This. Art. 7 should have been used against Hungary a long time ago, but for the reason that Orbán has been systematically dismantling the rule of law in the country. It is not an instrument to enforce Ukraine accession.

Unhelpful mixture of different debates. The question of Ukraine's EU accession will not be solved by using Art. 7 against Hungary. This kind of pretense, that the other member states could take away Hungary's voting rights and then force through Ukraine accession, plays only into Orban's arguments

If we become a society of super-rich oligarchs and an underfunded state, it is the super-rich oligarchs that get to decide what to fund, what research to do - and what research not to do. They will set societal priorities.

🎙️Neue Podcastfolge: Europa startet unter Druck ins Jahr 2026. Wie handlungsfähig ist die EU? @onethuthree.bsky.social & @nilsredeker.bsky.social sprechen darüber, was der Jahresauftakt über den Zustand der EU verrät und welche Weichen jetzt gestellt werden. www.delorscentre.eu/de/ueber-uns...

For the FES, I wrote a short brief about how mainstream party strategies have fueled far-right success. They move toward more anti-immigration positions to win voters back. This does not work, but shifts public opinion to the right. Parties then react to shifts in public opinion. A vicious cycle.

🎙️Eine neue Podcastfolge EU to go ist im Kasten. Zum Jahresauftakt sprechen unsere Co-Direktor:innen @onethuthree.bsky.social & @nilsredeker.bsky.social über die großen Fragen für Europa 2026. 👉Was wird wichtig? Was kommt auf die EU zu? Morgen geht die Folge online - stay tuned!

“Governments can buy into the zero-sum thinking of the far-right and retreat into isolation, scarcity, selfishness and decline. Or they can harness the very same forces that (..) have allowed our societies to thrive for centuries.“ Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/o...

We’re heading into quite the electoral period for the EU: 15 national parliamentary elections (🇸🇮🇭🇺🇨🇾🇸🇪🇱🇻🇩🇰🇧🇬🇪🇪🇬🇷🇲🇹🇫🇮🇪🇸🇸🇰🇵🇱🇮🇹) and a few presidential elections (most notably 🇫🇷) in 2026 & 2027 Especially elections in Hungary, Slovakia (veto players) and France, Italy, Spain, Poland (big MS) will be ones to watch

"The other iron law of reactionary centrism – beyond the asymmetry that is hiding behind the seeming evenhandedness – is that only the left and liberals really have agency. The right just reacts – everything is always backlash, never a self-generated political project." This is really worth a read:

Great intervention by @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social on reactionary centrism, anti-wokeness, and the tendency to interpret the success of the right as backlash instead of as its own political project www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Unsere Affiliate Policy Fellow @judithkohlenberger.bsky.social heute Morgen im Europe.Table über Spaniens Migrationspolitik und was der Rest von Europa daraus lernen kann: table.media/europe/table...

"Perhaps most dispiriting for many Europeans was realising the French had been right all along." www.economist.com/europe/2026/...

Agreed. One problem in the debate is also that everyone understands something different under coalition of the willing. For some it’s intergovernmental action outside EU, for others its enhanced cooperation etc using EU institutions. So everyone is advocating for it but with different things in mind

Max is right. The strategy has to be about creating momentum that brings everyone along. On capital market integration in particular, this means strengthening existing EU initiatives - not running a six-member-state sideshow. From what I understand, that’s the direction for now.

Friedrich Merz just now: “In recent weeks, we’ve felt some of the happiness that comes with self-respect. Let us make something of this newly stirring self-confidence among Europeans.” www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvQQ...

Merz on EU in Bundestag today: „In last weeks, we have felt the joy of self-respect. Let’s build on this new developing self-confidence.“ Emphasizes European unity, which he clearly sees as European concept, not just EU. Explicitly refers to European states at CoW meeting in Paris as show of 🇪🇺unity

A real change in how Germany approaches the EU is happening. Berlin used to prioritise the unity of the 27 and now seems much more open towards coalitions of the willing. Next step is initiative by Finance minister Klingenbeil to build an avant-garde with 🇫🇷🇵🇱🇮🇹🇳🇱🇪🇸:

I find it so disheartening to listen to politicians - minister and similar levels - who keep saying things like “we should, one might, it would be good…” AS IF IT IS NOT THEM WHO SHOULD MAKE IT HAPPEN. Who are you talking to, this is YOUR JOB.

Please. This is absurd. Europe can certainly deter Russia and defend itself if its focused and determined. Perpetuating a sense of European helplessness may help Rutte bureaucratically but its 1. wrong 2. prevents action. 3. willfully blind: the US ain't coming to defend Europe.

The European Parliament is keeping the EU–US trade deal on ice - at least for now. Seems sensible to me. Until it’s clear what the Greenland framework actually entails, and whether it credibly takes coercive US tariffs off the table, Europe would be unwise to put that leverage away.

Der Mechanismus ist bekannt: Gewalt & Militarisierung werden an den Grenzen eingeübt und normalisiert, die Bevölkerung an brutales Vorgehen & eine "harte Hand" gewöhnt, bis diese auch ins Innere der Gesellschaft und auf privilegierte Gruppen (weiße Protestant:innen, Staatsbürger:innen) ausgreifen.

X's AI tool Grok reportedly produced 3 million sexual deepfakes in 11 days - today the Commission reacted and opened another formal investigation into X under the Digital Services Act. Here is what the investigation is about ⬇️🧵 ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

📢 Announcement | We’re delighted to welcome Ulrike Sapiro as Managing Director of the Jacques Delors Friends of Europe Foundation. Her leadership will guide the integration of the foundations’ strengths, boosting our collective impact across Europe. #DelorsFoEFoundation

Ich war gestern Abend zu Gast bei Anke Plättner in der phoenix Runde zum Thema “Trump gegen Europa - Bietet Brüssel ihm die Stirn?“. Die ganze Diskussion mit Christoph Heugen (ehem. MSC), Julian Heissler (WiWo) und Paul Ronzheimer (Bild) gibt’s hier: www.phoenix.de/sendungen/ge...

You may have missed it amidst the chaos of the last few days, but there is a new high-level EU report in town: A Franco-German task force led by Jörg Kukies and Christian Noyer presented recommendations to tackle the scale-up financing gap. Here is what it says and why you should care about it.

Trump gegen Europa – bietet Brüssel ihm die Stirn? Gestern war @onethuthree.bsky.social zu Gast in der #phoenixrunde. Zusammen Paul Ronzheimer, Christoph Heusgen und Julian Heißler diskutierte sie über Europas Handlungsfähigkeit gegenüber Trump. Zum Nachschauen: www.phoenix.de/sendungen/ge...

Heute Abend 🙋🏻‍♀️

Both in traditional and social media I see three competing narratives what made Trump change course on Greenland: - threat of EU action (Pressure strategy) - successful Rutte & Co diplomacy (Daddy strategy) - Markets & internal pushback (Work with Congress & markets strategy)

As great powers abandon rules and values for their own interests, middle powers like Canada have a choice: compete with each other for favour or act together with impact.

Unlike Omnibus, where MEPs were split clearly along party lines to deliver on deregulation pushed especially by EPP leaders, on Mercosur, MEPs are acting more as a corrective mechanism for their own member state being outvoted in Council. An unpredictable force either way

In a way, the European Parliament has killed or at least suspended two major trade deals today - for good reasons, with the US, and (in my view), for bad reasons, with Mercosur. If anything, at least shows the relevance of the European Parliament in EU trade policy.

📢 Call for nominations for the Henrik #EnderleinPrize! We are looking to honour an excellent early-or mid-career 🇪🇺 researcher in the social sciences. 🗓️ Deadline: 20 March bit.ly/4hafVqI @delorsberlin.bsky.social

9️⃣ What should the EU do now? If Trump doubles down and imposes tariffs on 1 Feb in response to troops stationed in Greenland, the EU should invoke the ACI. The instrument does not mandate escalation but it anchors future responses in a framework that allows for flexibility as the conflict evolves

🧵 Trump’s Greenland brinkmanship puts the EU’s Anti-Coercion Instrument back on the table. Few cases fit economic coercion more cleanly. But the ACI is often misunderstood. It’s not a bazooka, but a slow-loading cannon, able to fire anything from heavy shells to hot air. Here’s how it works ⬇️

1/ So, should the EU retaliate against Trump's Greenland tariff threats? There are roughly three schools of thought, each progressively more interesting than the last. A brief tour through the logic of escalation and deterrence: 🧵

Feels like something cracked today in the transatlantic alliance. Europeans have been swallowing their pride, bitting their tongues, and bending the knee. That strategy may have bought them time but it has now clearly failed. It also had a major cost - it has made the WH think Europe will cave. 1/

Introducing: EU to go on the rocks, unser neues Abendformat in Kooperation mit @politico.eu! Zum Auftakt am 20. Januar um 18 Uhr blicken @onethuthree.bsky.social (JDC) und Oliver Noyan (Politico) auf das erste Jahr der Kommission von der Leyen II. Jetzt anmelden 👉 www.delorscentre.eu/de/veranstal...

Unser EU to go-Frühstück - am 20.1. nun auch als Abendformat in Kooperation mit @politico.eu! Bei Wein&Snacks statt Espresso&Croissants ziehen Oliver Noyan und ich eine Machtbilanz des ersten Jahres der zweiten VdL-Amtszeit und schauen auf 2026. Kommt vorbei! www.delorscentre.eu/de/veranstal...

Wir suchen Verstärkung für unser Presse- und Kommunikationsteam bei @delorsberlin.bsky.social! Deadline am 1. Februar, früher bewerben lohnt sich: hertie-school.dvinci-easy.com/en/p/en/jobs...

🎧 Kritischer Rohstoff für die Ohren: Zum Wochenende bespricht @onethuthree.bsky.social in einer neuen Folge des EU to go-Podcast mit @aleichthammer.bsky.social die wirtschaftlichen Abhängigkeiten der #EU und das Potential der #ReSourceEU Initiative. Jetzt reinhören 👉 open.spotify.com/episode/72Ih...

1/ This year revealed how the EU's critical raw materials dependence has become an economic security vulnerability. ReSourceEU is the EU’s most serious attempt yet to remedy this. To end the year, I dive into what it does and whether it can shift the trajectory: www.delorscentre.eu/en/publicati...

As Donald Tusk’s rhetoric increasingly echoes Orbán, WOJCIECH ZOMERSKI sounds a warning for democratic restoration: No force is immune to populism’s temptations, including those who claim to rescue us from it. verfassungsblog.de/populism-pol...

How do the German government's clean competitiveness policies fit with the agenda in Brussels? I shared a few thoughts in this short interview with Clean Energy Wire on the priorities of the German coalition, and what they imply for the EU's initiatives scheduled for 2026👇

The Commission’s new Democracy Shield🛡️raised high expectations but proposes mostly additions to existing frameworks rather than attempt innovation. 👇In my new policy brief out today, I analyse the Commission’s newest democracy strategy. 1/🧵 www.delorscentre.eu/en/publicati...

"If you don't support the far-right, you need to get much better at selling your vision for the EU." 📺 Rewatch our online panel with @georginaewright.bsky.social, Daniela Schwarzer, @shahinvallee.bsky.social and @onethuthree.bsky.social following the #PariserPlatzDialogue.👉 youtu.be/4TGVw3pkY8Y?...

🥐 Das letzte EU to go-Frühstück des Jahres steht an! Am Mi., 17.12. um 8:30 Uhr geht es um das EU-Autopaket und die europäische Autoindustrie. Mit dabei: Unser Co-Direktor @nilsredeker.bsky.social & Senior Policy Fellow @jannikjansen.bsky.social. Jetzt anmelden 👉 www.delorscentre.eu/en/events-at...

“I am not opposed to any discussion about the future of our [ECHR] system,” the President said. “But such a discussion must not be driven by political spectacle, by populism or by the pursuit of short-term gains. It requires calm reflection, depth and intellectual honesty.” #ECHR #migration

EU clean tech is under pressure: in the US, the phaseout of green subsidies dampens EU exports and Trump's tariffs re-direct trade, while Chinese over-capacities create very tough price competition. Our new policy brief shows how these drivers interact - and what the EU should do in response (1/4)

Still buzzing from our Pariser Platz Dialogue last week. If you also haven’t had enough and want to continue the discussion, join us today at 14:00 for the public panel with @dschwarzer.bsky.social, @shahinvallee.bsky.social and @georginaewright.bsky.social: www.delorscentre.eu/en/events-at...

I think the reinterpretation of the ECHR they seek has been clarified elsewhere: less protection for "the wrong people" (sic!), incl. a limitation of the scope of protection under art. 8 (right to private and family life) and art. 3 (prohibition of torture and degrading treatment). It's dystopian.