European commission

Assessing the Ecofin compromise on fiscal rules reform

The compromise reached by the Ecofin Council is imperfect. But it is still a big step forward.

The benefits of bringing the Western Balkans into the European Semester

Integrating the Western Balkan countries into the European Union’s European Semester process is both feasible and desirable.

When will the European Union finally get the budget it needs?

The EU budget needs radical reform, but certain conditions must be in place for it to succeed.

The limits of the effectiveness of EU sanctions on Russia

Rule of law rules future European Union enlargement

Clearer rule of law standards are needed to prevent strategic use of corruption in both enlargement countries and the current EU.

What will it cost the European Union to pay its economic recovery debt?

Servicing the EU debt until 2058 seems feasible, despite increased borrowing costs, but member countries must make choices about budget funding

Europe’s strategic challenge

The EU should pursue ‘gradual and pragmatic federalism,’ underpinned by essential governance reform.

European Union grain imports from Ukraine: the right decision and a cynical rebellion

The European Commission was right to let restrictive measures on Ukrainian grain lapse, but the decision has had negative side-effects.

Making the most of Europe’s anti-subsidy probe into Chinese electric vehicles

The EU anti-subsidy investigation into EVs from China is a reminder of the need for a new EU green industrial policy strategy.

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.