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It sounds more and more like an incantation: The EU is on Ukraine‘s side for as long as necessary and whatever it takes to end Russia’s invasion, writes António Costa ahead of the summit in his first letter of invitation as Council President. The slogans in the draft conclusions are similar. Russia should not prevail, it says. Reference is made to the billions from the windfall profits from the blocked Russian state bank funds, which are set to flow in abundance again in 2025.
At the same time, there is increasingly open talk of scenarios should Donald Trump force Ukraine to the negotiating table immediately after taking office in January. Preparations for the US president’s comeback are also likely to be the subject of a side event that is causing an unpleasant mix-up in António Costa’s summit dramaturgy. The EU heads of state and government were actually supposed to dine with their colleagues from the candidate countries in the Western Balkans this evening before the actual summit. However, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has now invited a select group to a side summit: Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, and the British Foreign Secretary David Lammy are to consult with Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the Dutchman’s residence.
It is quite possible that the side event will cause disgruntlement among some. The topic at the NATO Secretary General’s residence is also additional military aid for the defense against Russian air attacks. However, Ukraine’s allies do not have much more in the pipeline. The focus is therefore likely to be on preparations for a possible peace conference, as well as the issue of security guarantees and European protection forces. Vladimir Putin may well see these contradictory signals as encouragement to continue his war of annihilation with even more determination.
Feature
Reporting obligations: How Germany wants to weaken the CSRD
The German government has submitted proposals to the EU Commission on how the sustainability reporting obligations for companies should be weakened. In the letter, which is exclusively available to Table.Briefings, they call for the CSRD Directive to be postponed by two years and for the group of addressees to be narrowed down. The paper was signed by Justice Minister Volker Wissing, Finance Minister Jörg Kukies, Economics Minister Robert Habeck, and Labor Minister Hubertus Heil.
With the letter to Finance Commissioner Maria Luís Albuquerque and Economic Affairs Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, the German government wants to influence the ongoing work of the EU Commission. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced a so-called omnibus law to bundle the ESG reporting obligations. The proposal is currently scheduled for the end of February.
The list contained in the ministers’ letter focuses primarily on the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). With this directive, the EU wants to gradually oblige around 50,000 companies across Europe to disclose extensive data. The CSRD is part of the Green Deal, which aims to make the continent climate-neutral by 2050.
Only large companies should have to report
The background to the initiative of the four ministers is that the CSRD reporting obligations have been criticized by many companies and associations as being too detailed and ambitious; the regulation would prevent actual innovation and create more bureaucracy, according to a widespread complaint. The former Minister of Justice, Marco Buschmann, had made no secret of the fact that he did not actually want to implement the CSRD in Germany.
Specifically, the ministers are now proposing these points:
- Postponement of reporting obligations for large companies. Companies that currently have to report from the financial year 2025 onwards will have to submit their report for the first time for the financial year 2027. In Germany, this would affect more than 13,000 companies. The suppliers of these companies would also benefit from the absence of a trickle-down effect, according to the letter. Smaller companies that have to report from 2026 onwards should also be given two years more time.
- Raising the definition of “large” companies. The paper proposes that the CSRD should be based on the criterion set out in the EU Supply Chain Directive (CSDDD). According to this, a large company is one that generates a net turnover of €450 million (and not €50 million as previously) and employs 1000 people (and not 250). This change would also reduce the number of companies that will soon be required to report.
- ESEF format for disclosure only. The EU wants companies to use the digital “European Single Electronic Format” when preparing their reports. The German government is now proposing that ESEF should only be prescribed for published reports. The format allows for a variety of links within documents and promises new insights into how sustainable a company already is. In recent months, however, even corporations and numerous associations have spoken out against the complex technology.
- Reduction of data points. According to the government, companies must collect more than 1000 selected data points for their reports. They should use this to prove how high their greenhouse gas emissions are or how much they contribute to the loss of biodiversity. This number should be “significantly reduced”, according to the paper. Specifically, it states that the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) could be replaced by the current draft standard, which applies to large SMEs. This would reduce the criteria by around half.
- Avoidance of additional taxonomy obligations. For example, the paper lists the “Green Asset Ratio” (GAR) in the financial sector, a ratio that, as of this year, is intended to show how large the sustainable share of a financial institution’s balance sheet total is. Banks have criticized this because the ratio does not enable suitable management of the transformation.
The CSRD came into force in the EU at the beginning of 2023 and the member states had until July 2024 to transpose it into national law. In Germany, the implementation law has been stuck in parliament since the end of the traffic light coalition, as there is no majority to pass the current draft. It is likely that the work on it will have to be taken over by the next federal government and the next Bundestag – and can therefore only be passed in the fall of 2025.
- KMU
- Nachhaltigkeitsberichterstattung
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Switzerland-EU: Negotiations are ‘on the home straight’
Actually, the Swiss government only has to approve the deal at its meeting on Friday. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wants to arrive in Bern on Saturday and announce the political agreement on the so-called package solution with binding rules for Swiss access to the EU internal market and the new market access agreement with President Viola Amherd. At least that is the plan. Because things have gone wrong with Switzerland before: in 2021, the Swiss government backed out at the last minute and left the negotiating table.
Hence the caution and reservations in Brussels until the very end: The EU Commissioner responsible, Maroš Šefčovič, informed the General Council on Tuesday about the status of the negotiations, but the Hungarian Presidency and the EU Commission subsequently kept a low profile. Final technical and political talks were still ongoing, but a conclusion before the end of the year was within reach. Minister of State Anna Lührmann, however, was “very optimistic” that things would work out. The negotiations are on the “home straight.”
Dispute over freedom of movement
The aim is similar to the failed framework agreement, but the package solution now being sought is much more comprehensive. For over ten years, the EU has made new single market agreements dependent on rules for dispute resolution and has also warned of an erosion of Switzerland’s sectoral access to the single market, which is based on a thicket of over 120 bilateral agreements. An arbitration tribunal is now to decide on disputes, with the ECJ having the last word when it comes to pure EU law. In addition, Switzerland is to dynamically adopt new EU laws in the future. The existing agreements are largely static as they stood at the end of the 1990s when the EU was still hoping for Switzerland’s full accession.
This time, the package also includes a new market access agreement for electricity as well as a health agreement, and an agreement on food safety. Until recently, the biggest hurdle was the free movement of persons, where Switzerland was able to push through exceptions, but also had to make concessions. Switzerland can no longer discriminate and must also grant EU citizens from the new member states permanent resident status after five years. However, this only applies to Europeans who have worked without interruption and have not received social assistance. In addition, Switzerland may continue to deport EU citizens who have committed serious crimes.
Immigration rules by arbitration tribunal
Switzerland also sought a safeguard clause in the negotiations in order to be able to limit the high net immigration from the EU above a certain level. Although the EU Commission rejected a unilateral safeguard clause, in view of the anti-immigration sentiment in Switzerland, it recently showed itself willing to accept a mechanism in which an arbitration tribunal would ultimately decide on the proportionality of restrictions. In return, the EU ensured that Switzerland would waive higher tuition fees for students from EU member states.
The electricity agreement is of great interest to the Swiss government in terms of grid stability and security of supply. However, some of the concessions are sensitive in terms of domestic policy. For example, Switzerland must liberalize its market and also grant households freedom of choice as the price for equal access to the EU’s internal electricity market.
Subsidy control in the electricity sector
Switzerland now has to set up a subsidy control system at national level, which has met with criticism from the cantons, which are often shareholders in electricity producers. From a German perspective, the state-financed reserve power plants and winter reserves have recently been problematic, as they are considered to distort competition. The transition periods and compensation payments for the Swiss long-term contracts with French nuclear power operators also had to be regulated.
The final negotiations between EU Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič and Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis are likely to be primarily about money. Switzerland’s contributions to the EU’s cohesion policy have so far been patchy. Like the EEA EFTA states, Switzerland must now make annual contributions as a kind of entry price for the EU single market. The amount will reportedly be just under €400 million per year, comparable to Norway’s contribution.
Left and right mobilize against the package
The Swiss government opted for the package solution at the second attempt, hoping for more room for compromise. However, the package also offers many more points of attack in a future referendum. Opponents on the left and right of the political spectrum are already up in arms. The trade unions fear a weakening of Swiss wage protection despite concessions from the EU, while the national conservatives are fundamentally opposed to the “colonial treaty.”
According to reports, Bern is considering putting the individual components of the comprehensive deal to the vote separately. Political agreement is foreseeable, but it remains to be seen whether the package with the dispute settlement and the new agreements will actually come into force in 2027 or 2028.
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Portuguese Anjinho becomes new EU Ombudswoman
Teresa Anjinho from Portugal is to be the new EU Ombudswoman. On Tuesday, MEPs elected her as the new European Ombudswoman in the second round of voting. Anjinho had also received the most votes in the first round of the secret ballot, but had not yet achieved an absolute majority. The 40-year-old replaces Emily O’Reilly from Ireland. Anjinho will take office in Brussels on Feb. 27.
She will then be responsible for investigating complaints from citizens about a lack of transparency or maladministration in the EU institutions. The European Ombudswoman can also initiate investigations herself.
Anjinho is currently a member of the Olaf anti-fraud agency‘s supervisory committee and was deputy ombudswoman in Portugal until 2022. In her CV when applying for the new post, she described herself as an independent human rights expert and researcher. Previously, the law graduate worked as State Secretary for Justice and as a lecturer for women’s and human rights at various universities.
Anjinho wants to reach out to the underrepresented
At her hearing before the relevant petitions committee at the beginning of December, Anjinho announced that she would make the efficient processing of complaints a priority. She also wanted to “reach vulnerable and underrepresented groups and improve the accessibility of information.” A complaint is more than an expression of dissatisfaction, “it is an act of trust, a belief that institutions can listen, understand and find a solution.”
Other candidates for the five-year post were the German-Austrian Claudia Mahler from the German Institute for Human Rights, Reinier van Zutphen from the Netherlands, Julia Laffranque from Estonia, and the Italians Emilio De Capitani and Marino Fardelli.
Anjinho had been the favorite of the EPP Group alongside Estonian Laffranque. Renew had also favored Anjinho in the run-up to the election, alongside the Dutchman Zutphen. The Greens would also have liked to see Zutphen as the winner; he received the second most votes in both rounds of voting.
O’Reilly has shaped the office
CDU MEP Alexandra Mehnert welcomed Anjinho’s election because she has the “excellent legal qualifications” and direct contact with citizens required for the position. SPD MEP René Repasi expects her, like O’Reilly, “not to be intimidated by the powerful and influential people in the Brussels power structure.”
Martin Schirdewan, co-leader of the Left Group, also mentioned the legacy of her predecessor O’Reilly: “Teresa Anjinho has big shoes to fill. She will have to continue to fight for more transparency in the institutions and represent the rights of EU citizens in order to strengthen the credibility of European politics again.“
Since taking office in 2013, the current Ombudswoman O’Reilly has made a name for herself as a determined and consistent advocate for more transparency from the EU institutions. In a resolution adopted by a large majority on Tuesday on O’Reilly’s work in 2023, MEPs praised the Irishwoman for her “remarkable work and tireless efforts.”
Unwavering pressure on EU institutions
In the affair surrounding the text messages between Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer boss Albert Bourla in connection with the purchase of coronavirus vaccines, O’Reilly 2022 assessed the conduct of the EU Commission as “maladministration.” The Commission had rejected a request to disclose the text messages, arguing that text messages were not among the documents it would store. O’Reilly asked the Commission to explicitly search for the text messages. However, the authority did not say whether it had actually searched. The ombudswoman stood by her accusations and formulated recommendations for all EU administrations on how to store work-related text messages as official EU documents.
The Irishwoman, who was re-elected in 2019, also spoke publicly about the inadequate behavior of the EU institutions in interviews with the media. For example, after the corruption scandal in Parliament, which she believes could have happened because existing rules were not enforced and monitored.
Despite her criticism, in her farewell speech to the EP on Monday evening she also spoke of “many positive developments in the EU administration” in recent years. As examples, she cited a stricter code of conduct for commissioners and a greater awareness of the “potential damage” caused by the revolving door effect, i.e. when politicians switch to the private sector after their mandate. Anjinho can build on this when she becomes the new “EU watchdog,” as the office is also known in English, next year. Marion Bergermann
News
DSA: Commission investigates recommendation systems at TikTok
The Commission is stepping up its action against TikTok and initiating formal investigation proceedings against the platform for alleged violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA). This concerns TikTok’s obligation to properly assess and mitigate systemic risks related to the integrity of elections.
The specific reason for the investigation was the recent presidential elections in Romania, which the constitutional court there has since annulled. The Commission is also keeping an eye on the upcoming elections in Croatia (presidency, Dec. 29, 2024) and Germany (Bundestag, Feb. 23, 2025). The topic of “Disinformation on social media platforms such as TikTok and the associated risks to the integrity of elections in Europe” was also the subject of a debate in Parliament on Tuesday.
Focus on recommendation systems and paid political advertising
The investigation is based on information obtained from declassified intelligence reports of the Romanian authorities and from third-party reports, the Commission said. The investigation is also based on the analysis of the risk assessment reports submitted by TikTok in 2023 and 2024, responses to the Commission’s requests for information and internal documents submitted by TikTok. In the proceedings, the Commission is focusing on two aspects:
Coimisiún na Meán, Coordinator for Digital Services in Ireland, is also involved in the investigation, as Ireland is the country of TikTok’s establishment in the EU.
TikTok cooperates
Commission officials repeatedly attest to TikTok’s cooperation. A spokeswoman for the company affirms: “We have already maintained the integrity of our platform in over 150 elections worldwide and continue to actively work to address these industry-wide challenges.” The company has outlined what TikTok has done here.
The company prohibits political ads on its site in its terms of use and proactively removes content “that violates our policies on misinformation, harassment, and hate speech”, emphasized a spokeswoman. But that is not enough for the Commission.
Controversial debate in parliament
In fact, TikTok is by no means the only platform struggling with disinformation. The Commission has also initiated proceedings against X and Meta. This also became clear in the parliamentary debate, in which Vice-President Henna Virkkunen told MEPs about the initiation of proceedings against TikTok. Although the reference to X was removed from the original title of the debate and only TikTok remained on the agenda, X and its owner Elon Musk were also a central part of the discussion.
Essentially, the debate was split into two sides. On one side, MEPs from the EPP, S&D, Greens, and Renew argued that the integrity of the debating chamber must be protected in order to safeguard democracy – including from the influence of foreign powers. The other side argued that by enforcing the DSA, the Commission was restricting freedom of expression, disempowering citizens, and destroying democracy. A compromise was not in sight during the hour-long debate. vis
Environmental Council: Poland rejects 90 percent CO2 reduction by 2040
A 90 percent reduction in greenhouse gases compared to 1990, as proposed by the EU Commission as a climate target for 2040, is “difficult to accept” for Poland. Poland’s Climate and Environment Minister Paulina Hennig-Kloska made this clear before the start of the Environment Council in Brussels. “We have different starting points and historical circumstances, we have different per capita incomes – all of this should be taken into account when setting targets on the path to climate neutrality.”
Poland will take over the Presidency of the Council in January and will be largely responsible for negotiating the position of the member states. Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra once again made it clear to the environment ministers that he will present a corresponding amendment to the EU Climate Law as soon as possible next year. This will include an emissions reduction target of 90 percent.
Numerous countries support the Commission’s proposal but are demanding that Brussels establish a strong link between industrial and climate policy. Italy, for example, links its support to the fact that the effects of the new climate target on industry and the social situation of the people must first be reviewed. Germany does not yet have a unified position.
Focus on ETS 2 and fleet regulation
Two issues that had long since been decided became the focus of discussions at the last Environment Council of the year at short notice. The Czech Republic, supported by other countries, is demanding a postponement of emissions trading for transport fuels and heating (ETS 2) by one year to 2028. In addition, ETS 2 is to be supplemented by further protective mechanisms against price spikes. Czech Environment Minister Petr Hladík criticized that it is not clear how the price is to be kept at a maximum of €45 per ton. This is also likely to fall on sympathetic ears in Poland – Warsaw fears additional social burdens as a result of the extended CO2 price.
The CO2 fleet limits for cars were also discussed again. Some countries called for penalties to be suspended if the 2025 limits were not met. However, the picture was mixed. France argued that the manufacturers lacked the money for the transformation. Sweden countered that a suspension would be a distortion of competition, as it would penalize those who met the targets.
General direction for fewer microplastics
On Tuesday, the European environment ministers also adopted a general approach to a regulation on the prevention of the release of plastic pellets. The law aims to reduce the release into the environment by up to 74 percent. “Far too often, microplastics end up in our food via our fields and thus on our plates,” criticizes Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens). The regulation is intended to close a source of microplastics without “leading to more paperwork for companies and effort for authorities,” says Lemke.
The Council has added specific obligations to the Commission proposal for the transportation of plastic granulate by sea, for example in freight containers. However, this does include new reporting obligations, cargo-related and other technical information. However, the obligations for maritime transport are only to be introduced one year later than for the other transport sectors (18 months after the law comes into force). The trilogue negotiations with the European Parliament are due to begin next year. luk
Electricity price zone: Deadline for proposal for division set
An important date for a possible separation of the German electricity price zone has been set. The European transmission system operators want to present their report on the review of the bidding zones on Jan. 27. This was confirmed to Table.Briefings by network operator circles. After years of preparatory work, the transmission system operators (TSOs) will thus publish concrete recommendations on a possible redrawing of the bidding zones.
In November, there was still talk of splitting Germany into two price zones. This could make wholesale electricity more expensive in the south and west of Germany than in the rest of the country. The aim is to alleviate bottlenecks in the electricity grid. In the draft of their election manifesto, the CDU/CSU are in favor of maintaining the German price zone.
After publication, the German government and the four German TSOs have six months to either reallocate the bidding zone or submit an action plan to resolve the grid bottlenecks. ACER, the Council of Member States, and the Commission, which has the final say, are involved in the further decision-making process. Experts expect it to take three years before the bidding zone is actually divided. ber
AI Act: Employers warn against overregulation in labor law
In its latest position paper, the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations (BDA) warns against Germany taking a special path when implementing the AI Act in employment law. The BDA even calls the Federal Ministry of Labor’s plans for an employee data law “dangerous” in the paper, which is exclusively available to Table.Briefings.
“The rights of data subjects are already comprehensively regulated in the General Data Protection Regulation and the Federal Data Protection Act,” it says. These laws already stipulate which data may be collected and thus ensure that employees can enforce their rights in the employment context. “There is no need for even more regulation that would further slow down the use of AI applications,” emphasizes the BDA.
The Federal Ministry of Labor’s draft bill for the Employee Data Act provided for stricter requirements for data collection and processing as well as more information rights for employees. In addition, works councils were to be given more co-determination rights in the use of AI.
Social partner agreements as an alternative
Overall, the German government should avoid deviations in the implementation of the AI Act in order to guarantee uniform implementation of the regulation in Europe. The BDA warns that the German economy is already cautious when it comes to using AI due to the regulations. Even more reporting obligations could slow down the competitiveness of German companies. If Germany wants to exploit the productivity potential of AI, the number of companies using AI must increase “massively”.
The BDA is also calling for social partner agreements to be recognized and promoted as a suitable alternative to codes of conduct for generative AI. “Such social partner regulations for the world of work offer tailor-made and practical solutions,” emphasizes the BDA. Such agreements exist either at the company or sector level. For example, the social partners at the European level concluded an AI agreement for the European banking sector in May. In Germany, there are also many companies that have provisions for this at company level.
Responsibilities in Germany must also be clarified quickly and an authority must be appointed as a central nationwide contact for companies before the end of the transition period. lei
EU Court of Auditors: Infringement proceedings take too long
In a new report, the European Court of Auditors criticizes the European Commission for its slow enforcement of EU law. “Although the European Commission has improved its methods for detecting and correcting breaches of EU law, it still sometimes takes years for these breaches to be rectified,” says Lefteris Christoforou, Member of the European Court of Auditors.
In 2017, the Commission set its own targets for the monitoring and enforcement of EU law in the member states. According to the Court of Auditors, the processing time has been reduced on average since then, but the benchmarks are often not met. On average, checks on the implementation of EU law took 13.1 months between 2017 and 2020, according to the analysis. In contrast, they used to take more than 16 months. The target value set by the Commission is six months.
It takes even longer to check the conformity of the national implementation of EU law. On average, it took 25.8 months between 2017 and 2020, which is also a significant reduction compared to previous years.
The Court of Auditors criticizes the lack of systematic monitoring in many of the Commission’s Directorates-General. As it is known when which directives and regulations come into force and need to be implemented, the Directorates-General should actually be in a position to adjust their personnel capacities accordingly. However, according to the Court of Auditors, this does not happen enough.
EU pilot procedure slower than desired
The Court of Auditors also examined the infringement proceedings initiated by the Commission against member states. Between 2012 and 2023, the EU Commission initiated more than 9,000 infringement proceedings. This is fewer than in the 2000s. Between 2000 and 2011, 15,000 infringement proceedings were initiated. The decline was partly due to the introduction of the EU Pilot, which was intended to facilitate the enforcement of EU law in a cooperative exchange between the Commission and the member states.
However, the Court of Audit identified processing deficits in both procedures. Procedures under the EU pilot took an average of 28.4 months in 2023, more than three times the target of nine months. The responsibility for this appears to lie with the Commission. On average, the member states adhere to the target of sending their responses to the Commission’s requests within ten weeks. However, the Commission then needs an average of 64 weeks (value for 2023) to check the member states’ responses. The Commission’s benchmark would be ten weeks.
1.6 years for infringement proceedings
Infringement proceedings also take too long. In 2023, it took an average of 1.6 years for a case to be settled or referred to court. The benchmark is one year.
The delays raise questions, especially as economic players continue to complain about a fragmented internal market. For the new mandate, the Commission had committed itself to the consistent and uniform application of EU law. The Commission has not yet responded to a press inquiry from Table.Briefings. jaa
Solar power: Growth slows down
According to industry figures, the growth of photovoltaics in the EU has slowed this year and needs further political support in order to safely achieve the European expansion targets. SolarPower Europe expects 65.5 gigawatts of newly installed PV capacity by the end of the year, compared to 62.8 GW in the previous year and around 41 GW in 2022. According to the new market report for 2024-2028, growth has thus fallen from 53% to just over 4%. According to the association, this means that special effects caused by high energy prices during the energy crisis have come to a standstill.
SolarPower Europe still considers the REPowerEU target of 750 GW of installed capacity by the end of the decade to be achievable. “However, if we have to lower our forecasts as quickly as we did recently, we could miss the target for 2030 by around 100 gigawatts,” said the association’s data expert, Michael Schmela. “We can’t just rely on market forces for the energy transition. We need a suitable political framework,” said Dries Acke, Head of Policy.
Acke believes that an EU action plan for batteries, as called for by the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs at the Energy Council on Monday, is of key importance. Batteries are still at a disadvantage in tenders for system services, for example. The association sees the electrification plan announced by the Commission as another means of preventing forced shutdowns. However, the Deputy Director General for Energy, Mechthild Wörsdörfer, dampened hopes. No new legislative proposals are needed for technologies such as storage and load management for the time being. ber
- Batteries
- Energiekrise
- Energy
- Environment
- REPowerEU
- REPowerEU
EUDR: Parliament seals postponement for one year
The European Parliament has voted by a large majority to postpone the start of application of the EU regulation on deforestation-free supply chains (EUDR) by one year. There are no additional changes to the content. MEPs in plenary thus confirmed the outcome of the trilogue negotiations, in which rapporteur Christine Schneider (CDU) had unsuccessfully insisted on including relaxations for companies in the text.
The Council’s final approval will be given by written procedure, which is to be completed today. This means that larger companies will have to comply with the new rules from Dec. 30, 2025, while small and micro-enterprises will have to comply six months later.
This puts the focus on the Commission, which has until then to concretize the implementation of the rules. Shortly after the trilogue agreement at the beginning of December, it announced the launch of the IT system through which companies must submit their due diligence declarations. The benchmarking, which assigns a risk level to each country of origin, should be available by mid-2025 at the latest. jd
- Deforestation
- Entwaldung
- Environment
- Environmental policy
- Europäisches Parlament
- Lieferketten
- Sorgfaltspflichten
Turkey: Support for refugees, disagreement on Syria
During a visit to Ankara, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a further rapprochement with Turkey and the payment of one billion euros for refugees. The money is to be disbursed this year, she said after a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The EU aid will contribute to “migration and border management, including the voluntary return of Syrian refugees”.
Erdoğan called on the EU to upgrade relations with Turkey and lift all restrictions. He did not comment on the question of a possible return of Syrian refugees to their home country. Turkey shares a long land border with Syria and has taken in almost three million refugees from the neighboring country. It has also supported the Islamist HTS militias that have now taken power in Damascus.
Erdoğan and von der Leyen apparently did not agree on the further development of Syria and the Middle East. The EU politician called for a “resurgence” of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group to be prevented. This was a real danger. “The unity of the nation must be respected and minorities must be protected”, she emphasized. In addition, the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country must be preserved.
Erdoğan does not rule out further military operations
In contrast, Erdoğan declared that there was “no space” for IS and the Kurdish terrorist group PKK in Syria. He did not rule out further military operations, such as the recent one in northern Syria. In his statement, during which no questions from journalists were permitted, Erdoğan strongly condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza. “Our European friends must exert pressure on the government” to end the “atrocities,” he demanded.
Von der Leyen did not address this in her statement. The German CDU politician has always defended Israel against criticism, which is why she clashed with her former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, and former Council President Charles Michel. During a joint visit to Ankara in 2021, there was even a scandal with Michel over seating arrangements; the so-called “Sofagate” has gone down in EU annals.
This time, von der Leyen traveled to Turkey alone – and overcame all the protocol hurdles without any problems. However, there are already signs of a new dispute over the reconstruction of Syria. The future of the Kurds and the Christian minority could also cause trouble. ebo
Translation missing.
Europe.Table Editorial Team
EUROPE.TABLE EDITORIAL OFFICE
Dear reader,
It sounds more and more like an incantation: The EU is on Ukraine‘s side for as long as necessary and whatever it takes to end Russia’s invasion, writes António Costa ahead of the summit in his first letter of invitation as Council President. The slogans in the draft conclusions are similar. Russia should not prevail, it says. Reference is made to the billions from the windfall profits from the blocked Russian state bank funds, which are set to flow in abundance again in 2025.
At the same time, there is increasingly open talk of scenarios should Donald Trump force Ukraine to the negotiating table immediately after taking office in January. Preparations for the US president’s comeback are also likely to be the subject of a side event that is causing an unpleasant mix-up in António Costa’s summit dramaturgy. The EU heads of state and government were actually supposed to dine with their colleagues from the candidate countries in the Western Balkans this evening before the actual summit. However, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has now invited a select group to a side summit: Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, and the British Foreign Secretary David Lammy are to consult with Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the Dutchman’s residence.
It is quite possible that the side event will cause disgruntlement among some. The topic at the NATO Secretary General’s residence is also additional military aid for the defense against Russian air attacks. However, Ukraine’s allies do not have much more in the pipeline. The focus is therefore likely to be on preparations for a possible peace conference, as well as the issue of security guarantees and European protection forces. Vladimir Putin may well see these contradictory signals as encouragement to continue his war of annihilation with even more determination.
Feature
Reporting obligations: How Germany wants to weaken the CSRD
The German government has submitted proposals to the EU Commission on how the sustainability reporting obligations for companies should be weakened. In the letter, which is exclusively available to Table.Briefings, they call for the CSRD Directive to be postponed by two years and for the group of addressees to be narrowed down. The paper was signed by Justice Minister Volker Wissing, Finance Minister Jörg Kukies, Economics Minister Robert Habeck, and Labor Minister Hubertus Heil.
With the letter to Finance Commissioner Maria Luís Albuquerque and Economic Affairs Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, the German government wants to influence the ongoing work of the EU Commission. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced a so-called omnibus law to bundle the ESG reporting obligations. The proposal is currently scheduled for the end of February.
The list contained in the ministers’ letter focuses primarily on the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). With this directive, the EU wants to gradually oblige around 50,000 companies across Europe to disclose extensive data. The CSRD is part of the Green Deal, which aims to make the continent climate-neutral by 2050.
Only large companies should have to report
The background to the initiative of the four ministers is that the CSRD reporting obligations have been criticized by many companies and associations as being too detailed and ambitious; the regulation would prevent actual innovation and create more bureaucracy, according to a widespread complaint. The former Minister of Justice, Marco Buschmann, had made no secret of the fact that he did not actually want to implement the CSRD in Germany.
Specifically, the ministers are now proposing these points:
- Postponement of reporting obligations for large companies. Companies that currently have to report from the financial year 2025 onwards will have to submit their report for the first time for the financial year 2027. In Germany, this would affect more than 13,000 companies. The suppliers of these companies would also benefit from the absence of a trickle-down effect, according to the letter. Smaller companies that have to report from 2026 onwards should also be given two years more time.
- Raising the definition of “large” companies. The paper proposes that the CSRD should be based on the criterion set out in the EU Supply Chain Directive (CSDDD). According to this, a large company is one that generates a net turnover of €450 million (and not €50 million as previously) and employs 1000 people (and not 250). This change would also reduce the number of companies that will soon be required to report.
- ESEF format for disclosure only. The EU wants companies to use the digital “European Single Electronic Format” when preparing their reports. The German government is now proposing that ESEF should only be prescribed for published reports. The format allows for a variety of links within documents and promises new insights into how sustainable a company already is. In recent months, however, even corporations and numerous associations have spoken out against the complex technology.
- Reduction of data points. According to the government, companies must collect more than 1000 selected data points for their reports. They should use this to prove how high their greenhouse gas emissions are or how much they contribute to the loss of biodiversity. This number should be “significantly reduced”, according to the paper. Specifically, it states that the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) could be replaced by the current draft standard, which applies to large SMEs. This would reduce the criteria by around half.
- Avoidance of additional taxonomy obligations. For example, the paper lists the “Green Asset Ratio” (GAR) in the financial sector, a ratio that, as of this year, is intended to show how large the sustainable share of a financial institution’s balance sheet total is. Banks have criticized this because the ratio does not enable suitable management of the transformation.
The CSRD came into force in the EU at the beginning of 2023 and the member states had until July 2024 to transpose it into national law. In Germany, the implementation law has been stuck in parliament since the end of the traffic light coalition, as there is no majority to pass the current draft. It is likely that the work on it will have to be taken over by the next federal government and the next Bundestag – and can therefore only be passed in the fall of 2025.
- KMU
- Nachhaltigkeitsberichterstattung
Translation missing.
Switzerland-EU: Negotiations are ‘on the home straight’
Actually, the Swiss government only has to approve the deal at its meeting on Friday. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wants to arrive in Bern on Saturday and announce the political agreement on the so-called package solution with binding rules for Swiss access to the EU internal market and the new market access agreement with President Viola Amherd. At least that is the plan. Because things have gone wrong with Switzerland before: in 2021, the Swiss government backed out at the last minute and left the negotiating table.
Hence the caution and reservations in Brussels until the very end: The EU Commissioner responsible, Maroš Šefčovič, informed the General Council on Tuesday about the status of the negotiations, but the Hungarian Presidency and the EU Commission subsequently kept a low profile. Final technical and political talks were still ongoing, but a conclusion before the end of the year was within reach. Minister of State Anna Lührmann, however, was “very optimistic” that things would work out. The negotiations are on the “home straight.”
Dispute over freedom of movement
The aim is similar to the failed framework agreement, but the package solution now being sought is much more comprehensive. For over ten years, the EU has made new single market agreements dependent on rules for dispute resolution and has also warned of an erosion of Switzerland’s sectoral access to the single market, which is based on a thicket of over 120 bilateral agreements. An arbitration tribunal is now to decide on disputes, with the ECJ having the last word when it comes to pure EU law. In addition, Switzerland is to dynamically adopt new EU laws in the future. The existing agreements are largely static as they stood at the end of the 1990s when the EU was still hoping for Switzerland’s full accession.
This time, the package also includes a new market access agreement for electricity as well as a health agreement, and an agreement on food safety. Until recently, the biggest hurdle was the free movement of persons, where Switzerland was able to push through exceptions, but also had to make concessions. Switzerland can no longer discriminate and must also grant EU citizens from the new member states permanent resident status after five years. However, this only applies to Europeans who have worked without interruption and have not received social assistance. In addition, Switzerland may continue to deport EU citizens who have committed serious crimes.
Immigration rules by arbitration tribunal
Switzerland also sought a safeguard clause in the negotiations in order to be able to limit the high net immigration from the EU above a certain level. Although the EU Commission rejected a unilateral safeguard clause, in view of the anti-immigration sentiment in Switzerland, it recently showed itself willing to accept a mechanism in which an arbitration tribunal would ultimately decide on the proportionality of restrictions. In return, the EU ensured that Switzerland would waive higher tuition fees for students from EU member states.
The electricity agreement is of great interest to the Swiss government in terms of grid stability and security of supply. However, some of the concessions are sensitive in terms of domestic policy. For example, Switzerland must liberalize its market and also grant households freedom of choice as the price for equal access to the EU’s internal electricity market.
Subsidy control in the electricity sector
Switzerland now has to set up a subsidy control system at national level, which has met with criticism from the cantons, which are often shareholders in electricity producers. From a German perspective, the state-financed reserve power plants and winter reserves have recently been problematic, as they are considered to distort competition. The transition periods and compensation payments for the Swiss long-term contracts with French nuclear power operators also had to be regulated.
The final negotiations between EU Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič and Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis are likely to be primarily about money. Switzerland’s contributions to the EU’s cohesion policy have so far been patchy. Like the EEA EFTA states, Switzerland must now make annual contributions as a kind of entry price for the EU single market. The amount will reportedly be just under €400 million per year, comparable to Norway’s contribution.
Left and right mobilize against the package
The Swiss government opted for the package solution at the second attempt, hoping for more room for compromise. However, the package also offers many more points of attack in a future referendum. Opponents on the left and right of the political spectrum are already up in arms. The trade unions fear a weakening of Swiss wage protection despite concessions from the EU, while the national conservatives are fundamentally opposed to the “colonial treaty.”
According to reports, Bern is considering putting the individual components of the comprehensive deal to the vote separately. Political agreement is foreseeable, but it remains to be seen whether the package with the dispute settlement and the new agreements will actually come into force in 2027 or 2028.
Translation missing.
Portuguese Anjinho becomes new EU Ombudswoman
Teresa Anjinho from Portugal is to be the new EU Ombudswoman. On Tuesday, MEPs elected her as the new European Ombudswoman in the second round of voting. Anjinho had also received the most votes in the first round of the secret ballot, but had not yet achieved an absolute majority. The 40-year-old replaces Emily O’Reilly from Ireland. Anjinho will take office in Brussels on Feb. 27.
She will then be responsible for investigating complaints from citizens about a lack of transparency or maladministration in the EU institutions. The European Ombudswoman can also initiate investigations herself.
Anjinho is currently a member of the Olaf anti-fraud agency‘s supervisory committee and was deputy ombudswoman in Portugal until 2022. In her CV when applying for the new post, she described herself as an independent human rights expert and researcher. Previously, the law graduate worked as State Secretary for Justice and as a lecturer for women’s and human rights at various universities.
Anjinho wants to reach out to the underrepresented
At her hearing before the relevant petitions committee at the beginning of December, Anjinho announced that she would make the efficient processing of complaints a priority. She also wanted to “reach vulnerable and underrepresented groups and improve the accessibility of information.” A complaint is more than an expression of dissatisfaction, “it is an act of trust, a belief that institutions can listen, understand and find a solution.”
Other candidates for the five-year post were the German-Austrian Claudia Mahler from the German Institute for Human Rights, Reinier van Zutphen from the Netherlands, Julia Laffranque from Estonia, and the Italians Emilio De Capitani and Marino Fardelli.
Anjinho had been the favorite of the EPP Group alongside Estonian Laffranque. Renew had also favored Anjinho in the run-up to the election, alongside the Dutchman Zutphen. The Greens would also have liked to see Zutphen as the winner; he received the second most votes in both rounds of voting.
O’Reilly has shaped the office
CDU MEP Alexandra Mehnert welcomed Anjinho’s election because she has the “excellent legal qualifications” and direct contact with citizens required for the position. SPD MEP René Repasi expects her, like O’Reilly, “not to be intimidated by the powerful and influential people in the Brussels power structure.”
Martin Schirdewan, co-leader of the Left Group, also mentioned the legacy of her predecessor O’Reilly: “Teresa Anjinho has big shoes to fill. She will have to continue to fight for more transparency in the institutions and represent the rights of EU citizens in order to strengthen the credibility of European politics again.“
Since taking office in 2013, the current Ombudswoman O’Reilly has made a name for herself as a determined and consistent advocate for more transparency from the EU institutions. In a resolution adopted by a large majority on Tuesday on O’Reilly’s work in 2023, MEPs praised the Irishwoman for her “remarkable work and tireless efforts.”
Unwavering pressure on EU institutions
In the affair surrounding the text messages between Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer boss Albert Bourla in connection with the purchase of coronavirus vaccines, O’Reilly 2022 assessed the conduct of the EU Commission as “maladministration.” The Commission had rejected a request to disclose the text messages, arguing that text messages were not among the documents it would store. O’Reilly asked the Commission to explicitly search for the text messages. However, the authority did not say whether it had actually searched. The ombudswoman stood by her accusations and formulated recommendations for all EU administrations on how to store work-related text messages as official EU documents.
The Irishwoman, who was re-elected in 2019, also spoke publicly about the inadequate behavior of the EU institutions in interviews with the media. For example, after the corruption scandal in Parliament, which she believes could have happened because existing rules were not enforced and monitored.
Despite her criticism, in her farewell speech to the EP on Monday evening she also spoke of “many positive developments in the EU administration” in recent years. As examples, she cited a stricter code of conduct for commissioners and a greater awareness of the “potential damage” caused by the revolving door effect, i.e. when politicians switch to the private sector after their mandate. Anjinho can build on this when she becomes the new “EU watchdog,” as the office is also known in English, next year. Marion Bergermann
News
DSA: Commission investigates recommendation systems at TikTok
The Commission is stepping up its action against TikTok and initiating formal investigation proceedings against the platform for alleged violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA). This concerns TikTok’s obligation to properly assess and mitigate systemic risks related to the integrity of elections.
The specific reason for the investigation was the recent presidential elections in Romania, which the constitutional court there has since annulled. The Commission is also keeping an eye on the upcoming elections in Croatia (presidency, Dec. 29, 2024) and Germany (Bundestag, Feb. 23, 2025). The topic of “Disinformation on social media platforms such as TikTok and the associated risks to the integrity of elections in Europe” was also the subject of a debate in Parliament on Tuesday.
Focus on recommendation systems and paid political advertising
The investigation is based on information obtained from declassified intelligence reports of the Romanian authorities and from third-party reports, the Commission said. The investigation is also based on the analysis of the risk assessment reports submitted by TikTok in 2023 and 2024, responses to the Commission’s requests for information and internal documents submitted by TikTok. In the proceedings, the Commission is focusing on two aspects:
Coimisiún na Meán, Coordinator for Digital Services in Ireland, is also involved in the investigation, as Ireland is the country of TikTok’s establishment in the EU.
TikTok cooperates
Commission officials repeatedly attest to TikTok’s cooperation. A spokeswoman for the company affirms: “We have already maintained the integrity of our platform in over 150 elections worldwide and continue to actively work to address these industry-wide challenges.” The company has outlined what TikTok has done here.
The company prohibits political ads on its site in its terms of use and proactively removes content “that violates our policies on misinformation, harassment, and hate speech”, emphasized a spokeswoman. But that is not enough for the Commission.
Controversial debate in parliament
In fact, TikTok is by no means the only platform struggling with disinformation. The Commission has also initiated proceedings against X and Meta. This also became clear in the parliamentary debate, in which Vice-President Henna Virkkunen told MEPs about the initiation of proceedings against TikTok. Although the reference to X was removed from the original title of the debate and only TikTok remained on the agenda, X and its owner Elon Musk were also a central part of the discussion.
Essentially, the debate was split into two sides. On one side, MEPs from the EPP, S&D, Greens, and Renew argued that the integrity of the debating chamber must be protected in order to safeguard democracy – including from the influence of foreign powers. The other side argued that by enforcing the DSA, the Commission was restricting freedom of expression, disempowering citizens, and destroying democracy. A compromise was not in sight during the hour-long debate. vis
Environmental Council: Poland rejects 90 percent CO2 reduction by 2040
A 90 percent reduction in greenhouse gases compared to 1990, as proposed by the EU Commission as a climate target for 2040, is “difficult to accept” for Poland. Poland’s Climate and Environment Minister Paulina Hennig-Kloska made this clear before the start of the Environment Council in Brussels. “We have different starting points and historical circumstances, we have different per capita incomes – all of this should be taken into account when setting targets on the path to climate neutrality.”
Poland will take over the Presidency of the Council in January and will be largely responsible for negotiating the position of the member states. Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra once again made it clear to the environment ministers that he will present a corresponding amendment to the EU Climate Law as soon as possible next year. This will include an emissions reduction target of 90 percent.
Numerous countries support the Commission’s proposal but are demanding that Brussels establish a strong link between industrial and climate policy. Italy, for example, links its support to the fact that the effects of the new climate target on industry and the social situation of the people must first be reviewed. Germany does not yet have a unified position.
Focus on ETS 2 and fleet regulation
Two issues that had long since been decided became the focus of discussions at the last Environment Council of the year at short notice. The Czech Republic, supported by other countries, is demanding a postponement of emissions trading for transport fuels and heating (ETS 2) by one year to 2028. In addition, ETS 2 is to be supplemented by further protective mechanisms against price spikes. Czech Environment Minister Petr Hladík criticized that it is not clear how the price is to be kept at a maximum of €45 per ton. This is also likely to fall on sympathetic ears in Poland – Warsaw fears additional social burdens as a result of the extended CO2 price.
The CO2 fleet limits for cars were also discussed again. Some countries called for penalties to be suspended if the 2025 limits were not met. However, the picture was mixed. France argued that the manufacturers lacked the money for the transformation. Sweden countered that a suspension would be a distortion of competition, as it would penalize those who met the targets.
General direction for fewer microplastics
On Tuesday, the European environment ministers also adopted a general approach to a regulation on the prevention of the release of plastic pellets. The law aims to reduce the release into the environment by up to 74 percent. “Far too often, microplastics end up in our food via our fields and thus on our plates,” criticizes Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens). The regulation is intended to close a source of microplastics without “leading to more paperwork for companies and effort for authorities,” says Lemke.
The Council has added specific obligations to the Commission proposal for the transportation of plastic granulate by sea, for example in freight containers. However, this does include new reporting obligations, cargo-related and other technical information. However, the obligations for maritime transport are only to be introduced one year later than for the other transport sectors (18 months after the law comes into force). The trilogue negotiations with the European Parliament are due to begin next year. luk
Electricity price zone: Deadline for proposal for division set
An important date for a possible separation of the German electricity price zone has been set. The European transmission system operators want to present their report on the review of the bidding zones on Jan. 27. This was confirmed to Table.Briefings by network operator circles. After years of preparatory work, the transmission system operators (TSOs) will thus publish concrete recommendations on a possible redrawing of the bidding zones.
In November, there was still talk of splitting Germany into two price zones. This could make wholesale electricity more expensive in the south and west of Germany than in the rest of the country. The aim is to alleviate bottlenecks in the electricity grid. In the draft of their election manifesto, the CDU/CSU are in favor of maintaining the German price zone.
After publication, the German government and the four German TSOs have six months to either reallocate the bidding zone or submit an action plan to resolve the grid bottlenecks. ACER, the Council of Member States, and the Commission, which has the final say, are involved in the further decision-making process. Experts expect it to take three years before the bidding zone is actually divided. ber
AI Act: Employers warn against overregulation in labor law
In its latest position paper, the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations (BDA) warns against Germany taking a special path when implementing the AI Act in employment law. The BDA even calls the Federal Ministry of Labor’s plans for an employee data law “dangerous” in the paper, which is exclusively available to Table.Briefings.
“The rights of data subjects are already comprehensively regulated in the General Data Protection Regulation and the Federal Data Protection Act,” it says. These laws already stipulate which data may be collected and thus ensure that employees can enforce their rights in the employment context. “There is no need for even more regulation that would further slow down the use of AI applications,” emphasizes the BDA.
The Federal Ministry of Labor’s draft bill for the Employee Data Act provided for stricter requirements for data collection and processing as well as more information rights for employees. In addition, works councils were to be given more co-determination rights in the use of AI.
Social partner agreements as an alternative
Overall, the German government should avoid deviations in the implementation of the AI Act in order to guarantee uniform implementation of the regulation in Europe. The BDA warns that the German economy is already cautious when it comes to using AI due to the regulations. Even more reporting obligations could slow down the competitiveness of German companies. If Germany wants to exploit the productivity potential of AI, the number of companies using AI must increase “massively”.
The BDA is also calling for social partner agreements to be recognized and promoted as a suitable alternative to codes of conduct for generative AI. “Such social partner regulations for the world of work offer tailor-made and practical solutions,” emphasizes the BDA. Such agreements exist either at the company or sector level. For example, the social partners at the European level concluded an AI agreement for the European banking sector in May. In Germany, there are also many companies that have provisions for this at company level.
Responsibilities in Germany must also be clarified quickly and an authority must be appointed as a central nationwide contact for companies before the end of the transition period. lei
EU Court of Auditors: Infringement proceedings take too long
In a new report, the European Court of Auditors criticizes the European Commission for its slow enforcement of EU law. “Although the European Commission has improved its methods for detecting and correcting breaches of EU law, it still sometimes takes years for these breaches to be rectified,” says Lefteris Christoforou, Member of the European Court of Auditors.
In 2017, the Commission set its own targets for the monitoring and enforcement of EU law in the member states. According to the Court of Auditors, the processing time has been reduced on average since then, but the benchmarks are often not met. On average, checks on the implementation of EU law took 13.1 months between 2017 and 2020, according to the analysis. In contrast, they used to take more than 16 months. The target value set by the Commission is six months.
It takes even longer to check the conformity of the national implementation of EU law. On average, it took 25.8 months between 2017 and 2020, which is also a significant reduction compared to previous years.
The Court of Auditors criticizes the lack of systematic monitoring in many of the Commission’s Directorates-General. As it is known when which directives and regulations come into force and need to be implemented, the Directorates-General should actually be in a position to adjust their personnel capacities accordingly. However, according to the Court of Auditors, this does not happen enough.
EU pilot procedure slower than desired
The Court of Auditors also examined the infringement proceedings initiated by the Commission against member states. Between 2012 and 2023, the EU Commission initiated more than 9,000 infringement proceedings. This is fewer than in the 2000s. Between 2000 and 2011, 15,000 infringement proceedings were initiated. The decline was partly due to the introduction of the EU Pilot, which was intended to facilitate the enforcement of EU law in a cooperative exchange between the Commission and the member states.
However, the Court of Audit identified processing deficits in both procedures. Procedures under the EU pilot took an average of 28.4 months in 2023, more than three times the target of nine months. The responsibility for this appears to lie with the Commission. On average, the member states adhere to the target of sending their responses to the Commission’s requests within ten weeks. However, the Commission then needs an average of 64 weeks (value for 2023) to check the member states’ responses. The Commission’s benchmark would be ten weeks.
1.6 years for infringement proceedings
Infringement proceedings also take too long. In 2023, it took an average of 1.6 years for a case to be settled or referred to court. The benchmark is one year.
The delays raise questions, especially as economic players continue to complain about a fragmented internal market. For the new mandate, the Commission had committed itself to the consistent and uniform application of EU law. The Commission has not yet responded to a press inquiry from Table.Briefings. jaa
Solar power: Growth slows down
According to industry figures, the growth of photovoltaics in the EU has slowed this year and needs further political support in order to safely achieve the European expansion targets. SolarPower Europe expects 65.5 gigawatts of newly installed PV capacity by the end of the year, compared to 62.8 GW in the previous year and around 41 GW in 2022. According to the new market report for 2024-2028, growth has thus fallen from 53% to just over 4%. According to the association, this means that special effects caused by high energy prices during the energy crisis have come to a standstill.
SolarPower Europe still considers the REPowerEU target of 750 GW of installed capacity by the end of the decade to be achievable. “However, if we have to lower our forecasts as quickly as we did recently, we could miss the target for 2030 by around 100 gigawatts,” said the association’s data expert, Michael Schmela. “We can’t just rely on market forces for the energy transition. We need a suitable political framework,” said Dries Acke, Head of Policy.
Acke believes that an EU action plan for batteries, as called for by the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs at the Energy Council on Monday, is of key importance. Batteries are still at a disadvantage in tenders for system services, for example. The association sees the electrification plan announced by the Commission as another means of preventing forced shutdowns. However, the Deputy Director General for Energy, Mechthild Wörsdörfer, dampened hopes. No new legislative proposals are needed for technologies such as storage and load management for the time being. ber
- Batteries
- Energiekrise
- Energy
- Environment
- REPowerEU
- REPowerEU
EUDR: Parliament seals postponement for one year
The European Parliament has voted by a large majority to postpone the start of application of the EU regulation on deforestation-free supply chains (EUDR) by one year. There are no additional changes to the content. MEPs in plenary thus confirmed the outcome of the trilogue negotiations, in which rapporteur Christine Schneider (CDU) had unsuccessfully insisted on including relaxations for companies in the text.
The Council’s final approval will be given by written procedure, which is to be completed today. This means that larger companies will have to comply with the new rules from Dec. 30, 2025, while small and micro-enterprises will have to comply six months later.
This puts the focus on the Commission, which has until then to concretize the implementation of the rules. Shortly after the trilogue agreement at the beginning of December, it announced the launch of the IT system through which companies must submit their due diligence declarations. The benchmarking, which assigns a risk level to each country of origin, should be available by mid-2025 at the latest. jd
- Deforestation
- Entwaldung
- Environment
- Environmental policy
- Europäisches Parlament
- Lieferketten
- Sorgfaltspflichten
Turkey: Support for refugees, disagreement on Syria
During a visit to Ankara, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a further rapprochement with Turkey and the payment of one billion euros for refugees. The money is to be disbursed this year, she said after a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The EU aid will contribute to “migration and border management, including the voluntary return of Syrian refugees”.
Erdoğan called on the EU to upgrade relations with Turkey and lift all restrictions. He did not comment on the question of a possible return of Syrian refugees to their home country. Turkey shares a long land border with Syria and has taken in almost three million refugees from the neighboring country. It has also supported the Islamist HTS militias that have now taken power in Damascus.
Erdoğan and von der Leyen apparently did not agree on the further development of Syria and the Middle East. The EU politician called for a “resurgence” of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group to be prevented. This was a real danger. “The unity of the nation must be respected and minorities must be protected”, she emphasized. In addition, the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country must be preserved.
Erdoğan does not rule out further military operations
In contrast, Erdoğan declared that there was “no space” for IS and the Kurdish terrorist group PKK in Syria. He did not rule out further military operations, such as the recent one in northern Syria. In his statement, during which no questions from journalists were permitted, Erdoğan strongly condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza. “Our European friends must exert pressure on the government” to end the “atrocities,” he demanded.
Von der Leyen did not address this in her statement. The German CDU politician has always defended Israel against criticism, which is why she clashed with her former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, and former Council President Charles Michel. During a joint visit to Ankara in 2021, there was even a scandal with Michel over seating arrangements; the so-called “Sofagate” has gone down in EU annals.
This time, von der Leyen traveled to Turkey alone – and overcame all the protocol hurdles without any problems. However, there are already signs of a new dispute over the reconstruction of Syria. The future of the Kurds and the Christian minority could also cause trouble. ebo
Translation missing.
Europe.Table Editorial Team
EUROPE.TABLE EDITORIAL OFFICE
