COVID-19 spotlighted European migrants’ vital role; the EU must tell their story
By: EBR | Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Six years ago, British author Hanif Kureishi wrote searingly of Europe’s fear of migrants who “invade, colonise and contaminate”. Migrants, he mused, had “no face, no status, no protection and no story”
EU plans sweeping bioenergy review by end 2020
By: EBR | Tuesday, May 19, 2020
The European Commission intends to push a “transformative approach” to all forms of bioenergy – including biofuels and woody biomass – as part of a biodiversity strategy due to be unveiled on Wednesday (20 May)
Gas industry urged to ‘accelerate’ transition to hydrogen
By: EBR | Monday, May 18, 2020
Hydrogen has become a central element of EU plans to reach net-zero emissions by mid-century. The key question now is how to accelerate the transition and upgrade the gas infrastructure, policymakers say
Green Deal – and electrification – should be the backbone of EU recovery plan
By: EBR | Friday, May 15, 2020
The Green Deal is Europe’s growth strategy. Making it the backbone of the recovery plan is not only necessary in a climate perspective, but also from an economic point of view – in order to create growth and work opportunities that are sustainable in the long run, argue Nordic energy CEOs and top executives
Europe, the only solution for tourism
By: EBR | Thursday, May 14, 2020
Coordinating measures and sharing criteria is crucial to saving Europe’s tourism sector
Tourism and transport: Commission’s guidance
By: EBR | Thursday, May 14, 2020
Commission’s guidance on how to safely resume travel and reboot Europe’s tourism in 2020 and beyond
Why Europe Still Matters
By: EBR | Thursday, May 14, 2020
Europe is well placed to push for reforms of global cooperation and governance after the coronavirus pandemic. But to do that, Europe itself must change first
EU seeks trade truce with US amid virus crisis
By: EBR | Wednesday, May 13, 2020
The EU’s top trade official hopes the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic will spur efforts to heal US trade ties, bogged down in a tit-for-tat tariff feud
EU to preserve refund safety-net for travel vouchers
By: EBR | Wednesday, May 13, 2020
The European Commission will on Wednesday (13 May) publish a common rulebook for voluntary travel vouchers, which advises that state aid could be used to set up guarantee funds
How the Coronavirus Revived Angela Merkel
By: EBR | Tuesday, May 12, 2020
The fight against the coronavirus has sparked a political revival for Angela Merkel. Now, the German chancellor must also adopt a coherent foreign policy strategy for how to deal with China
The EU must cure itself of its fatal addiction to good news, and to spin
By: EBR | Tuesday, May 12, 2020
The European Commission is addicted to good news, to say nothing of spin, self-indulgent slogans and flashy videos. Sadly, it’s a preference that may prove fatal to the EU in these times of bad news and worse
Taxation: Commission proposes postponement of taxation rules due to coronavirus crisis
By: EBR | Monday, May 11, 2020
On Friday 8 May, the European Commission decided to postpone the entry into force of two EU taxation measures to take account of the difficulties that businesses and Member States are facing at the moment with the coronavirus crisis
EU economic forecast 2020 shows a deep and uneven recession
By: N. Peter Kramer | Friday, May 8, 2020
The recent grown projections for the EU by the European Commission have been revised down by around 9% compared with the forecast of autumn 2019
EU building ‘renovation wave’ set for launch in September
By: EBR | Thursday, May 7, 2020
The European Commission’s energy chief, Kadri Simson, has flagged the upcoming building renovation wave, rooftop solar, and offshore wind as key priorities for the energy sector in the recovery phase from the coronavirus crisis
Sassoli to EU institutions: “Be brave on EU recovery plan”
By: EBR | Thursday, May 7, 2020
Statement by President Sassoli on the EU recovery plan, which will be anchored to the next Multiannual EU budget
As EU negotiations stall, London opens talks on US trade pact
By: EBR | Wednesday, May 6, 2020
The UK and US kicked off on Tuesday (5 May) the first round of talks on a trade deal which London has made a priority following its exit from the EU. The talks with Washington are set to run alongside post-Brexit trade negotiations with the EU
Emission thresholds in EU green finance taxonomy are too high. Here’s why
By: EBR | Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Carbon dioxide emission limits in the EU taxonomy suggested by the technical expert group are too high and will make it virtually impossible to reach EU climate goals for 2030 and 2050, argues a group of Swedish lawmakers
Germany’s top court criticises ECB crisis bond buying
By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Germany’s Constitutional Court in Germany has ruled that the European Central Bank’s mass bond buying to stabilise the eurozone partly violates the German constitution
Spring 2020 Economic Forecast: A deep and uneven recession, an uncertain recovery
By: EBR | Wednesday, May 6, 2020
The coronavirus pandemic represents a major shock for the global and EU economies, with very severe socio-economic consequences
As Depression looms, we must shun errors of the ’Hungry Thirties’
By: EBR | Tuesday, May 5, 2020
It’s time for us all to be very afraid; not just of the coronavirus but of its consequences. A ‘Great Depression’ like that of the 1930s is looking increasingly inevitable, and if mishandled could trigger a disastrous train of events



By: N. Peter Kramer
