Mamma Mia. To placate the farm lobby, the EPP is considering an amendment that would scupper the entire EU budget reform. If agri gets an exemption from the EU budget overhaul, social and other spending categories follow and modernisation goes out the window. A EPP disaster in the making.

The Conservatives in the European Parliament appear to be preparing a resolution to reject the Commission’s proposal for the next EU budget. At this point, that could kill the entire package - and would be an incredibly self-defeating move.

Pünktlich zum langen Wochenende ist die neue EU to go-Folge da, die letzte mit unserem jetzt ehemaligen Direktor @lindnerjs.bsky.social. Es geht um die große Frage: Hat Europa eine Seele? Braucht es eine neue europäische Erzählung -und wenn ja, wer kann sie erzählen? open.spotify.com/episode/3GSM...

This week, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by @ftm.eu on malign foreign influencing strategies and EU’s response to it. You can find the full interview by @alistairkeepe.bsky.social (and featuring some very nice office pictures by @albacita.bsky.social) here www.ftm.eu/articles/int...

“We need a Jacques Delors Plan 2.0”, says German Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister @larsklingbeil.bsky.social in his Europe speech at @delorsberlin.bsky.social @hertieschool.bsky.social

Europe cannot afford to treat its values as expendable. Each concession to the far right corrodes democracy at home and erodes its credibility abroad. By reducing principles to luxuries, Europe risks losing not just its dignity but political agency. New op-ed with @onethuthree.bsky.social

Driven by fear of the far right, the EU is losing its compass, whether on migration, climate or Gaza. By undermining its own principles, Europe weakens its global position and risks losing not just dignity but political agency. With @jannikjansen.bsky.social: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

“The more the German industry continues to focus on phasing out niche technologies […] the easier it becomes for Chinese companies to expand their lead in batteries and new electronic vehicle architectures.” Remarkable op-ed by former VW boss Herbert Diess. www.wiwo.de/unternehmen/...

If true, we might as well bury the concept of rule of law conditionality. The EU cannot keep letting itself be blackmailed by Orbán into unfreezing funds withheld over rule of law violations in exchange for lifting his veto, unless it truly wants to lose all credibility as a guardian of EU values

Draghi, one year after his report, still not mincing words on EU industrial policy: “Europe’s response has fallen into two traps: uncoordinated national efforts, or blind faith that market forces will build new sectors.” Amen!

Very much looking forward to be speaker at the European Rule of Law Conference 2025 today. Join us at 18.15h for a discussion on the future of rule of law conditionality, if you’re around! @jakubjaraczewski.bsky.social

Last week, the French government announced an extra €1,000 bonus for EVs with batteries made in Europe. Another data point that “buy European” is picking up some real traction this fall. www.ecologie.gouv.fr/presse/augme...

1/ New report from @bentleyallan.bsky.social's Net Zero Policy Lab: As the US withdraws from green tech industries and pressures allies to follow suit, China is stepping in to power the developing world's energy transition. The scale is staggering. www.netzeropolicylab.com/china-green-...

Wie erklärt man die EU einem Millionenpublikum? Wie unterscheidet sich die Berichterstattung aus Brüssel und Berlin? Und was erwarten unsere EU-Partner von DE? Darüber spreche ich mit Markus Preiß, Leiter des ARD-Hauptstadtstudios & langjähriger Brüssel-Journalist: open.spotify.com/episode/2vGZ...

Jetzt anmelden für unser nächstes EU to go am 19.9. zu "Reif für Reformen - Was muss Europas Haushalt jetzt leisten?" Mit @lindnerjs.bsky.social, @nilsredeker.bsky.social und @romyha.bsky.social. www.delorscentre.eu/de/veranstal...

If it were not so sad, it would be entertaining: Brussels and Berlin blame today’s car sector crisis on regulation that only bites in 2035—while Germany has already lost half its net car exports. Missing a forest of nine million by staring at a tree.

Jetzt auch auf Deutsch: Gemeinsam haben @romyha.bsky.social, @nilsredeker.bsky.social, @lindnerjs.bsky.social und @eulaliarubio.bsky.social den Haushaltsvorschlag der Kommission analysiert und vier Prinzipien für die anstehenden Verhandlungen entwickelt 👉 www.delorscentre.eu/de/publikati... #MFR

The German scientific advisory board for economics published its take on EU industrial policy. Unfortunately, its conclusions are off the mark on three important issues: the appropriate role of the EU-level, the self-sufficiency of ETS, and declaring sectors as 'strategic'. Thread 🧵 (1/n)

Some institutional news from the @delorsberlin.bsky.social‬: I’m very sad to see Johannes Lindner’s leave of absence come to an end as he returns to the ECB. 1/3

I just published a chapter on "US-China Relations and the Competitive Turn of Green Industrial Policymaking" in this volume on climate policy (thanks @matpaterson.bsky.social and @stacydvandeveer.bsky.social!) Since the book went to press, developments have validated my core arguments. 1/

1/ This EU-US deal delay is exactly what I expected. The headlines in July were all about the big announcement. Tariff ceilings, energy commitments, a "deal" with the EU. But as predicted, the real fights were just getting started. buff.ly/BiGPnUS

📢 New Publication 📢 📄 Review article in Nature Climate Change It examines how resistance to climate policy is reshaping politics & why populist right parties are the main beneficiaries? (with Valentina Bosseti, Italo Colantone & Giorgio Musto) Short 🧵 🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Highly recommended!

Mit @sinanrecber.bsky.social vom @tspbackground.bsky.social habe ich ein längeres Gespräch zu den Baustellen des EU-Haushalts, den neuen Vorschlag der EU-Kommission und die wichtigsten Leitplanken für den kommenden Verhandlungsmarathon geführt. background.tagesspiegel.de/energie-und-...

Almost 100 days in, more than two-thirds (67%) are unhappy with Merz' performance as chancellor For comparison: around same mark of the traffic light coalition, almost three-quarters (73%) thought Scholz was doing a good job (slightly different question wording: presseportal.zdf.de/pressemittei...)

Thoughts on Europe’s predicament. The tariff debacle is bad as submissions go, but we’re fighting trade wars on two fronts: China’s Second Shock is on us. Yet European elites are in denial & we lack policy responses at every level @sandertordoir.bsky.social cristinacaffarra.blog/2025/08/12/t...

Eine wirklich außerordentlich erhellende Studie von @dianebolet.bsky.social und @florianfoos.bsky.social, die zeigt, wie Sichtbarkeit von extrem rechten Politiker*innen in Interviews wirkt und dass die Kritik, so etwas normalisiere deren Positionen, eine sachliche Grundlage hat.

What started in March with European Council conclusions seems to have become new practice. Today's statement on Ukraine by EU leaders has, once again, been adopted without Hungary: "Hungary does not associate itself with this Statement." www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/pre...

"'One key lesson from the deal with the US is that the EU still hasn’t found its strategic footing in a rapidly changing trade landscape,' @nilsredeker.bsky.social said. 'And for now, the same goes for its approach to China.'" - via @euractiv.com 👉 www.euractiv.com/section/econ... #trade #tariffs

Europeans never understood how important the extension of IRA credits to leased vehicles built in Europe (and South Kore) were. A lot of EVs are leased not bought as the market matures - including luxury ones (hello Germany).

Stunning chart from a great paper by @joseph-s-shapiro.bsky.social: the IRA’s “leasing loophole” - which let foreign-made EVs qualify for tax credits - sent US leasing numbers soaring. EU exporters were likely among the main winners - and will be among the first to feel the hit as the IRA unravels.

This is insane. Queue the point that I keep on banging on about: tariff negotiations with Trump are not a one-time occasion (and there is no such thing as a deal yet). His last sentence on pharma being excluded from 15% ceiling will bring some renewed worries to EU (and especially Ireland).

The UK will become a prime market for Chinas surpluses as London keeps the gates open. European firms and other exporters to the UK should brace for losing a sizeable chunk of UK demand. www.ft.com/content/e05d...

I hope the Commission made it clear that the €600 billion figure of course refers to current prices - and that most of it will be mobilised through EIB loans, with a leverage ratio of approximately 1:19.

New piece from me @euractiv.com arguing that both in defence and trade, European leaders are willing to let Trump get the win, making Europe's humiliation part of a comms strategy. But even if the losses are smaller under the surface, the perception of humilation still comes at a great cost:

This is unlikely to end well…. There is no EU facility which can disburse any - any! - money to Trump for him to invest or spend as he pleases. The level of basic understanding at the highest level in the US is pretty staggering.

The Commission just approved a €11bn French state aid scheme to support offshore wind. Competitive bidding, direct price support via two-way CfDs, and resilience criteria to curb reliance on Chinese tech. This is the way. ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

Would also agree with Bloomberg opinion on this one: “Meanwhile, the other front of Europe’s trade war — China — is getting worse.” With more quiet on the Trump front, it’s urgent time for Merz and the other EU leaders to shift attention to the other trade war.

Just a few weeks to go before the EU dives into what will likely be a bruising battle over its next budget. @romyha.bsky.social, @eulaliarubio.bsky.social, @lindnerjs.bsky.social l and I took a closer look at the Commission’s proposal. We think successful negotiations now hinge on four things:

🧵 In the trade world, this week was a rather hectic one. The Turnberry outcome underline the fact that negotiations with Trump are not one-off events but an ongoing process. A fact that undermines the idea that this week has brought stability.

Still lots to digest from the #MFF proposal, but with the colleagues from @delorsberlin.bsky.social we crunched the numbers, shared views & came up with a joint assessment and recommendations on how to move on, Check out this great summary by @nilsredeker.bsky.social 👇 @delorsinstitute.bsky.social

Essential reading for everyone working on anything EU - the budget isn't everything, but everything depends on it.

Incredible effort by my colleagues, not just crunching the incredibly confusing data and making it comprehensible, but offering four principles the drawn-out negotiations should follow

Worth looking into not just for budget nerds - your favourite EU policy (and a lot out there in real life) depends on getting this right. Great job to the team for making this complicated stuff accessible.

The initial fuss over the COM’s MFF proposal has been digested - but the bargaining is only just beginning. In a new policy brief, @nilsredeker.bsky.social, @eulaliarubio.bsky.social, @lindnerjs.bsky.social and I take a closer look at the figures and the direction the negotiations should now take.

Just a few weeks to go before the EU dives into what will likely be a bruising battle over its next budget. @romyha.bsky.social, @eulaliarubio.bsky.social, @lindnerjs.bsky.social l and I took a closer look at the Commission’s proposal. We think successful negotiations now hinge on four things:

The EU debate on the automotive sector is clouded by a lot of confusion over what is actually going wrong. @jannikjansen.bsky.social has a fantastic new piece that provides a much-needed guide to unmuddling the picture!

Europe’s car industry may have just dodged a +25% US tariff – but this is no reason to relax. Deep structural challenges remain, and the EU lacks a common diagnosis for fixing them. My new policy paper argues that a coherent EU strategy needs to rest on three uncomfortable truths: 🧵

Neue EU to go-Folge ist raus! Mit @luisequaritsch.bsky.social und @philippdarius.bsky.social sprechen wir über die Macht von sozialen Medien und wie die EU mit dem Digital Services Act (DSA) den demokratischen Kurs online zu schützen versucht: open.spotify.com/episode/2JrS...

15% tariffs, breaches of WTO rules, more tech dependency – the US deal is a far cry from what the EU wanted. This was not a one-off accident, but exposes longstanding structural weaknesses in EU trade policy that will affect any future negotiation. My analysis🧵 bst-europe.eu/economy-secu...