Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. EUROPE’S 2040 CLIMATE TARGET: 5% CREDITS, 0% CREDIBILITY Following 18 hours of overnight talks, EU environment ministers finally reached a climate deal for 2040 on Wednesday morning. Under pressure from EU member states who are lagging in their climate policies, minister agreed to increase the use of carbon credits in the mix from 3% to 5%, effectively reducing the EU’s internal emissions target to around 85%. Further concessions include free pollution permits for heavy industry, a postponement of the carbon tax on heating and transport, and the continued production of internal combustion engine cars beyond 2035 thanks to so-called 'low-carbon fuels'. And all of this despite the plea by the EU’s Scientific Advisory Board for a 90% to 95% reduction target…

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. EU DEFORESTATION LAW FACES YET ANOTHER DELAY EU agriculture ministers left Luxembourg demanding that Brussels hit pause on its deforestation law for everyone this time… at this week's Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting, most countries supported postponing the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) beyond its original start date of December 2025. The Commission had already proposed granting small companies more time and suspending penalties for six months, but member states said that wasn’t enough. They want to postpone the entire rollout arguing that the system to trace goods back to farms is nowhere near ready. On top of that, the Mercosur trade deal was back on the agenda: several ministers, including Slovakia’s Richard Takáč, cautioned that opening EU markets to cheap imports…

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. NO HOLIDAYS FOR OMNIBUS NEGOTIATORS Companies voted for legal certainty and deregulation. But it's not what they are getting -- at least not right now. An easy majority vote in the Parliament on the "Omnibus" corporate reporting negotiation position this week turned into yet another confidence vote in the Ursula von der Leyen majority, and this time, she lost it with a narrow nine vote margin thanks to the decision of the extreme-right to make it a secret ballot. Even if it's just a slap in the face and not a formal decision on the future of the coalition, it shows the disapproval with how deals are made since "simplification" started earlier this year. In a press conference together with Parliament’s…

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. 28TH REGIME FOR WORKERS OR FOR COMPANIES? It was a busy week for the 28th regime, the new European company law statute that the Commission plans to propose next year. Intended primarily for “startups and scaleups”, some pressure groups want it to apply to all companies to create an “EU Inc” while trade unions and NGOs warn it’s a Trojan Horse that could become our version of the Delaware company. Parliament rapporteur René Repasi seemed to be aligned with this view in this week’s debate, where he said that without strong safeguards the regime could allow businesses to circumvent national labour laws and erode workers’ rights. In good German social-democrat tradition, he underlined the need for codetermination, social protections and anti-abuse…

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. EPP USES FAR-RIGHT FLIRT TO WEAKEN SUSTAINABILITY RULES Following months of negotiations, a compromise position on the corporate sustainability regulations in the Omnibus 1 file is in sight, with a clear win for the European People’s Party who are more than happy to prioritise corporate interests over climate and human rights. This week, the Socialists and Democrats in the EP were essentially blackmailed into a deal: either they would sign for relatively modest deregulation on the dotted line, or the EPP would adopt an even more “ambitious” deregulation package with the far-right, which had already been conveniently submitted as the default option for the vote next week. While EPP leaders framed the move as protecting the competitiveness of European businesses, insiders…

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. CLICK HERE FOR FINANCIAL ADVICE We have an internal market in financial services, we have consumers, and we have a lot of EU firms and projects that need financing. And financial education is the silver bullet to let the money roll. Sounds familiar? Yes, it's been tried before, but unfortunately teaching high school students about compound interest and about mortgage loans hasn't really clicked. So, this time the Commission is going to do the clicking themselves, creating a network of financial literacy ambassadors. Think of the finfluencers that you have seen on Instagram or TikTok, but without the sales pitch. All joking aside, the fact that this package is not a new law but only a recommendation for Member States, shows…

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. FIRST OMNIBUS AGREEMENT, BUT NOT THE LAST Habemus Omnibus! This week, Member States and the Parliament reached their first agreement on one of the Commission’s six “simplification” packages so far: Omnibus II, dedicated to the InvestEU program. The agreement increases the EU guarantee by €2.9 billion, which is expected to mobilize at least €50 billion in additional investments while claiming to reduce administrative burden for companies and national authorities. However, this is only a first step. Five other Omnibus packages are still under discussion (on defence, food and agriculture, medium-sized companies, and chemicals) and two more are pending. The new initiatives include an environmental Omnibus, expected in late 2025, which could significantly change landmarks laws such as the Empowering Consumers Directive.…

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. ALBANIA’S AMBITIOUS SPRINT TO ACCESSION Sprinting toward EU membership this week, Albania officially opened its fourth negotiation cluster, covering transport, energy, trans-European networks and environmental protection. This brings the total number of clusters opened in less than a year to five out of six. The total number of EU acquis chapters completed increased to 28 out of 33, a pace that Brussels calls "impressive." The Commission has praised Albania’s reforms, ranging from anti-corruption efforts to judicial modernization. Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos noted that Tirana demonstrates how bold leadership can deliver tangible change. The remaining chapters, including agriculture and regional cohesion, are set to open by the end of the year, with the goal of concluding technical negotiations by 2027. If progress…

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. STATE OF THE DISUNION In what has become a ritualized political spectacle, Ursula von der Leyen addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday, laying out her priorities for the year ahead. She touched on topics ranging from competitiveness to Gaza and the housing crisis to climate change. However, by trying to speak to everyone, she may have satisfied no one. EPP leader Manfred Weber accused the left of sabotaging trade deals, while S&D’s leader Iratxe García Pérez in return branded him the “main enemy” of von der Leyen’s fragile coalition. Caught in the middle, Renew rolled its eyes at what Valérie Hayer dismissed as a “pathetic spectacle,” urging the Commission President to step up as referee before her majority crumbles.…