcome to Better Europe’s weekly update on EU Affairs.
IRISH PRESIDENCY TO THE RESCUE
This week, Ireland took over the rotating EU Council Presidency. And because headmistresses Ursula von der Leyen was busy in Armenia, the College of Commissioners turned their Brussels meeting into an end-of-year school trip. Instead of adopting the public procurement package with Ursula, they chartered a plane to Cork to kick off the Irish Presidency in style. Ireland’s Presidency programme includes the usual gems: advance the Savings and Investment Union, complete the Banking Union, push for a more integrated capital market, and give the Digital Euro another nudge forward. But what do citizens really care about? According to the latest Eurobarometer, the top challenges EU see ahead are defense and security, and energy independence — and the key focus for the Parliament should be… fighting inflation. Sustainability and climate are of course nowhere to be seen – guess they survey took place just before the Great Heatwave of 2026. And all of these popular demands require long-term policy, which is hard to nudge in the right direction with a half-year stint at the helm of the Council, especially when that half year doesn’t really start in September after the institutional summer break. So, will the Irish presidency manage to balance the books, keep us safe, and still save the planet? Or will it simply be another chapter of EU politics where great long-term plans meet the messy horse-trading reality in the family of 27?
EU INC. OK, BUT MAKE IT S.O. PLEASE
SO? Steward Owned firms. European steward owned firms. As part of the 28th regime for company law, the “EU Inc.” Regulation. The Commission dismissed the idea in its impact assessment. The Council didn’t listen to the movement. But the Parliament likes the idea: firms should be able to choose a legal structure that gives stakeholders, not shareholders, control over their decisions, mission, and capital. It’s not a hippie thing: Rolex is sort-of steward owned. IKEA is, sort of – even if perhaps its reason to be owned by a foundation also provides tax advantages. And Patagonia as well – same story, same controversy. MEP René Repasi thinks there should be a special category for them: EU Inc. SO. Yes, that sounds as complicated as the Societas Europaea title, which beyond its linguistically neutral Latin name also is known for the can of worms it opened, as workers’ co-determination rights in large firms were put into question when they transformed from -mostly German AGs- into European SEs. Not a surprise that Parliament’s lead negotiator is German. And a professor of European law. What else does he propose? Instead of focusing on facilitating sectors such as high-growth tech firms, he turns around the logic: the model is accessible for everyone, except firms that are active in a group of sectors where innovation is limited and worker’s rights are under pressure, such as construction, cleaning, and security services. Sounds like a serious clash is ahead – and we didn’t even mention the Council’s legal service who trashed the idea of using a Regulation in the first place.
WHY A PACKAGE FEE IS GOOD FOR YOU
The second half of the year brings more changes than just a new Presidency. For many consumers, it will also bring more expensive packages from our friends at Temu, Shein, and AliExpress. And that’s a great thing. We are rightfully outraged when the EU throws our safety and health in front of the omnibus. Yet, we also throw a tantrum when our cheap plastic Chinese toys are taken away, because customs will now charge a 3 euro handling fee for every product arriving in Europe. The e-commerce platforms tell us the package treatment fee is a “tax” depriving us of affordable but untested products. Why? Because “we always want the cheapest products”. Perhaps we need a reminder: in February, the Dutch Product Safety Authority found asbestos in playground sand imported from China. It was sold throughout the EU but could be recalled efficiently through the brands and shops that sold it. That’s exactly why those products are more slightly expensive than ordering directly from China online. It’s striking: citizens protest against deregulation and demand strong EU standards for human rights and the environment, but complain when those standards make their plastic bin-ready imports slightly less cheap. We can’t have it both ways.