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The question now is what Russia will do with the proposal. According to Zelensky, it is now up to Trump to convince Putin to agree. It is clear that US diplomatic pressure is shifting from Ukraine to Russia.

The ball is now in Putin’s court!

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, March 12, 2025

In Jeddah, Saoudi Arabia, Ukraine agreed to a US proposal to accept a one-month ceasefire with Russia.

VDL wants to raise the biggest chunk of the €800 billion by activating the ‘national escape clause’ in the EU budget rules. This would allow the 27 member states to spend extra on defence without running the risk of ending up in the Commission’s penalty box for an excessive deficit.

VDL pulls a €800 billion military plan out of the hat: ReArm Europe

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Last weekend, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer took the initiative for a “European Ukraine summit” in London

The clearest conclusion afterwards came from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, ‘The meeting was informal and no formal decisions have been taken, but the need for further action is clear’. Who dares not to be impressed by that ?

Is Europe sidelining itself?

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, February 19, 2025

EU and UK leaders were reeling after not being invited by the US to talks with Russia on the future of Ukraine

Replenishing stocks has also become more difficult because no Russian gas has been flowing in via Ukraine since the beginning of this year. Ukrainian President Zelenski refused to renew the contract for this, because he wants to turn off the money tap for Russia. ‘We need to work more with the US, LNG, gas, oil, to import energy’, he said.

EU gas reserves below 50%!

By: N. Peter Kramer | Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Gas reserves in the EU have fallen below 50%

‘I am here to work with our EU partners on keeping up the pressure to crush Putin’s war machine by targeting the energy revenues. Ultimately, alongside our military support, that is what will bring peace closer’.

Five years after Brexit: U.K. Prime Minister got a warm reception at EU Summit

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Five years after Brexit a U.K. Prime Minister was back in Brussels

The conclusion in Davos was that the EU is the big loser in this new world.

How does the EU respond to a world with Trump?

By: N. Peter Kramer | Monday, January 27, 2025

Last week, the Big Question during the World Economic Forum in Davos was: what will be the EU’s answer to a world with Donald Trump?

During his inaugural address, Trump paid particular attention to immigration and the economy, issues that polls show American voters care about the most.

With the promise of a ‘golden age’ Trump’s second era begins

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Donald Trump got off to a flying start, announcing a new golden age for America

It is clear that these new excessive Green Deal rules could seriously discourage the financing of climate action by lenders such as the EIB.

EIB fears ‘major reputational disaster’ due to Green Deal rules

By: N. Peter Kramer | Monday, January 13, 2025

The European Investment Bank, world’s biggest multilateral lender by assets, phased out all fossil fuel investments from its €500bn loan book and branded itself ‘the climate bank’

The very ambitious goals set by the European Commission have turned out to be just a pipe dream. For transport and heating, direct electrification is almost always preferable to green hydrogen.

Hydrogen is becoming less and less green

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Green hydrogen held a double promise: it would be an easy solution to the climate problem that did not require major adoption and promised to make activities CO2-neutral

The UK is officially now the 12th member of the CPTPP, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

UK’s biggest trade deal since Brexit

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, December 18, 2024

The UK became the first European nation to join a major Indo-Pacific trading bloc, in what has hailed as the country’s biggest trade deal since Brexit

The interest that France has to pay on new government debt is not increasing any further.

Macron, France and EU in problems

By: N. Peter Kramer | Monday, December 9, 2024

The pontifical and pompous re-opening of the Notre Dame Cathedral, five years after the devasting fire, cannot conceal that France is sinking into an unprecedented political crisis

But Ukraine continues to insist on long-term security guarantees and for Kiev there is only one real option: NATO membership.

NATO and Ukraine: Waiting for Trump

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, December 4, 2024

In anticipation of Trump, NATO can Ukraine only promise some more weapons at a crucial moment in the war with Russia

A French crisis on top of Germany’s own political and economic turmoil. The European Central Bank has already warned that the EU could be on the brink of a new debt crisis because of policy uncertainty and low growth.

EU in disarray

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Years and years of lavish spending have brought the French deficit to more than 6 percent

Custom offices disappeared along motorways between most of the EU member states and their citizens with their EU passport were able to travel by plane without significant checks.

Border controls are the new normal in the Schengen area

By: N. Peter Kramer | Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Prime Minister, Michel Barnier, announced that France will control all its borders for illegal immigration from November 1

The European Parliament is also not happy. From the Parliament’s Budget Committee comes already the remark, that the proposal could be blocked if beneficiaries of the funds remain shrouded in secrecy.

Commission’s new budget plan angers European Parliament

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, October 16, 2024

A European Commission draft proposal to reform the next EU’s seven-year €1,2 trillion budget has already generated controversy

France is the most affected by the Chinese decision as China imports 99 percent of its brandy from that country.

China hits back and starts with France

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Following the EU’s recent vote to go ahead with the Commission’s proposal for tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles imported into the EU, China is hitting back

Bruno Retailleau, an LR senator with very hard views on immigration, becomes the new minister for home affairs in charge of police and immigration. His appointment can be seen as an assuage of far-right concerns and a try to secure their tacit support.

Fate of new French government lies in the hands of Marine Le Pen

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, September 25, 2024

The announcement of the new French government ended a 67-days wait, the longest in France modern political history

In Brussels, the dominant conclusion is that the picture of the new Commission emerges as one of a relatively week slate of commissioners. Maybe that is what von der Leyen intended.

The new European Commission: the Von der Leyen court

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Looking at the new Commission, power centres like Timmermans, Vestager and Breton are missing

According to Draghi, in order to digitise the economy, decarbonise and increase defense capacity, the investment rate as a share of the EU’s GDP must increase by 5 percent points, that is more than 700 billion euros per year!

Draghi : €700 billion more annual investment to be a global player

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, September 11, 2024

A year ago, Mario Draghi, a former controversial European Central Bank president, was commissioned by the European Commission to carry out an analysis of the EU’s industrial competitiveness

In both states the extreme-right party won more than 30 percent of the votes.

Political crises in France and Germany weaken the EU

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, September 4, 2024

While the EU is involved in a war with Russia and an economic showdown with China, France and Germany , the traditional axis of the EU engine, are in a deep political and economic crisis

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EU Actually

One year after the Draghi report: China’s trade surplus increased by almost 20 percent

By: N. Peter Kramer

At the presentation of his 400-page report in September 2024, Mario Draghi said, the EU will face a ‘slow death’ if it doesn’t quickly close the gap with economic superpowers such as the United States and China

Europe

The EU must define its red lines in a tough new security doctrine

Realpolitik, greatly enhanced by television, has in recent weeks sent an embarrassing message around the world – the European Union isn’t the global player it claims to be

Business