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Grim protests started the year in Germany, with thousands of farmers blocking roads across the country. Furious Polish, Hungarian and Slovak farmers take up post at the border with Ukraine.

Farmers’ protests expose failing EU agricultural policy

By: EBR | Wednesday, January 31, 2024

The EU countryside is on fire. Farmers protests from Poland to Spain expose the concrete rot of the EU agricultural policy

Meanwhile, the majority of the European Parliament does not want the contracts with Pfizer to be revealed. This leaves the Pfizer contract, which involved 35 billion euros and 1.8 billion vaccines under lock and key.

European Parliament helps VDL to conceal a dubious 35 billion euros deal

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, January 24, 2024

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has been suspected of a conflict of interest for years

Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) suffered considerably in the parliamentary elections.

Taiwan’s choice for president: Beijing-critical William Lai

By: EBR | Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Beijing-critical William Lai Ching-te becomes the new president of Taiwan

Obviously, the German chancellor has no lessons to give to EU countries. May be better he starts focussing on the problems in his own country.

Is Olaf Scholz a bit unhinged?

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, January 10, 2024

To be honest, it is understandable

‘Our analysis shows that the EU needs to urgently strengthen actions to meet its environment and climate ambitions by 2030’, concludes the EEA’s executive director Leena Yla-Mononen. It sounds like a great and necessary New Year’s resolution for the EU and its member states.

EU New Year’s resolution: urgently strengthen actions to meet climate ambitions

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Since adopting the first environmental action programme in 1973, the EU has monitored the implementation of ‘green laws’

Now, the Council and the European Parliament officially support nuclear power. A significant victory for the sector!

Nuclear energy alongside renewables in NZIA

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, December 13, 2023

In spring, the European Commission presented its proposal for the Net-Zero Industry Act

Since 16 September, the Commission has not extended the restrictions on Ukrainian imports implemented in May after the farming industries in these neighbouring countries expressed opposition.

Ukraine grain row extends to sugar and poultry

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, December 6, 2023

The European Commission lifted restrictions on imports from Ukraine in June 2022 following Russia’s invasion of the country, which led to an influx of Ukrainian goods into the EU market

Travelling through the EU without showing a passport was completely normal, several generations don’t know better.

What is the Schengen Treaty still worth?

By: EBR | Wednesday, November 29, 2023

Border controls are no longer an exception at EU’s internal borders

The CDU, the Christian Democratic opposition, filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court in Stuttgart about it and the court ruled in favour of them. In the constitution, the article on ‘Schuldenbremse’ (brake debts) stipulates that the government is not allowed to do that.

Chief justices shake Germany: ‘Schuldenbremse’!

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, November 22, 2023

The German Constitutional Court finds the 2023 and 2024 federal budgets ‘extremely problematic’

A repeat of the battle between Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump is emerging. It will be a defeat for American politics.

US presidential elections 2024 : a repeat of the 2020 battle?

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, November 15, 2023

In less than a year, on Tuesday November 5, Americans will go to the polling stations for the presidential election

President Ursula von der Leyen wants an additional 66 billion euros for measures against illegal immigration, more aid to Ukraine and financial setbacks. One of these financial setbacks is the extra interest costs of the corona recovery fund.

The Commission asks once again for more money

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, November 8, 2023

The European Commission is once again asking the member states for more money

The fear in Paris is that the Commission is turning a blind eye to the growing distrust and resentment among Europeans about corruption in the EU institutions, which EU-critical parties are gladly capitalising on.

France wants EU corruption watchdog with teeth

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, November 1, 2023

In the wake of the Qatargate scandal, France wants an EU corruption watchdog with teeth, a watchdog with real powers to check officials income

But no ‘world power’ EU is stiffening and failing to live up to the fine words about European values.

EU sidelined again

By: N. Peter Kramer | Monday, October 23, 2023

The European Union is sidelined in the war between Israel and Hamas

The visit to Israel by Commission President Von der Leyen led to confusing communications. It was absolutely not necessary to immediately take a plane to the conflict region.

Von der Leyen’s blunders

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, October 18, 2023

The EU communication about the war between Israel and Hamas was contradictory and confusing

France and Germany are fighting on subjects that affect their capacity to reach a steady recovering following COVID and the war in Ukraine.

When Olaf met Emmanuel…

By: EBR | Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Ministers from the two biggest EU countries, Germany and France, meet twice a year for a joint-cabinet meeting, this time in Hamburg

Not long after the Czech government, Austrian colleagues also took the decision to introduce controls with Slovakia.

Bye bye Schengen?

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, October 4, 2023

On Monday the Polish government informed their Czech neigbours that controls at the Polish-Slovak border would be introduced

“The temporary restrictions will help saturate the fuel market, which in turn will lower prices for consumers in Russia,” said Interfax, the Russian government news agency.

Is Putin flexing his (energy) muscles?

By: N. Peter Kramer | Tuesday, September 26, 2023

The fact that Russia is banning the export of diesel and gasoline is causing rising prices for European car drivers further on the already tight global fuel market

In a statement Ukraine let know that ’it is crucially important for us to prove that individual EU member states cannot ban import of Ukrainian goods. That is why we are filing lawsuits against them (Slovakia, Poland and Hungary) to the World Trade Organisation.

Ukraine sues EU neighbours over food imports ban

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Ukraine is one of the world’s biggest suppliers of crops such as sunflower oil, wheat, barley and maize

Not surprising that a day after Michel told ‘fairy tales’, the European Commission pushed back. The President of the European Council had not even consulted the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

‘EU’s odd couple’ clashes again

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, August 30, 2023

The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, urged ‘enlargement’ of the European Union before 2030

The violence that followed the death of 17 years old Nahel in Nanterre has exposed several pain points. One of them is police violence.

After the riots, the French malaise becomes clear

By: N. Peter Kramer | Wednesday, July 5, 2023

The flames have been extinguished, the smoke over France is beginning to clear

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EU Actually

The autocracy of the European Commission presidency

By: N. Peter Kramer

Now Ursula von der Leyen has cemented her second term as President of the European Commission, it is up to her and nobody else to distribute the commissioner’s portfolios

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04/2021 2021

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Europe

Hungary stripped of EU meeting over Ukraine stance

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borell, has stripped Hungary of the right to host the next meeting of foreign and defence ministers over its stance on the war in Ukraine

Business

Family businesses might come to dominate the business world

In the ever-evolving economic landscape, family businesses may often be seen as standing as unassuming beacons of resilience and endurance