25Oct 2023 by Joost Mulder

EESC adopts Opinion on the Retail Investment Strategy proposals

Just one day ahead of the European Parliament's deadline for amendments, the European Economic and Social Committee adopted a report from Kestutis Kupsys on the Commission's Retail Investment Strategy, on which Better Europe's director Joost Mulder acted as advisor to the rapporteur. In the report, the EESC recommends basic products to be extended to provide a benchmark for product manufacturers to do better; to increase training requirements for people selling financial products who often themselves do not fully understand the complex products they are selling, including on sustainability matters; to measure and disclose the actual sustainability impact of investments; to always offer a sustainable product in investment advice situations, with a default for the sustainable option, and much more. The full EESC opinion was adopted in plenary with 209 votes…

06Oct 2023 by Joost Mulder

The Spitzenkandidaten process – is there room for civil society?

News

In a bit more than a year from now, in early November 2024, the mandate of current von der Leyen Commission (2019-2024) will officially come to an end. A new Commission mandate will kick in and will last until 2029. While most senior Commission staffers will keep their positions, the political leadership of the European Union executive, the 27 Commissioners and their personal cabinets, is likely to go through significant changes, based on the results of the 2024 EU elections and shifts in national governments since the last EU elections in 2019. The Spitzenkandidaten process explained Ahead of European elections, European political parties appoint their lead candidates for the role of Commission President, with the expectation that the Presidency will go to the candidate capable of securing sufficient parliamentary support.…

13Sep 2023 by Joost Mulder

EU Friday – 13 September

EU Friday

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. DRAGHI'S MEGA-INVESTMENT PLAN TALK OF THE TOWN IN BRUSSELS Mario Draghi’s €800 billion investment plan, unveiled this Monday, has set off a storm of reactions across Europe. The former ECB chief is advocating for a hefty annual boost—equivalent to 4.4-4.7% of EU GDP—to tackle decarbonisation, digitalisation and defence. His aim: to help Europe catch up with other global heavyweights like China and the US. With no surprises, the centre-right side of the political spectrum has been quite satisfied with the report, praising it for its concrete pathways for solutions. Green advocates, on the other hand, raise serious concerns amid the already environmentally unfriendly political atmosphere. CAN Europe criticised the report for neglecting crucial elements and being too heavily focused on industrial…

24Aug 2023 by Joost Mulder

EU2024 – the Final Countdown begins

Uncategorized

The current European Parliament (2019-2024) is coming back to work after its last summer recess, in view of a very busy autumn into the Brussels bubble. With the official date of the last plenary session now set for 22-25 April 2024, the final countdown before the 2024 elections, which will bring forward a brand-new European Parliament, has officially begun. Summer developments The two major European political parties, the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) and the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), show two different trends according to the July polls. The EPP continues to lose another 4 seats compared to earlier polls, bringing it down to 157 seats, and S&D recovers a bit, to 143 seats. The race for third place goes on as the liberal Renew Europe group…

19Jul 2023 by Joost Mulder

Riding the right wave – what will the upcoming shift in the European political landscape mean for civil society?

News, Opinion

While the European Parliament elections are still almost a year ahead, recent polls and national developments in Europe demonstrate that we may be dealing with a more conservative Parliament during the next EU mandate (2024-2029). Hard-right Hungary and Poland have recently welcomed Italy into their ranks, while Finland and Sweden have formed right-leaning governments after recent elections. The Greek conservatives were re-elected in government last June, and upcoming elections in Spain are expected to oust socialist Pedro Sánchez from office as well. What does this shift to the right mean for advocacy at EU level? Setting the scene While, according to the recent polls, EPP and S&D will remain the two biggest parties in Parliament (with respectively 161 and 142 MEPs), a close race for the third place has already…

05Jul 2023 by Joost Mulder

EU Friday – 5 July

EU Friday

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. EPP WANTS TO HALT EU SUSTAINABILITY RULES TO IMPROVE COMPETITIVENESS The centre right EPP Group, which emerged as the largest parliamentary political group in the last elections, held its party convention in Portugal this week. The meeting allowed for strategic discussions on the new EU term, and for EPP members to agree on a set of proposals for the next Commission’s work programme. A leaked draft of the EPP’s “5-point plan for a strong Europe” places competitiveness at the heart of the EPP’s agenda and proposes that two thirds of the EU budget should be dedicated to it. Building upon Ursula von der Leyen’s 2023 commitment to reduce the reporting obligations of companies, the draft work plan also suggests to “halt…

21Jun 2023 by Joost Mulder

EU Friday – 21 June

EU Friday

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. EU LEADERS STRUGGLE TO FINALISE POST-ELECTION TOP JOB APPOINTMENTS Following the EU elections of 6-9 June, which resulted in an overall shift to the right, EU leaders met for an informal Council meeting on 18 June to agree on the appointment of EU top jobs for the next five years. A consensus had seemed to emerge ahead of the meeting, with EPP figures Ursula von der Leyen (Germany) and Roberta Metsola (Malta) expected to remain at the head of the Commission and Parliament, S&D’s António Costa (Portugal) likely to take the Presidency of the Council, and Renew’s Kaja Kallas envisioned to become EU’s diplomacy head. Yet no agreement was sealed on Monday, and discussions were shelved at least until next week.…

07Jun 2023 by Joost Mulder

EU Friday – 7 June

EU Friday

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. MEMBER STATES AGREE ON GREEN CLAIMS RULES AHEAD OF NEGOTIATIONS WITH PARLIAMENT After the Parliament adopted its position in plenary last Mach, it is now up to the Council to take its position on the Green Claims Directive, which will require companies to submit evidence about their environmental marketing claims before so-called “sustainable” products. Member State ambassadors on 5 June approved the last version of the text ahead of a formal endorsement by environment ministers on 17 June. The revised version introduces new requirements for substantiating climate-related claims based on carbon offsetting and requires that traders prioritise emission reduction in their own operations and value chains rather than relying on the purchase of carbon credits. This approach is less ambitious than…

17May 2023 by Joost Mulder

EU Friday – 17 May

EU Friday

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. EUROGROUP MINISTERS ADOPT ROADMAP WITH STEPS TO DECIDE ON FUTURE OF CMU Eurogroup Finance Ministers this week presented their “first step towards delivery” of the future of the Capital Markets Union package, endorsing a one page high-level roadmap with six steps to be taken in the coming year. By focusing on the timing of key steps in the process, the statement tries to cover up the cracks in between Member States, with some calling for faster integration and the introduction of unified European-level supervision for the largest financial markets players, while others are pulling the emergency break. French President Emmanuel Macron and outgoing European Commissioner for Economy Paolo Gentiloni are clearly in the first group, using public statements to warn that…

10May 2023 by Joost Mulder

EU Friday – 10 May

EU Friday

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. SIXTH PCI LIST ENTERS INTO FORCE, ACCELERATING THE HYDROGEN RUSH With the amended TEN-E Regulation in force, time has come for its baby: a new, sixth list of Projects of Common Interests (PCI). These projects enjoy a “streamlined” environmental impact assessment, accelerated permitting, and access to EU subsidies. The new list features many hydrogen projects, confirming the recent European rush towards this gas. While renewable hydrogen will play a crucial role in the energy transition, it is not a silver bullet, and there is a strong argument to avoid excessive use in buildings and focus on use of hydrogen in hard to decarbonise sectors instead. The fossil fuel industry missed this memo and jumped on the hype, which means a lot…