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By voting down Theresa May‘s deal once again decisively, the UK parliament yesterday rejected the first option, and probably for good. An exasperated EU will not reopen negotiations to further finesse details of this deal. If the UK parliament votes against a no-deal hard Brexit today, as seems highly likely, the softer Brexit variants or a new referendum would be the only options left.

Brexit Mess: The EU Angle

By: EBR | Thursday, March 14, 2019

A short eight-week delay to adjust the joint statement on post-Brexit relations accordingly would be fine for the EU27

EUROCHAMBRES President Christoph Leitl underlined that Chambers are ideally placed to promote the importance of the European elections to citizens. “Our network can decipher the jargon from Brussels into topics that touch the millions of people who work in our member businesses and the millions more with whom they are in daily contact. That is the challenge over the next three months.”

Chamber network kicks off European elections campaign

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, March 6, 2019

March 6, in the prestigious PressClub Brussels-Europe (PCBE), EUROCHAMBRES* set out its ‘#Chambers4EU’ campaign to encourage EU citizens to vote in May’s European Parliament elections and to vote for candidates who are engaged and committed to an ambitious, forward looking EU agenda

The approach is typical of Macron, who appears to like throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks. Le Macronometre, a project set up by the think tank iFRAP, shows the president has initiated 60 domestic reforms, of which three have been dropped and the rest either have been legislated upon or are in progress. As implemented, though, these reforms vary in the degree to which Macron has kept his election promises; iFRAP estimates 27 percent of these to be broken, 40 percent more or less kept and 33 percent fully kept

Macron Is Getting Ahead of Himself on Europe

By: EBR | Wednesday, March 6, 2019

The French president’s European election agenda is overambitious and badly thought out

His latest speech—it’s in fact an opinion piece published in several newspapers across the EU addressing the citizens of Europe—makes no mention of Germany or that special relationship, which over the years had driven the European project. It’s as if Macron has lost any hope in Chancellor Angela Merkel helping him pull Europe out of its deep malaise and lack of self-confidence.

Macron’s Bid to Wake Up Europe

By: EBR | Tuesday, March 5, 2019

The outcome of the European Parliament elections will be decisive for the EU’s future

Today, the liberal political elites proclaim, louder than before, progress should be made in European co-operation in three key areas: Under the heading European foreign and defence policy, they demand a boost to the military self-assertiveness that would allow Europe “to step out of the shadows of the USA”; under the motto of a common European asylum policy, they further demand robust protection of Europe’s external borders and the establishment of dubious reception centres in North Africa; and, under the slogan “free trade”, they wish to pursue a common European trade policy in the Brexit negotiations as well as in the negotiations with Trump.

“New” Perspectives For Europe

By: EBR | Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Certainly, the risks associated with a significantly changed state of the world have penetrated public awareness and have altered perspectives on Europe

The origin of the problem, in most general terms, is twofold: (1) globalization that has made the knowledge of differences in income between countries much better known and has reduced the cost of transportation, and (2) large gaps in real incomes between the European Union (especially its more prosperous North) and the Middle East and Africa.

Migration Into Europe: A Long-Term Solution?

By: EBR | Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Why has migration become such a big problem? Many reasons can be adduced: the war in Syria, the integration of Eastern Europe, lack of new jobs in many Western countries following the Global Financial Crisis

The new mechanisms may include specific monitoring programmes in specific states, and ‘enhanced cooperation’ aimed at protecting journalists from abuses of state power, safeguarding the independence of judiciaries against political interference, and bringing legislation into line with Council of Europe standards. Such actions would probably be undertaken in combination between the Secretariat and the parliamentary assembly (or PACE), which is made up of national parliamentarians from the member states, who already conduct a range of in-country monitoring programmes.

Joint press freedom report says Europe’s democracy is in danger!

By: EBR | Monday, February 18, 2019

There will be a new focus on close-up monitoring and other ‘determined’ responses to what are recognised as real threats to democratic institutions, as highlighted in the newly-published report

In 2018, the average level of income in Poland exceeded two-thirds of the average level of the Eurozone. That is an impressive achievement for a country that only entered the EU in 2004 and had to shed the painful legacy of decades of Communist rule

Poland Is Europe’s Growth Champion. Can This Continue?

By: EBR | Monday, February 18, 2019

Key elements of the Polish success story resemble that of the German post-war economic story, especially relying on social and economic inclusiveness as a driver of economic success

We recognise that our moral, political and economic systems need to be radically reprogrammed in order to make poverty unthinkable and impossible on our continent. This reprogramming would also be the engine of economic and social development in Europe, providing wellbeing to European citizenship, including poorer and social excluded people. That is not only fair, it is smart and beneficial for all.

The next European Parliament must commit to making Europe Poverty Free

By: EBR | Monday, February 18, 2019

Almost 70 years later, the next European Parliament will inherit huge challenges of its own – including the fact that Europe’s moral, political and economic systems have led to 113 million people, 22.5% of our population, living at risk of poverty and social exclusion

During the postwar era (1945-1989) collective memories of total war—as well as the economic success of liberal democracy—ensured that neo-fascist movements remained politically marginal. However, the Great Recession (2007-13) has reinvigorated the far right as a viable political alternative. Reflecting on the present moment, China Mieville notes: ‘There has not in living memory been a better time to be a fascist. We live in a utopia: it just isn’t ours.’

The loss of European memory

By: EBR | Friday, February 15, 2019

A commitment to democracy, human rights and the rule of law was Europe’s answer to fascism. The loss of this European memory presents real dangers amid a resurgent populism

In short, the EU needs a new banner to rally its supporters behind, and an idea from a former Belgian social affairs minister might be just the job. “How about an EU-wide unemployment benefits scheme?” asks Frank Vandenbroucke, who in addition to teaching and research work at the University of Amsterdam, is also a member of Friends of Europe's Board of Trustees.

The EU-wide unemployment benefit idea could be a political winner

By: EBR | Wednesday, February 13, 2019

These are tough times for the EU, and getting tougher. The European Parliament elections in late May probably won't be catastrophic, but surging support for populist candidates could severely weaken the European project at a time when unity and strength are vital

Di Maio’s trip to Paris, to meet protesters against the French government, seems indeed quite undiplomatic, but it was also the last straw that broke the camel’s back. In recent months, the relationship between the two countries has grown tenser. Matteo Salvini, leader of the other Italian government party, Lega, has several times publicly criticised the French President. He called Macron ‘new Napoleon’, a ‘windbag’ and a ‘polite young man who exaggerates in champagne’.

France and Italy on a collision course

By: N. Peter Kramer | Friday, February 8, 2019

A rift between two founding countries of the EU was never that wide as the one now between France and Italy.

As such, most Eurosceptic and Far Right parties have abandoned talk of leaving the EU. Seeing the Brexit drama developing, their focus has switched to capturing power to try and change Europe from within. This will be Europe’s true challenge in the years ahead. But Brexit is doing more than just reshaping the European narrative ahead of European Parliament elections and the selection of new European Commissioners. It is also a closely-observed global cautionary tale.

Groundhog Brexit is driving us crazy- but it's also a global cautionary tale

By: EBR | Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Groundhog Brexit is driving everyone slightly mad. But it’s also an unparalleled masterclass on the “do’s and don’ts” of leadership and democracy

On the economic front, Western sanctions in answer to Russian actions in Crimea and eastern Ukraine are aggravating the country's difficulties. Already over-reliant on its oil and gas exports, the neglected and outdated manufacturing sector is suffering from a marked absence of foreign investment. Each of the last five years has seen people's real disposable incomes fall, leaving the average Russian 10% poorer than in 2014.

Why the Berlaymont will want to cosy up to the Kremlin

By: EBR | Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Russia and the European Union are at loggerheads - or to put it more diplomatically, “their efforts over more than 20 years to build a strategic partnership have clearly failed.”

The northern Europeans opposed his ideas, letting them do the running for Merkel. Not only that. European leaders didn’t offer their own views about Europe’s future. It’s as if they were afraid of challenging euroskeptics and populists, who were quick to capitalize on their silence. The Franco-German engine lacked the steam to move forward.

What Franco-German Engine?

By: EBR | Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Berlin and Paris are no longer providing the leadership Europe urgently needs to adapt to global, geostrategic shifts

On the issue of a customs union, the spokesman said, the prime-minister is absolutely clear on the importance of having an independent trade policy in order to honour the result of the referendum. On the question to mention areas where compromise might be possible, the spokesman suggested there could be stronger guarantees on workers’ rights and environmental protections.

PM May will stick to her Brexit principles

By: N. Peter Kramer | Friday, January 18, 2019

Yesterday Theresa May’s spokesman said that the Prime Minister is determined to stick to her Brexit principles in the cross-party talks, including rejecting a customs union and a second referendum

Remarkable is, that so far there is no real sign of an economic slowdown in the US; and China’s statistics show imports from Europe are slowing but still growing. However, across the Eurozone we see a weakening in the rate of increase of consumer spending. This surely cannot be blamed upon the slowdown in China

Eurozone in economic bad weather

By: N. Peter Kramer | Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Last week figures on the German industrial production in November 2018 were released

Generations of inadequate school history teachers, the BBC’s drama department, the royal family and the silly songs that British children are forced to sing, have all come together in creating Mrs. May’s Brexit mess. The Brexit disaster is only explicable by diving into that British culture that promotes the uniqueness and superiority of my fellow British citizens

Brexit: A Cultural Morphology

By: EBR | Thursday, January 10, 2019

How the deep forces of British history, from royalism and classism to nationalism and imperialism, combined to trigger the Brexit moment

With the chaos of Brexit ever-rising, disillusionment sets in in the UK. It dawns on enough people that maybe it was not so wise to go it alone. The May government unveils its secretly developed plan of founding an “alternative EU” (AEU). The British Prime Minister is in talks with Northern European countries and with Ireland on closer cooperation

Europe: Five Big Surprises for 2019

By: EBR | Thursday, January 3, 2019

Dealing in alternate realities is a tricky business. As is often noted, predictions are hard, especially about the future

The outcome of an election will affect the older population more directly because they are retired, or soon to do so, and are more reliant on public provisions like healthcare. Questions like ”Who gets to decide what age I get to retire at?” and ”Will I have a decent pension?” are very relevant and urgent questions for this cohort

Europe matters, but how do we tell young people that?

By: EBR | Thursday, December 27, 2018

The American mid-terms are just behind us. The elections were closely-watched as the results were supposed to indicate how US citizens feel about this tumultuous presidency and if Republicans would lose their majority in both of the House and the Senate

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