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European politics

berlin against coronavirus

European politics 10th September 2020

To Revive The European Project, Listen To Gen Z

European Views | Protests against pandemic lockdown measures have been gaining momentum across the world, but it’s events in Germany that have caught international attention. The latest demonstration in Berlin at the end of August drew some 30,000 people out of their homes – and the sheer range of ideologies on display from anti-vaxxers to ecologist to the far right, has re-opened a debate in the country about what it means to participate in the modern-day political process.

Brexit endgame

European politics 2nd September 2020

Negotiating The End Of Brexit

John Bruton | It is increasingly likely that, unless things change, on January 1, 2021, we will have a no-deal Brexit. That would mean the only deal between the European Union and the United Kingdom would be the already ratified EU withdrawal agreement of 2019. Both Ireland and the European Union need their best team on the pitch as Brexit approaches the endgame.

EU Next Generation

European politics 2nd September 2020

SURE May Be Ready, But Next Generation EU May Make Noise Before Helping

The EU’s SURE programme, providing loans to help finance short-time work (even retrospectively) is in high demand. The recovery fund “Next Generation EU” was the big deal this summer. But more complicated news may be next, points BoA Global Research. Technical details and national approval processes are not completed and could be the source of less reassuring headlines, explains the firm.

European integration: the next five years... and the following decades

European politics 21st July 2020

The EU Makes History: Takes The Clearest Step Towards Integration And Cooperation In years

After more than four days of arguing, European leaders agreed on a historic European Recovery Fund worth €750 Bn, that will be split between €390 Bn in grants and €360 Bn in loans. This split represents a 52%/48% compromise for the Frugal Four versus the initial proposal of two thirds of the Fund being disbursed as grants. This is the analysis of Esty Dwek, Head of Global Market Strategies at Natixis IM Solutions, on the agreement reached at the European Summit.

Brussels Summit

European politics 20th July 2020

EU Leaders One Step Closer To Agreeing On Recovery Fund

Monex Europe | The euro found support in anonymous reports this morning that the frugal four countries are now satisfied with €390bn of the fund coming in the form of grants. The initial proposal included a total of €500bn to be allocated in grants, but the leaders failed to find a compromise on the overall size over the weekend. The talks will resume at 4pm CEST today.

The FAANG companies are moving Wall Street

European politics 20th July 2020

The Ruling In Favour Of Apple Undermines A Mechanism For Cleaning Up The EU’s Public Accounts

Intermoney | The European justice ruled last week in favour of Apple over Ireland’s advantageous tax treatment. In 2016, the Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager considered that Ireland’s tax treatment applied to Apple was irregular and distorting competition in the single market. Now, in an appealable judgment to the EU Court of Justice, Brussels is considered as not having been able to properly argue that reasoning.

Hydrogen EU

European politics 17th July 2020

EU Pushes For Renewable Hydrogen To Reach Climate Neutrality By 2050

On 8th July, the EU announced its hydrogen strategy as a priority within the Green Recovery Plan. Clean hydrogen will be a key tool for cutting greenhouse gas emissions in sectors that are highly dependent on fossil fuels. The European Commission aims to achieve 40GW of renewable hydrogen capacity by 2030, which is an ambitious target as it represents 2.7 times the estimated global capacity in that period. Even so, it is only 5% of the global capacity that would be needed to achieve the Paris agreement objectives. 

EU Germany together

European politics 13th July 2020

A More European Germany Than Ever Presiding Over Europe

Lidia Conde (Frankfurt) | Germany takes over the rotating presidency of the European Union Council from July. The other member states’ expectations are high. All the dimensions of the health, social and economic impact of the coronavirus are still unknown. But we know that the consequences could be immense. All together to relaunch Europe” is the German Presidency’s motto and one which is not just words. Germany and its Chancellor Angela Merkel are committed to it.

Jean Castex

European politics 11th July 2020

France’s Cabinet Reshuffle Signals Shift To More Political Integration At Critical Juncture

Scope Ratings | The appointment of a new prime minister and a shift towards greening the economy could help to restore political integration across government levels over the medium term but reviving the economy remains the key near-term priority. Emmanuelle Macron is facing the multi-faceted challenges of reviving the economy, addressing the climate imperative and resetting his presidency amid declining approval ratings.