European commission

European Union debt financing: leeway and barriers from a legal perspective

The paper investigates the legal feasibility of the EU borrowing on the capital market to finance European public goods.

Competition with politicisation is not competition, it’s harmful protectionism

The European Union should reaffirm the principle that undue interference in competition enforcement is protectionism that has negative effects.

Making sense of the European Commission’s fiscal governance reform plan

This Policy Brief offers proposals to enhance institutional self-commitment to implementation, with reputational consequences for non-implementation.

The unjustified campaign against the nomination of Fiona Scott Morton

Critics argue that her US citizenship and previous work for US tech giants might undermine Brussels’s efforts to tackle big-tech market power.

The Listing Act: no more than a minor boost to EU equity markets

Streamlining of the company listing process is welcome, but more fundamental reform is needed to revive the European Union’s flagging equity markets.

Between a rock and a hard place: the EU response to national import bans on Ukrainian grain

The European Commission had to choose between imperfect alternatives because of frontline state backlash against massive Ukrainian grain imports.

Net Zero Industry Act

Testimony before the S&D ITRE Working Group at the European Parliament.

The rising cost of European Union borrowing and what to do about it

Interest rates on the EU debt have risen substantially since 2022: what are the main drivers and implications and what to do about it?

The age of competition in generative artificial intelligence has begun

Competition in generative artificial intelligence spurs disruptive, potentially beneficial innovations, but not without costs and risks.

The EU Recovery and Resilience Facility falls short against performance-based funding standards

The rules and guidance underpinning EU economic recovery funds seek inputs and outputs, not results; this has led to uneven use of results indicators

The unbecoming rivalry at the heart of the EU

A battle of egos between Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel is putting the EU’s post-pandemic solidarity at risk.

Assessing Europe’s strategy on critical raw materials

What role do critical raw materials play in the EU’s industrial policy?

The Net-Zero Industry Act puts EU credibility at risk

The EU Net-Zero Industry Act looks like it’s been set up to keep everyone happy – and to achieve limited results.

Concessional climate finance: the Bridgetown Initiative

Five lessons from the Recovery and Resilience Facility for future crisis-response instruments

Presented as a new departure in EU policy-making, the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) is now in its second year of implementation.

NextGenerationEU: an underused facility?

The RRF has great potential to become an instrument for ‘insuring’ EU countries against common shocks.