@aslak.bsky.social, @elisabettaco.bsky.social and @sandertordoir.bsky.social discuss where the EU stands one year after the landmark #Draghi report in the latest #CERpodcast. Listen to the episode here: buff.ly/OQj4J9S

📅 JOIN US - 29/9/25 - Brussels: @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social/ Kreab breakfast on 'The European agrifood sector: Sustainability, competitiveness and global trade' with @christophehansen.bsky.social Email: [email protected] for info and registration

🎙️ Where does the EU stand one year after the #Draghi report? @aslak.bsky.social, @elisabettaco.bsky.social and @sandertordoir.bsky.social discussed this and much more on the latest episode of the #CERpodcast.🎙️ Listen here:

@centreeuropeanref.bsky.social is looking for a technology fellow to join its research team. Please see the #job description and details on how to apply below 👇 LAST WEEK for applications - deadline 19/09/25 buff.ly/fzZIO6z

It was a pleasure to dissect the energy and climate bits in Ursula von der Leyen's State of the EU speech with @kirataylor.bsky.social. My main points 🧵

The EU long championed the idea of "responsibility to protect": that bystander countries should act to prevent atrocities such as genocide happening elsewhere. It instructed its diplomats on what to watch for and what to do. So what went wrong? My piece: www.irishtimes.com/world/europe...

A great opportunity to join our excellent team. If you've come back from your summer holidays feeling that you want a new challenge, this job at @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social could be just what you're looking for.

"In 1st-best world of free trade and market competition, the dynamism of the US approach should win every time. In the current 2nd-best world of protectionism and economic statecraft, China’s planned approach still carries significant costs, but the benefits are also easier to discern."

Great article: "the fires we’re seeing are the result of decades of rural exodus and the absence of forest management". And: "Prevention ... means creating diverse landscapes, felling trees to create fire breaks, and developing a rural policy that ensures farmers and shepherds can make a living."

It seems that in MAGA America, some clean techs - linear generators, geothermal energy, fuel cells, nuclear power - are more appealing than others: "A new wave of clean-energy innovation is building. Donald Trump’s attacks on wind and solar will not stop it" www.economist.com/business/202...

The CER economics team is hiring a tech expert. If you EU tech policy is your bread and butter, and you want to shape the debate from a leading European think tank, apply and join us! Deadline: September 19.

Since 1990, carbon intensity of industry in EU candidate countries has come down, but in 2022 it remains well above the EU-27 average in most candidate countries. New @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social insight by @elisabettaco.bsky.social Read here: buff.ly/Y8tFQy9

Great story from Nepal electrifying its car fleet. Also file under: Chinese EVs as a source of geopolitical might. The Country Where 76% of Cars Sold Are Electric www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/b...

Coal-reliant power generation makes the power industry the main source of greenhouse gas emissions in the vast majority of EU candidate countries. New @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social insight by @elisabettaco.bsky.social Read here: buff.ly/Y8tFQy9

Implementing a gradually increasing national or regional carbon price in candidate countries would be a stepping stone towards joining the EU #ETS. New @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social insight by @elisabettaco.bsky.social Read here: buff.ly/Y8tFQy9

Carbon pricing is a work-in-progress among EU candidate countries: few have already implemented it, and progress in establishing the regulatory framework to join the EU ETS is slow. New @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social insight by @elisabettaco.bsky.social Read here: buff.ly/Y8tFQy9

Integrating EU candidate countries into the EU ETS would incentivise them to decarbonise their emissions-intensive electricity mix and heavy industries. New @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social insight by @elisabettaco.bsky.social Read here: buff.ly/Y8tFQy9

This promises to be an excellent discussion with @cerianbond.bsky.social and @armida.bsky.social !

Integrating candidate countries in the energy union means bringing into the EU electricity market a region with great potential for renewable energy. New @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social insight by @elisabettaco.bsky.social Read here: buff.ly/pnzWUnR

Candidate countries must align with the EU acquis in three main areas: liberalisation of the energy market, security of supply & renewable energy & energy efficiency. @elisabettaco.bsky.social discusses their progress in a new @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social insight. Read here: buff.ly/pnzWUnR

Coal-fired power plants remain the main generators of electricity in much of the Western Balkans. New @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social insight by @elisabettaco.bsky.social Read here: buff.ly/pnzWUnR

New article out today, where I take stock of where EU candidate countries are in terms of energy policy, and argue that allowing them into the energy union sooner rather than later would benefit both them and the EU.

85% of EU citizens polled in #Eurobarometer consider climate change a serious global problem. 81% support the EU’s goal of reaching climate neutrality by 2050. So this ample support deserves policies that deliver on climate targets. What do those policies look like?

Military and financial support for Ukraine in the Donald Trump era. The numbers speak for themselves.

"The [DIA] report also said much of Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium was moved before the strikes, which destroyed little of the...material. Some...may have been moved to secret...sites" nytimes.com/2025/06/24/u...

This is a devastating conclusion if it is correct. "After the U.S. bombing run and days of attacks by the Israeli Air Force, the report by the Defense Intelligence Agency estimated that the program was delayed less than six months." www.nytimes.com/2025/06/24/u...

In a new @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social policy brief, @johnspringford.bsky.social‬ finds that many foreign workers needed for net zero will not meet the UK's new higher salary and skills thresholds for visas. Read here: buff.ly/E9eFpiH

Shameful. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

The elections in Poland and Romania will deliver little change, for now. But they raise a disconcerting question: can democracy survive if it is continuously on the ballot? @zecsaky.bsky.social‬ analyses what the results mean for the EU. 🇷🇴 🇵🇱 Read here: buff.ly/FejJVW1

"After sending millions of its impoverished citizens to the US and Latin America in the 19th and 20th centuries, Italy has struggled to reconcile with its current status as a magnet for foreign migrants, lured by its widening labour shortages." www.ft.com/content/401e...

Attempts of stars-and-stripes-washing for Nord Stream 2... after all the (ongoing) EU efforts to reduce dependency on Russian gas, who would fall for this? www.nytimes.com/2025/06/05/w...

Welcome to Europe’s Trumpageddon. Over the next five weeks, the continent must negotiate existential questions over its security, defence and economy with the mercurial US President, as officials fear being forced into a grand bargain that leaves Europe weaker and more vulnerable on.ft.com/3FF7h6g

Very good from @martinsandbu.ft.com, outlining not only the case for EU sanction on Israel, but also a concrete path on what they should focus on to maximise their impact in the absence of alignment with the US. High time.

I've been digesting the court ruling and here are the implications for Europe. The 'reciprocal' tariffs are out, so no more 10 per cent general tariff for all countries. Sectoral tariffs on autos and steel/aluminum still in place so this doesn't affect the US-UK 'deal'. For the EU though..1/x

With the dust settled, a couple of points about yesterday’s pivotal elections in Romania & round #1 in Poland. A huge sigh of relief for the EU in Bucharest and some worrying news from Warsaw. 🧵

In my latest piece for the CER I argue that for a real reset, the UK needs to reconsider its red lines, starting with freedom of movement. www.cer.eu/insights/eur...

📅 Join us - 21 May 25: @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social / Clifford Chance hybrid discussion on 'Can the EU reconcile regulation and growth?' with Mirzha De Manuel Aramandia @ec.europa.eu , Daniel Friedlaender @cciaeurope.bsky.social & @ursulawoodburn.bsky.social Email [email protected] for info

Can the EU reconcile regulation and growth? Join us next Wednesday in Brussels (or online) to discuss this over breakfast with an excellent set of panellists 👇

How can Europe get back to growth at a time of trade and geopolitical turmoil? Great thread from @sandertordoir.bsky.social, building upon the ever insightful discussion at the CER's yearly Ditchley conference. Full report here cer.eu/publications...

A great new CER paper from @johnspringford.bsky.social : most now agree that a better interconnected European power market is a more secure power market that delivers cheaper electricity. So how to make that happen? some ideas in the paper and thread below.

Well-worth reading from my colleague @zecsaky.bsky.social : when will an EU red line truly be a red line for Orban? there is more than enough ground to freeze EU funds towards Hungary.

@centreeuropeanref.bsky.social is looking for a defence expert to join its research team. Please see the #job description and details on how to apply below 👇 buff.ly/jy96HOs Deadline for applications 06/05/25 London or Brussels

Which country's clean-energy industries are hurt the most in Trump's tariff wars? Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

The energy mix and economy of EU candidate countries are generally more carbon intensive than those of the EU-27. Financial support is essential for new entrants to meet EU climate goals. New @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social insight by @elisabettaco.bsky.social Read here: buff.ly/K6mBZR9

EU spending has changed in recent decades, with funds for farm support falling & cohesion spending plateauing. Support for energy transition investments has risen, but with NGEU funds ending there is a risk investments will drop. New insight by @elisabettaco.bsky.social buff.ly/idrVswN

Under current rules, overall cohesion spending would increase by 7% following large-scale EU enlargement. At the same time, cohesion policy should become more performance-based, tying disbursements to reforms & concrete investments. New CER insight by @elisabettaco.bsky.social buff.ly/J8nBtXv

EU enlargement should prompt a rethink of the Common Agricultural Policy & cohesion policy. The CAP needs reforming to target smaller, needier farms and to tie transfers to sustainable production practices. New CER insight by @elisabettaco.bsky.social Read here: buff.ly/vp2qvik

It's sometimes argued that the EU can't afford to enlarge without radically changing who gets the money & for what. This excellent paper by my colleague @elisabettaco.bsky.social shows that's not the case - though some reforms should be made anyway, to ensure funds are used efficiently & fairly.

This is the 1st in a series of articles on the implications of EU #enlargement on cross-cutting EU policy issues (budget & institutions, cc @zecsaky.bsky.social) and on key energy & climate pol issues, ie the Energy Union and EU ETS. So if you are thinking about these questions as well, let's chat!

🌍💶 Really happy this insight is now out: as the discussion around the urgency of EU enlargement picks up steam, it's key to consider its implications for the EU budget in a cool-headed way.