While some have internalized its company line as being a benevolent non-profit organization, to others it is little more than the playground for the managerial class.
Tristan Vanheuckelom —
European Commission
The discussion between Ursula von der Leyen and Viktor Orbán on May 9th lasted throughout the afternoon and continued into the evening.
Hélène de Lauzun —
Weak armies, illegal immigration, debt, energy dependence, and unbalanced trade are all undermining the European nation-state, argues Juan Ángel Soto Gómez.
Juan Ángel Soto Gómez —
While the forecast for inflation-adjusted growth has been downgraded, predictions of inflation remain elevated. A preliminary estimate suggests that euro-zone inflation reached 7.5% in April. Despite this, inflation in the currency area “is projected at 6.1% in 2022, before falling to 2.7% in 2023.”
Sven R. Larson —
The Valneva CEO does not intend to give up, as he explains that he regularly receives a very large number of requests from Europeans looking for a traditional vaccine solution against the COVID-19 virus.
Hélène de Lauzun —
Of the hundreds of proposals that emerged from the Conference, none are surprising, since they largely reiterate the already-underway progressive agenda.
Bridget Ryder —
Experts warn that cutting off Russian oil imports will increase the price of gasoline for European consumers. They also caution that delayed onset of the sanctions will only give Russia time to sell its oil elsewhere before losing European business, weakening the effects of the sanctions.
Bridget Ryder —
Following Viktor Orbán’s victory at the Hungarian elections, the EU has launched its “budget conditionality procedure” which could lead to EU funds being withheld from Hungary. While Hungarian opposition leaders welcome this move, the government speaks of a “witch hunt.”
David Boos —
One of the key elements of the DSA is the additional requirements for VLOPs. The likes of Google, Facebook, and Amazon will have to conduct an annual risk assessment analysis; failure to comply will be punishable by hefty fines.
Bridget Ryder —
The first generation of human rights promulgation after World War II sought to guarantee freedoms to the individual against the state. Now, we are in a situation where we are suppressing other rights, such as the right to freedom of expression, in the name of the “right to a safe environment.”
Jan Gregor —
Questions of bias by European institutions towards Hungary become obvious, given the timing. Ursula von der Leyen’s decision to accelerate the procedure following Orbán’s electoral triumph on Sunday, April 3rd, could easily be seen as sanctions.
Hélène de Lauzun —
On April 7th, the EU Parliament voted to place an embargo on Russian oil, gas, and nuclear fuel, which was closely followed by a EU Commission ban on its coal exports. Meanwhile, the UN General Assembly suspended the country from its Human Rights Council.
Tristan Vanheuckelom —
To combat the disruptions in the agricultural sector, the European Commission has proposed €500 million in direct payments to farmers from the EU’s budget and allowing individual countries to complement this support by up to 200%.
Bridget Ryder —
A coalition of 36 MEPs spanning the entirety of the Left-Right spectrum have signed onto an initiative which, among other things, calls for the immediate resignation of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who’s accused of playing a central role in a “gigantic Covid-19 scientific fraud.”
Robert Semonsen —
Since the beginning of the conflict, the treatment of news on Russia Today television network has differed significantly from other media. Several European countries have already taken measures against the channel.
Hélène de Lauzun —
Bismarck succeeded, by a combination of chicanery and bullying in uniting Germany militarily, legally, and culturally in the image of Prussia. Subtract the military element, and the EU seems to have been trying to do the same thing to Poland, albeit using more subtle methods.
Andrew Tettenborn —
The ECJ handed down the much-anticipated ruling on denying EU countries EU money. Significantly, the pronouncement was broadcast live in Hungarian and Polish, indicating how ground-breaking ruling is considered. The court denied all of Poland and Hungary’s grievances, but the fight over rule of law has just truly begun.
Bridget Ryder —
The EU Commission has called for swift adoption of its proposed extension before the certificate expires June 30th, 2022. If approved, the system would remain in place until June of 2023.
Tristan Vanheuckelom —
As long as the SMS messages between Ursula von den Leyen and Pfizer potentially concern EU policies and decisions, they should be treated as EU documents, and as such, made available to the public.
Hélène de Lauzun —
Relations between Poland and European institutions have deteriorated considerably in recent months, leading to an increase in legal disputes between the two parties. On January 19th, Poland received a formal payment order from the European Commission for €69 million, with a payment obligation within 45 days.
Hélène de Lauzun —
Thankfully, the authors of the European Economic and Financial System plan had the wisdom to include an executive summary. After all, there’s no way anyone’s going to read the whole thing. And we don’t have to read the whole thing because it’s obvious. As we all irresistibly jump on the bandwagon, we will learn that planned capitalism is the answer.
Todd Huizinga —
Many EU countries support a green designation for nuclear power. France has made nuclear energy the pillar of carbon-neutral energy production, and Czechia and Hungary also rely heavily on nuclear energy. Germany opposes this, but approves of a green label for natural gas as a transition energy.
Bridget Ryder —
In it, von der Leyen seeks to ameliorate the EU’s relationship with the Pope after a proposed internal directive for EU officials not to use Christian language was leaked, causing outcry across Europe. The document has since been withdrawn.
Tristan Vanheuckelom —
There is an ethical case to be made against vaccine mandates. It is far from straightforward, and it requires careful reasoning and methodical analysis. This conversation would be centered around the question about the role of government in our lives.
Sven R. Larson —
Discriminating against Christians and banishing religion from the public sphere isn’t “a politically advantageous move since this attitude can push Catholics towards populist parties,” warns the Archbishop of Luxembourg.
Robert Semonsen —
More of a mission statement by each world leader than an actual in-depth discussion of the topic, some of the core themes at the summit addressed the strengthening of their own democracies, safeguarding rights and freedoms, and promoting egalitarianism wherever possible. Threats posed by ‘authoritarianism,’ ‘populism,’ and ‘fake news’ were common throughout.
Tristan Vanheuckelom —
The proliferation of apps and online platforms where anyone can sign up to provide services ranging from food delivery to language classes has brought attention to the ‘gig economy,’ along with its advantages and disadvantages.
Bridget Ryder —
“We know that Europe owes its existence and its identity to many influences, but we certainly cannot forget that one of the main influences, if not the main one, was Christianity itself,” Cardinal Parolin said.
If the EC and ECJ are to have general power of competence, then the EU becomes not about the pooling of sovereignty but about the removal of sovereignty of the member states.
Krzysztof Mularczyk —
The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, said on Thursday that under no circumstances will the bloc negotiate with the Lukashenko regime over the future of migrants stranded along the Polish-Belarusian border.
“We don’t want nuclear energy, we don’t consider it sustainable, and we don’t want the EU to support it either,” German minister told newspapers.
A new mechanism would allow the EU to suspend payments to its member countries if they seem to breach rule-of-law.
Despite the challenges it faces, the U.S. is still the best option to help maintain the age-old balance of national identity and power.
Michael O'Shea —
The issue here is not Eastern Europe vs. Western Europe, or even traditionalist Europe versus progressive Europe. The issue is preserving real cultural diversity within a European Union.
Brandon Zicha, Joes Gordon de Natris —
European gas prices have rocketed by more than 300% this year.
EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen called for more independence in digital technology, defence, and a global investment programme.
Official relations with the Taliban would only come about if the group meets specific conditions.
EU Commission dismisses the European Parliament’s call for action.
The European Commission has decided to launch an investigation on the Pegasus Project. An investigative consortium formed by Forbidden Stories, Amnesty International and 17 media organisations revealed on Sunday that at least 10 governments had allegedly employed military spyware for illegal surveillance of journalists, lawyers, businessmen and members of civil society, Euractiv.com reports. “We are […]
The European Commission launched three proceedings against Hungary and Poland over what it sees as violations of fundamental rights of LGBTIQ+ people, leaving Budapest and Warsaw two months to respond to its concerns, Euractiv.com reports. The Commission said it considers Budapest’s new controversial legislative bans on “promoting or portraying” homosexuality or sex reassignment to minors […]
The European Commission reviewed the EU’s energy and climate law, aiming to cut carbon emissions by 55% before the end of the decade and initiate a decisive break away from fossil fuels. At the centre of the reform is a review of the bloc’s carbon market, the emissions trading scheme (EU ETS), which puts a […]
Not all the ideas that public intellectuals have are valuable. Far from it. For ideas to have value they must be based upon and capable of being tested by experience. Too often, they are not.
Frits Bolkestein —