“The Brexit trade deal is no frictionless uncoupling” By John Bruton, courtesy Centre for European Policy Studies The Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and the UK is an exercise in damage limitation. The UK’s decision to leave the EU, the Customs Union and the Single Market, means it will face numerous obstacles. […]
Economic recovery after COVID-19 requires a clear vision for a healthy banking sector By Alexander Lehmann and Reiner Martin, courtesy of the Bruegel Institute The end of payment holidays and the winding-down of public support schemes in the post-COVID-19 recovery will expose large stocks of non-performing loans (NPLs). European Central Bank estimates, based on earlier […]
“Not all foreign investment is welcome in Europe” By Julia Anderson, courtesy of the Bruegel Institute Imagine that the Tour de France allowed non-French competitors, and only non-French competitors, to use performance-enhancing drugs. Now imagine these rules were changed to ban the use of drugs for all competitors. It would surely make for a […]
“State of the Rule of Law in the EU: EU’s limited options against democratic erosion in Hungary and Poland” By Aneta Navrátilová, courtesy of Europeum At the end of September, the European Commission published an EU-wide law report on the rule of law situation in the European Union. It is a very first report […]
“EU foreign policy needs ’embedded’ differentiation” By Giovanni Grevi, courtesy of the European Policy Centre When it comes to EU foreign policy, the trade-off between unanimity and effectiveness is real. Differentiated cooperation could offer a way forward. But member states should design it in such a way that it is as embedded as possible […]
“The MFF recovery plan breaks with a fundamental taboo” By Jorge Núñez Ferrer, courtesy of CEPS The European Commission has presented a proposal to amend the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2021-27 of the EU budget – integrating a recovery plan as a post-Covid response. Many elements of the plan are clearly in line with the […]
“ECB calls for European Integration via a Common Fiscal Policy Response” By Gordon Kerr, Cavin O’Driscoll and Enrico Colombatto, courtesy of IREF ECB President Lagarde announced a keenly awaited new policy statement on April 30th. There was to be no increase to the Euros 750 billion Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme (PEPP), but the economic […]
“The consequences of the Covid-19 lockdown: what does history teach us?” By Sergio Beraldo, courtesy of IREF Last February, this website hosted an article titled “The unintended consequences of coronavirus”. At the time the article was published, the situation was not at all dramatic in Europe. For example, the official Covid-19 […]
By Jannike Wachowiak, courtesy of the European Policy Centre By running down the clock and refusing to ask for an extension, Boris Johnson’s hope seems to be to secure concessions from the EU at the last minute. This form of brinkmanship is likely to backfire and increases the chance of no deal. Why an […]
“Ten questions and answers on the Franco-German proposal” By Jürgen Matthes, courtesy of IW Koeln Germany and France have proposed a European Recovery Fund of €500 billion, based on large loans taken out by the EU to be transferred exclusively as grants to EU member states particularly affected by the COVID-19 crisis. The legal […]