
Von der Leyen threatens Merkel with infringement proceedings
By: N. Peter Kramer | Tuesday, May 12, 2020
The German Constitutional Court’s decision last week, casting aside a European Court of Justice ruling on monetary policy, marked the most overt and significant challenge ever posed to the EU’s highest court

EU High Representative Borell bows for China’s pressure
By: N. Peter Kramer | Monday, May 4, 2020
Worried about repercussions, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell bowed to pressure from Beijing and softened last week EU criticism of China

Merkel takes the reins for a recovery fund and makes her conditions clear
By: N. Peter Kramer | Monday, April 27, 2020
After having left the lead in earlier Summit discussions on an EU recovery fund to The Netherlands, Chancellor Angela Merkel took the reins this time around

Is the ‘Hungarian question’ fuelling the EU east-west division?
By: N. Peter Kramer | Tuesday, April 14, 2020
Is the ‘Hungarian question’ fuelling the EU’s East-West division? According to former European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker it is

Labour on the way back to a credible opposition with Keir Starmer?
By: N. Peter Kramer | Tuesday, April 7, 2020
With a landslide win, last Saturday Sir Keir Starmer was elected as Labour’s new leader

‘This is the hour of the memberstates, not so much of the EU’
By: N. Peter Kramer | Monday, March 30, 2020
Commission President Von der Leyen slammed the egoism of the EU member states; failing to coordinate their initial responses to the pandemic

In times of emergency people look to their national government
By: N. Peter Kramer | Thursday, March 26, 2020
It is clear, in times of emergency people look to their national government, which has financial, organisational and emotional strengths that supra-national organisations and institutions are lacking

The not so united EU in the time of Corona
By: N. Peter Kramer | Thursday, March 19, 2020
The pandemic has hit Italy the hardest in the EU. The country should be able to rely on other member states for help; isn’t solidarity, after all, what the EU preaches?

Commission climate law proposal: insufficient and a power grab
By: N. Peter Kramer | Thursday, March 12, 2020
The European Commission’s climate law proposal, designed to ensure net zero emissions in the EU by 2050, has had an inauspicious unveiling

Brexit negotiations started, with knifes drawn
By: N. Peter Kramer | Thursday, March 5, 2020
On Monday March 2 the bell rang for the start of the trade negotiations between the UK and the EU: Boris Johnson’s negotiator David Frost versus Michel Barnier

‘EU doesn’t need UK to show its own lack of unity’
By: N. Peter Kramer | Tuesday, February 25, 2020
‘The EU doesn’t need the UK to show its own lack of unity’, or words to that effect

‘Success of European project is measured by delivering on political ambitions not by the size of the budget’
By: N. Peter Kramer | Tuesday, February 18, 2020
At the end of this week, 20 and 21 February, the 27 EU leaders are invited by their president, Charles Michel, for an EU Council summit in Brussels, to discuss the EU’s next long-term budget

EU delay Brexit trade talks until March
By: N. Peter Kramer | Friday, January 24, 2020
The Queen has given Royal Assent to the legislation for Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal, paving the way for the UK to leave the EU at the end of January

‘The Times They Are a-changin’
By: N. Peter Kramer | Friday, December 6, 2019
With apologies to Bob Dylan for using his already so often (mis)used words: ‘The Times They Are a- changin’

New EIB funding policy threatens EU climate commitments
By: N. Peter Kramer | Friday, November 15, 2019
The European Investment Bank’s new policy will limit funding for new fossil fuels projects starting at the end of 2021

The Brexit negotiations near to an end…
By: N. Peter Kramer | Monday, October 14, 2019
On Sunday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told his cabinet that while he could see a ‘pathway’ to a deal, there was ‘still a significant amount of work’ needed to get there

The Von der Leyen Commission will not take office on November 1!
By: N. Peter Kramer | Friday, October 11, 2019
The European Parliament overwhelmingly rejected Sylvie Goulard, the French nominee to be commissioner for the EU’s internal market and industrial policy

The EU still fails a serious climate-policy
By: N. Peter Kramer | Monday, September 23, 2019
A United Nations climate summit in New York City exposes Europe’s lack of progress to tackle the climate emergency. World leaders are meeting after millions took to the streets in unprecedented global protests last weeks and months, demanding urgent political action. The aim of the summit is to bring political commitments to cut greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris climate agreement

The EP cacophony after Lagarde’s hearing
By: N. Peter Kramer | Thursday, September 5, 2019
On Wednesday Christine Lagarde had her ‘hearing’ in the EP’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs

Macron the new leader of the EU but unpopular at home
By: N. Peter Kramer | Friday, August 30, 2019
Angela Merkel is no longer the undisputed leader of the EU 28. She looks old and tired, lacking energy to play her role as she did before