How France wants to prevent Mercosur + New debate on weapons

Dear reader,

Time is gradually running out for the new EU Commission. In order for Ursula von der Leyen to take up her second term of office on December 1 as hoped, she would need the approval of the European Parliament by next week at the latest. However, the Christian Democrats and Social Democrats are deadlocked on the question of whether all 26 Commissioners should be given the green light.

It remains to be seen whether the political groups will be able to agree on a line on Wednesday, as they had recently sought to do. At least there were talks again yesterday between EPP group leader Manfred Weber and his colleagues from the S&D and Renew, Iratxe García Pérez and Valérie Hayer.

A story is circulating in Parliament that EPP representatives like to spread: According to it, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez suggested to his party colleague García that she should approve the two right-wing candidates Raffaele Fitto from Italy and Olivér Várhelyi from Hungary on Wednesday, without changing their portfolios. After all, von der Leyen had put together her personnel package in consultation with the Council and this package could not be unraveled now.

In the ranks of the Social Democrats, this is qualified as a rumor, but there is no clear denial when asked. If there is anything to it, the S&D leader could find herself in need of an explanation. Her parliamentary group is unlikely to like it if García complies with Sánchez’s demand. Many Social Democrat MEPs are upset about the way their EPP colleagues have treated their Commissioner candidate Teresa Ribera and the attempts to move closer to the far right in Parliament.

Get the day off to a good start!

Your
Till Hoppe

Mercosur: France’s difficult search for allies

By

Claire Stam

The political spectrum in France is more fragmented than ever before, but there is consensus on one issue: the EU-Mercosur trade agreement. Parties across the political spectrum are voicing their support for farmers, who have launched a protest campaign. According to the farmers’ union FNSEA, this is set to last until mid-December. The protesters fear a veritable “flood” of meat from Brazil and Argentina. They warn of “unfair competition” from products that are not subject to the “strict environmental and health standards of the EU.”

Two points are reportedly still open in the negotiations between Brussels and the four Mercosur states (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay):

Firstly, the question of how compliance with the Paris climate targets should be anchored in the trade agreement. While the EU wants a stringent process through which it can sanction partner countries with trade measures if they do not adhere to agreed environmental targets, the Mercosur states want more flexibility.
Secondly, the exact figures for import quotas have not yet been finalized. However, no major changes are to be expected here.

Paris struggles for blocking minority in Brussels

Unlike France, a majority of EU countries are pushing for the conclusion of the agreement, with Spain and Germany leading the way. After more than 20 years, the project “must finally be completed,” said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro on Monday. He had the impression that EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was now putting pressure on the issue. “We will certainly back the Commission when it presents an agreement,” he said, referring to France’s resistance.

Even if Germany abstains, France is likely to have difficulties getting the necessary number of member states together to block the agreement in a Council vote, John Clarke told Table.Briefings. Clarke was Director of International Relations in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture until 2023 and thus the EU’s chief negotiator for agricultural trade.

However, Paris has not yet given up hope and is still looking for allies for this so-called blocking minority in the Council, as Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard recently said. There is “intensive diplomatic work underway to win over a number of European countries.” Prime Minister Michel Barnier, himself a former agriculture minister, reiterated his criticism of the agreement at a meeting with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last Wednesday.

Netherlands and Poland could vote against

For a blocking minority, four EU countries representing more than 35 percent of the European population would have to vote against the deal. France would therefore have to win over three other countries of a certain size as allies. Agriculture Minister Genevard says she is in contact with Poland, the Netherlands and Italy.

In the Council, Ireland, Belgium and Austria are considered to be Mercosur-sceptical. In the Netherlands, the trade-friendly, liberal VVD is in government with the Mercosur-critical Bauer-Bürger-Bewegung (BBB) and the right-wing populist PVV of Geert Wilders. The trade minister is Reinette Klever from the PVV, who has spoken out against the agreement in the past. The government would have to obtain a mandate from parliament to vote for or against the agreement in the Council.

It is therefore quite possible that the Netherlands would vote against the agreement in the Council. Last week, the Polish Ministry of Agriculture also expressed criticism of the agreement out of concern for the domestic poultry industry. France, Ireland, Belgium, Austria, the Netherlands and Poland just fall short of the necessary blocking minority of 35 percent with a good 33 percent of the EU population. However, this does not give the Mercosur supporters a particularly comfortable lead, especially as not all governments have yet positioned themselves.

Mercosur can also have advantages for France

Certain French sectors such as milk and wine could even benefit from the agreement, said a Parisian parliamentarian who wishes to remain anonymous due to the current political situation in France: “France has a trade surplus of €155 billion with Latin America and is shooting itself in the foot – to the advantage of China, which has understood the challenges very well.”

John Clarke takes a similar view: “While beef and especially lamb producers in the EU would be moderately affected by the agreement, other sectors would benefit: dairy products, pork and derived products, alcoholic beverages and processed foods.”

Touchstone for Macron’s influence

The reason why Paris does not want to give up its resistance, however, is the fear of an escalation of the farmers’ protests, says the Parisian parliamentarian. The protests by French farmers are politically explosive for Paris. “Nothing has been decided,” said French MEP Pascal Canfin, a member of the Renew parliamentary group, which includes Macron’s Renaissance party. He refers to Brazil’s recent decision to suspend exports of female beef to Europe for at least a year after it could not be guaranteed that the meat had not been treated with growth hormones.

The EU Commission is aiming to conclude the negotiations before the end of the year. It will then become clear whether the EU countries will confirm the agreement. The stakes are high for Emmanuel Macron: Mercosur has become a real touchstone for the influence he still has in France and Europe. With Julia Dahm, János Allenbach-Ammann, rtr

Ukraine: US decision reignites debate on arms deliveries

By

Eric Bonse

The topic was not even on the agenda. Instead of talking about US ATACMS and now possible Ukrainian military strikes deep in the Russian hinterland, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell wanted to focus on diplomatic sanctions against Israel at what was probably his last meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday.

The EU must react to the violations of human rights and international humanitarian law and suspend the political dialog with Israel, said Borrell. But he was unable to get his way. In addition to Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg and the Netherlands also spoke out against a boycott. It was a serious defeat for the Spaniard, who will be replaced by the Estonian Kaja Kallas in December. The Europeans still do not “speak the language of power,” said Borrell, visibly frustrated.

Borrell calls on member states to follow the example of the USA

The situation is different in Ukraine policy. Here, too, some countries are repeatedly backing down, and a clear strategy is still not discernible 1,000 days after the start of the Russian invasion. However, the late decision by US President Joe Biden to give the green light for the use of long-range weapons – especially ATACMS – for attacks inside Russia suits Borrell.

The EU foreign policy chief called on the member states to do the same and allow Ukraine to use weapons for attacks inside Russia. “Time and again I have said that Ukraine should be able to use the weapons we supply, not only to stop the arrows, but also to hit the archers,” said Borrell. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock signaled her agreement. Self-defense means that the country does not have to wait until a missile hits a children’s hospital.

Unclear how many missiles Ukraine has

However, it is unclear whether Ukraine will actually be able to do so. “We don’t know the exact number of missiles Ukraine has in its inventory,” said Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis. “The question is whether they are equipped with enough missiles to make a difference on the battlefield.” He would therefore not open any champagne.

At least 245 militarily relevant targets are within range of the US ATACMS in western Russia, according to the US Think Tank Institute for the Study of War. These include many airfields that play an important role in the Russian war against Ukraine. Although Ukraine regularly attacks these targets with drones, they do not have the striking power of ATACMS, Storm Shadow/Scalp or even the German Taurus cruise missile.

However, now that the USA has given the go-ahead for the deployment of ATACMS at least in the Kursk region and the UK and France are apparently following suit, pressure is mounting on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to reconsider his principled “no” to Taurus deliveries. On Monday, however, he stuck to his guns. Scholz has repeatedly emphasized that this war must not escalate, said a government spokesperson in Berlin.

Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, FDP politician and Chair of the Defence Committee in the EU Parliament, sharply criticized Scholz. “Stubbornness is not prudence, it is boundless naivety and it’s costs are the lives of many people in Ukraine,” the politician told Table.Briefings. Strack-Zimmermann, who has just returned from a trip to Ukraine, emphasized that Scholz was ignoring the fact that “all European nations should only isolate the aggressor Putin jointly – and at the same time provide Ukraine with humanitarian, economic and military support.”

Harsh reaction from Moscow

The reaction from Moscow to the reports about the ATACMS release came quickly and was escalating. Because foreign specialists would select the targets and operate the weapons, the Kremlin assumed that this would change the role of the West in the conflict.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin had already said on September 12 that the use of such weapons against targets in Russia meant the “direct and immediate involvement of NATO, the USA and European states in the fighting.” From the Kremlin’s point of view, this confirms his claim that the West is actually waging a war against Russia on the back of Ukraine.

Chinese drones for Russia: Germany demands Foreign Affairs Council to take action

The EU Foreign Affairs Council discussed the use of Chinese drones in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine on Monday. China’s growing support for Russia in the war in Ukraine “will and must have consequences,” warned German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock at the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

The EU has “conclusive” evidence that armed drones are being manufactured for Russia in China, according to EU circles ahead of the meeting. However, it was unclear whether Beijing had approved the drone production.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says he will raise the issue at his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday. “It is always a topic of my talks to warn everyone against providing Russia with lethal weapons,” said Scholz on Monday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro. He added that his talks with China had also always focused on the supply of so-called dual-use goods, because one cannot be naive. Scholz did not respond to questions regarding possible sanctions against China.

Complete weapon systems are supplied

“The role of China is becoming bigger and bigger,” said outgoing EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell after the meeting. “Without North Korea, without Iran, without China, Russia could not support its military effort. It could not continue fighting the war.” He expressed concern about reports regarding the production and delivery of complete weapons systems from these three countries, particularly from North Korea and Iran, “the [direct] suppliers of military hardware:” Borrell did not comment specifically on the Chinese drones after the meeting.

The EU is trying to crack down on countries that support Russia’s war efforts. On Monday, diplomats approved steps to extend sanctions against Iran for its support of Moscow. China is the main supplier of many already restricted dual-use goods to Russia. The EU had already imposed sanctions on several Chinese companies as a result. “We are showing weakness, we must stand firm,” said Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis. “We could send a very strong message that we will not allow this. If we don’t do that, it will help to consolidate this chaos coalition that Russia is forming,” he added. ari

Franco-German Assembly in a small circle

The meeting of the Franco-German Parliamentary Assembly can now take place on December 2 at board level. A few days ago, Bundestag President Bärbel Bas (SPD) canceled the meeting of the Assembly in December due to the upcoming vote of confidence in the Bundestag, which several CDU MPs had criticized. As Table.Briefings has learned, the assembly’s executive committee is now meeting. ber

Green cement: Habeck presents standards and promises millions in support

Together with the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA), Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Robert Habeck presented standards for low-carbon cement and concrete for the first time in Baku on Monday. This step is part of the efforts to drive forward the decarbonization of certain industrial sectors within the climate club.

The cement and concrete industry currently accounts for around seven percent of global CO2 emissions. This is the first time that a heavy industry has presented concrete plans for its decarbonization.

The standards for green cement are based on IEA specifications that define emission classes from “close to zero” to “high” and take the clinker content into account. Clinker is the binder in cement that gives the material its strength. However, very high temperatures are required to produce clinker cement, which is why it is considered to be particularly emission-intensive. The proposed standards now provide for

A threshold for “virtually emission-free” cement: 125 kilograms of CO2e per ton of cement with 100 percent clinker content, 40 kilograms of CO2e per ton of cement without clinker content.
A threshold for “low-emission” cement: 750 kilograms of CO2e per ton of cement with 100 percent clinker content, 240 kilograms of CO2e per ton of cement without clinker content.

The standard for the end product concrete should be:

The proportion of clinker in the cement is reduced to 52 percent.
Reduced cement consumption per cubic meter of concrete by 14 percent thanks to improved admixtures.

Over $1 billion in climate financing

To drive forward the decarbonization of the cement industry and other heavy industrial sectors in emerging and developing countries, Germany, the UK, Canada and the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) announced a total of $1.3 billion US dollars in support on Monday:

Germany is paying $220 million from the International Climate Initiative (IKI) and the BMZ budget.
The UK pays around $211 million from the national budget for international cooperation.
The CIF is contributing a total of $900 million.

$300 million is to be made available for technical assistance for the transition to clean energy sources. The Minister of Economic Affairs made it clear in Baku that this initiative was also intended to send a signal to the negotiating rooms at COP29. “The industrialized countries are standing by their climate financing, at the same time we are bringing more private investors and donors on board and broadening the donor base,” Habeck said on Monday. luk

‘Massive uncertainty’: Berlin criticizes the EPP’s EUDR amendments sharply

According to Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir, the German government has not reached an agreed position on the amendments to the EU regulation for deforestation-free supply chains (EUDR). The German government supports the postponement of the rules, as does the Council as a whole, said Özdemir on the margins of the EU Agriculture Council on Monday. However, the substantive changes to the introduction of a new risk category for producer countries, which the Parliament had recently voted in favor of, were still being looked at until the meeting of EU ambassadors on Wednesday.

The Green politician accused the EPP, which had introduced the additional amendments, of causing “massive uncertainty.” As Parliament’s position now differs from the Commission proposal, which the Council also wanted to adopt in identical wording, trilogue negotiations between the institutions will be necessary.

Not all member states benefit from zero-risk category

If the amending law is not signed and sealed before December 30, the regulation will come into force as originally planned. Countries in particular, which are unlikely to benefit from the proposed zero-risk category, will have to weigh up whether they will bow to Parliament’s demands due to the time pressure or still raise objections.

The rapporteur for the EPP group, Christine Schneider (CDU), rejected the criticism: “It is now up to the German government to show a willingness to compromise in the Council, to signal to other Member States the will to reduce bureaucracy and to bring about a quick solution instead of campaigning by stirring up fears,” she said. jd, tho

Agriculture Council: Özdemir calls for EU protein strategy

Together with his Danish counterpart Jacob Jensen, German Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir has called for the new EU Commission to present an EU protein strategy to promote the European production of protein crops. “We urgently need to focus more on this issue for the security of our food supply,” said the Green politician at the EU Agriculture Council on Monday. Domestic feedstuffs are needed to reduce dependence on third countries. According to the EU Commission, only three percent of soy feed in the EU comes from domestic production, compared to two-thirds for rapeseed.

The European Commission had announced an EU protein strategy for the last term of office but never presented it. Özdemir failed to mention that a similar fate also threatens the German counterpart: the BMEL had announced the further development of the protein crop strategy into a protein strategy for spring 2025. The planned new election means that this is now unlikely.

Plant-based alternative products harbor conflict potential

The Czech Republic, Ireland, Estonia and Luxembourg formally supported the initiative, and other countries also expressed their support during the Council meeting, including Poland and Portugal. However, some countries took exception tothe fact that the paper presented by Özdemir and Jensen also advocates better promotion of “plant-based or alternative protein sources.” This should not be about lab-grown meat, warned Italian Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida from Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party. “We must strike a balance between plant and animal proteins,” said Mária Malová, representative of Slovakia.

At his hearing in the EU Parliament, the designated EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Christophe Hansen, clarified that he did not want to impose any regulations on nutrition. However, he emphasized that the EU was lagging far behind in the production of plant proteins, especially as protein crops are useful for climate protection. He also argued that the accession of Ukraine as a major producer country could help the EU to become more independent in protein crops. Özdemir had argued similarly in the past. Hansen has not yet commented on whether he intends to resume the project for an EU protein strategy. jd

Electricity price: Bavaria wants to fight for bidding zone

The Bavarian state government has spoken out emphatically against the division of the German electricity bidding zone. “Every company is currently considering how it can hold its own. That is why we must not experiment with the electricity price zone issue,” said Tobias Gotthardt, State Secretary in the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, at an event at the Bavarian state representation in Brussels on Monday evening.

A European report is expected at the end of the year, which will make a recommendation for the redistribution of the electricity bidding zones. The member states and the Commission will then have to decide. One argument in favor of the division would be that generation plants would increasingly settle in regions with high demand, such as southern Germany. In northern and eastern Germany, on the other hand, the price of electricity could fall.

Building cost subsidies as an alternative

However, a division of the German bidding zone would place a heavy burden on the chemical company, said Peter von Zumbusch, head of the plant in Burghausen. “If we have to close our site, we will certainly not go to northern Germany,” said Zumbusch, referring to a presentation that showed significantly lower electricity prices in the USA, China and many other countries.

An alternative for better allocation signals for generation plants that could be implemented quickly would be changes to the construction cost subsidies, said Christoph Müller, member of the management board of transmission system operator Amprion. This could be implemented as early as 2025. The Bidding Zone Review, on the other hand, would not take effect until 2030. Renewable energies should not be excluded from a reorganization of the subsidies for grid connection. A closed season is no longer appropriate. ber

Energy ministers meet in mid-March

The first meeting of energy ministers under the Polish Council Presidency will take place in Brussels on March 17, 2025. Table.Briefings has also learned that the second Energy Council will take place in Luxembourg on June 16. There will be an informal meeting in Warsaw on May 12 and 13.

The dates are still provisional. According to reports, the Polish Council Presidency wants to push ahead with the roadmap for the phase-out of Russian energy sources and the revision of the energy security strategy, among other things. ber

Hydrogen IPCEI: Daimler Truck receives 226 million grant for small fuel cell series

The commercial vehicle manufacturer Daimler Truck is receiving a grant of €226 million from the hydrogen IPCEI to build a small series of trucks with fuel cell drives. 100 tractor units are now to be developed, built and delivered to customers at the end of 2026. The vehicles are to be powered by liquid hydrogen; the drive system comes from cellcentric in Esslingen, a joint venture between Daimler Truck and Volvo.

The funding will also be used to finance feasibility studies for the hydrogen supply chain and the production facilities for series production. To date, there are five prototypes of the vehicles, which have achieved ranges of over 1000 kilometers on a single tank of fuel and thus achieve values comparable to diesel trucks for long-distance operation. The funding amount of €226 million corresponds to almost two-thirds of the total eligible project share. mgr

Digital platforms: It all comes down to enforcement

By Pencho Kuzev

Pencho Kuzev is Policy Advisor in the field of data and competition policy and organizer of the European Data Summit at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

The business model and market abuse of a handful of large Chinese and American tech companies undermine the EU’s ability to protect future generations, ensure elections and national security, and promote business growth. It is already clear that these problems are exacerbated by the extreme political instability in Washington.

The space for quality journalism is shrinking in our society. On the one hand, disinformation and hatred are systematically reinforced by questionable algorithms, while on the other, journalism is suffering from the inadequate and non-transparent online advertising market, which is dominated by large technology companies.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced the “Democracy Shield.” She has also held out the prospect of investments to help European SMEs and start-ups grow. However, investing in infrastructure and innovation is not enough to promote growth and resilience. It is necessary to create a scope for competition in the internal market. Effective enforcement of EU law against large, non-European companies is crucial for this.

Although the enforcement of the GDPR has often burdened SMEs and start-ups in particular, there have so far been few substantial measures to curb the misuse of personal data by large Chinese and US companies. GDPR enforcement in Ireland and Luxembourg would have a significant impact on Chinese and US companies across Europe without affecting European SMEs and start-ups.

Task force of Chief Enforcement Officers

Although many findings from the Draghi report give us cause for concern, and the signals following Trump’s election give no room for optimism, policymakers should not panic. Europe has a number of effective enforcement tools at its disposal to tackle the key challenges: Competitiveness, endangering future generations, foreign influence and serious threats to democracy. A structured mechanism is needed to coherently use all available regulatory tools, in particular DMA, DSA, GDPR and so on.

A taskforce of Chief Enforcement Officers with an overarching Commission approach could strategically deploy enforcement tools – without the need for additional legislation. An analysis by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation describes in detail how such a task force could work. President von der Leyen should simply bundle Europe’s diverse powers and use political credibility effectively.

Unified enforcement structure

Too often, the Commission’s directorates and units and the national regulatory authorities work in isolation. The Commission needs a unified enforcement structure to be able to use different legal instruments coherently across Europe against a single target company.

The challenges posed by the enormous power of digital platforms deserve top political priority. There are considerable risks: either the enforcement of EU law is taken seriously as a central task, or the basic democratic order will be jeopardized in the long term. Enforcing our values is an investment in our sovereignty and competitiveness.

EUROPE.TABLE EDITORIAL OFFICE

Till
Hoppe

Sarah
Schaefer

Lukas
Knigge

Corinna
Visser

Markus
Grabitz

Alina
Leimbach

Eric
Bonse

Manuel
Berkel

Stephan
Israel

Claire
Stam

János
Allenbach-Ammann

Dear reader,

Time is gradually running out for the new EU Commission. In order for Ursula von der Leyen to take up her second term of office on December 1 as hoped, she would need the approval of the European Parliament by next week at the latest. However, the Christian Democrats and Social Democrats are deadlocked on the question of whether all 26 Commissioners should be given the green light.

It remains to be seen whether the political groups will be able to agree on a line on Wednesday, as they had recently sought to do. At least there were talks again yesterday between EPP group leader Manfred Weber and his colleagues from the S&D and Renew, Iratxe García Pérez and Valérie Hayer.

A story is circulating in Parliament that EPP representatives like to spread: According to it, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez suggested to his party colleague García that she should approve the two right-wing candidates Raffaele Fitto from Italy and Olivér Várhelyi from Hungary on Wednesday, without changing their portfolios. After all, von der Leyen had put together her personnel package in consultation with the Council and this package could not be unraveled now.

In the ranks of the Social Democrats, this is qualified as a rumor, but there is no clear denial when asked. If there is anything to it, the S&D leader could find herself in need of an explanation. Her parliamentary group is unlikely to like it if García complies with Sánchez’s demand. Many Social Democrat MEPs are upset about the way their EPP colleagues have treated their Commissioner candidate Teresa Ribera and the attempts to move closer to the far right in Parliament.

Get the day off to a good start!

Your
Till Hoppe

Mercosur: France’s difficult search for allies

By

Claire Stam

The political spectrum in France is more fragmented than ever before, but there is consensus on one issue: the EU-Mercosur trade agreement. Parties across the political spectrum are voicing their support for farmers, who have launched a protest campaign. According to the farmers’ union FNSEA, this is set to last until mid-December. The protesters fear a veritable “flood” of meat from Brazil and Argentina. They warn of “unfair competition” from products that are not subject to the “strict environmental and health standards of the EU.”

Two points are reportedly still open in the negotiations between Brussels and the four Mercosur states (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay):

Firstly, the question of how compliance with the Paris climate targets should be anchored in the trade agreement. While the EU wants a stringent process through which it can sanction partner countries with trade measures if they do not adhere to agreed environmental targets, the Mercosur states want more flexibility.
Secondly, the exact figures for import quotas have not yet been finalized. However, no major changes are to be expected here.

Paris struggles for blocking minority in Brussels

Unlike France, a majority of EU countries are pushing for the conclusion of the agreement, with Spain and Germany leading the way. After more than 20 years, the project “must finally be completed,” said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro on Monday. He had the impression that EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was now putting pressure on the issue. “We will certainly back the Commission when it presents an agreement,” he said, referring to France’s resistance.

Even if Germany abstains, France is likely to have difficulties getting the necessary number of member states together to block the agreement in a Council vote, John Clarke told Table.Briefings. Clarke was Director of International Relations in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture until 2023 and thus the EU’s chief negotiator for agricultural trade.

However, Paris has not yet given up hope and is still looking for allies for this so-called blocking minority in the Council, as Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard recently said. There is “intensive diplomatic work underway to win over a number of European countries.” Prime Minister Michel Barnier, himself a former agriculture minister, reiterated his criticism of the agreement at a meeting with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last Wednesday.

Netherlands and Poland could vote against

For a blocking minority, four EU countries representing more than 35 percent of the European population would have to vote against the deal. France would therefore have to win over three other countries of a certain size as allies. Agriculture Minister Genevard says she is in contact with Poland, the Netherlands and Italy.

In the Council, Ireland, Belgium and Austria are considered to be Mercosur-sceptical. In the Netherlands, the trade-friendly, liberal VVD is in government with the Mercosur-critical Bauer-Bürger-Bewegung (BBB) and the right-wing populist PVV of Geert Wilders. The trade minister is Reinette Klever from the PVV, who has spoken out against the agreement in the past. The government would have to obtain a mandate from parliament to vote for or against the agreement in the Council.

It is therefore quite possible that the Netherlands would vote against the agreement in the Council. Last week, the Polish Ministry of Agriculture also expressed criticism of the agreement out of concern for the domestic poultry industry. France, Ireland, Belgium, Austria, the Netherlands and Poland just fall short of the necessary blocking minority of 35 percent with a good 33 percent of the EU population. However, this does not give the Mercosur supporters a particularly comfortable lead, especially as not all governments have yet positioned themselves.

Mercosur can also have advantages for France

Certain French sectors such as milk and wine could even benefit from the agreement, said a Parisian parliamentarian who wishes to remain anonymous due to the current political situation in France: “France has a trade surplus of €155 billion with Latin America and is shooting itself in the foot – to the advantage of China, which has understood the challenges very well.”

John Clarke takes a similar view: “While beef and especially lamb producers in the EU would be moderately affected by the agreement, other sectors would benefit: dairy products, pork and derived products, alcoholic beverages and processed foods.”

Touchstone for Macron’s influence

The reason why Paris does not want to give up its resistance, however, is the fear of an escalation of the farmers’ protests, says the Parisian parliamentarian. The protests by French farmers are politically explosive for Paris. “Nothing has been decided,” said French MEP Pascal Canfin, a member of the Renew parliamentary group, which includes Macron’s Renaissance party. He refers to Brazil’s recent decision to suspend exports of female beef to Europe for at least a year after it could not be guaranteed that the meat had not been treated with growth hormones.

The EU Commission is aiming to conclude the negotiations before the end of the year. It will then become clear whether the EU countries will confirm the agreement. The stakes are high for Emmanuel Macron: Mercosur has become a real touchstone for the influence he still has in France and Europe. With Julia Dahm, János Allenbach-Ammann, rtr

Ukraine: US decision reignites debate on arms deliveries

By

Eric Bonse

The topic was not even on the agenda. Instead of talking about US ATACMS and now possible Ukrainian military strikes deep in the Russian hinterland, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell wanted to focus on diplomatic sanctions against Israel at what was probably his last meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday.

The EU must react to the violations of human rights and international humanitarian law and suspend the political dialog with Israel, said Borrell. But he was unable to get his way. In addition to Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg and the Netherlands also spoke out against a boycott. It was a serious defeat for the Spaniard, who will be replaced by the Estonian Kaja Kallas in December. The Europeans still do not “speak the language of power,” said Borrell, visibly frustrated.

Borrell calls on member states to follow the example of the USA

The situation is different in Ukraine policy. Here, too, some countries are repeatedly backing down, and a clear strategy is still not discernible 1,000 days after the start of the Russian invasion. However, the late decision by US President Joe Biden to give the green light for the use of long-range weapons – especially ATACMS – for attacks inside Russia suits Borrell.

The EU foreign policy chief called on the member states to do the same and allow Ukraine to use weapons for attacks inside Russia. “Time and again I have said that Ukraine should be able to use the weapons we supply, not only to stop the arrows, but also to hit the archers,” said Borrell. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock signaled her agreement. Self-defense means that the country does not have to wait until a missile hits a children’s hospital.

Unclear how many missiles Ukraine has

However, it is unclear whether Ukraine will actually be able to do so. “We don’t know the exact number of missiles Ukraine has in its inventory,” said Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis. “The question is whether they are equipped with enough missiles to make a difference on the battlefield.” He would therefore not open any champagne.

At least 245 militarily relevant targets are within range of the US ATACMS in western Russia, according to the US Think Tank Institute for the Study of War. These include many airfields that play an important role in the Russian war against Ukraine. Although Ukraine regularly attacks these targets with drones, they do not have the striking power of ATACMS, Storm Shadow/Scalp or even the German Taurus cruise missile.

However, now that the USA has given the go-ahead for the deployment of ATACMS at least in the Kursk region and the UK and France are apparently following suit, pressure is mounting on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to reconsider his principled “no” to Taurus deliveries. On Monday, however, he stuck to his guns. Scholz has repeatedly emphasized that this war must not escalate, said a government spokesperson in Berlin.

Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, FDP politician and Chair of the Defence Committee in the EU Parliament, sharply criticized Scholz. “Stubbornness is not prudence, it is boundless naivety and it’s costs are the lives of many people in Ukraine,” the politician told Table.Briefings. Strack-Zimmermann, who has just returned from a trip to Ukraine, emphasized that Scholz was ignoring the fact that “all European nations should only isolate the aggressor Putin jointly – and at the same time provide Ukraine with humanitarian, economic and military support.”

Harsh reaction from Moscow

The reaction from Moscow to the reports about the ATACMS release came quickly and was escalating. Because foreign specialists would select the targets and operate the weapons, the Kremlin assumed that this would change the role of the West in the conflict.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin had already said on September 12 that the use of such weapons against targets in Russia meant the “direct and immediate involvement of NATO, the USA and European states in the fighting.” From the Kremlin’s point of view, this confirms his claim that the West is actually waging a war against Russia on the back of Ukraine.

Chinese drones for Russia: Germany demands Foreign Affairs Council to take action

The EU Foreign Affairs Council discussed the use of Chinese drones in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine on Monday. China’s growing support for Russia in the war in Ukraine “will and must have consequences,” warned German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock at the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

The EU has “conclusive” evidence that armed drones are being manufactured for Russia in China, according to EU circles ahead of the meeting. However, it was unclear whether Beijing had approved the drone production.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says he will raise the issue at his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday. “It is always a topic of my talks to warn everyone against providing Russia with lethal weapons,” said Scholz on Monday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro. He added that his talks with China had also always focused on the supply of so-called dual-use goods, because one cannot be naive. Scholz did not respond to questions regarding possible sanctions against China.

Complete weapon systems are supplied

“The role of China is becoming bigger and bigger,” said outgoing EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell after the meeting. “Without North Korea, without Iran, without China, Russia could not support its military effort. It could not continue fighting the war.” He expressed concern about reports regarding the production and delivery of complete weapons systems from these three countries, particularly from North Korea and Iran, “the [direct] suppliers of military hardware:” Borrell did not comment specifically on the Chinese drones after the meeting.

The EU is trying to crack down on countries that support Russia’s war efforts. On Monday, diplomats approved steps to extend sanctions against Iran for its support of Moscow. China is the main supplier of many already restricted dual-use goods to Russia. The EU had already imposed sanctions on several Chinese companies as a result. “We are showing weakness, we must stand firm,” said Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis. “We could send a very strong message that we will not allow this. If we don’t do that, it will help to consolidate this chaos coalition that Russia is forming,” he added. ari

Franco-German Assembly in a small circle

The meeting of the Franco-German Parliamentary Assembly can now take place on December 2 at board level. A few days ago, Bundestag President Bärbel Bas (SPD) canceled the meeting of the Assembly in December due to the upcoming vote of confidence in the Bundestag, which several CDU MPs had criticized. As Table.Briefings has learned, the assembly’s executive committee is now meeting. ber

Green cement: Habeck presents standards and promises millions in support

Together with the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA), Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Robert Habeck presented standards for low-carbon cement and concrete for the first time in Baku on Monday. This step is part of the efforts to drive forward the decarbonization of certain industrial sectors within the climate club.

The cement and concrete industry currently accounts for around seven percent of global CO2 emissions. This is the first time that a heavy industry has presented concrete plans for its decarbonization.

The standards for green cement are based on IEA specifications that define emission classes from “close to zero” to “high” and take the clinker content into account. Clinker is the binder in cement that gives the material its strength. However, very high temperatures are required to produce clinker cement, which is why it is considered to be particularly emission-intensive. The proposed standards now provide for

A threshold for “virtually emission-free” cement: 125 kilograms of CO2e per ton of cement with 100 percent clinker content, 40 kilograms of CO2e per ton of cement without clinker content.
A threshold for “low-emission” cement: 750 kilograms of CO2e per ton of cement with 100 percent clinker content, 240 kilograms of CO2e per ton of cement without clinker content.

The standard for the end product concrete should be:

The proportion of clinker in the cement is reduced to 52 percent.
Reduced cement consumption per cubic meter of concrete by 14 percent thanks to improved admixtures.

Over $1 billion in climate financing

To drive forward the decarbonization of the cement industry and other heavy industrial sectors in emerging and developing countries, Germany, the UK, Canada and the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) announced a total of $1.3 billion US dollars in support on Monday:

Germany is paying $220 million from the International Climate Initiative (IKI) and the BMZ budget.
The UK pays around $211 million from the national budget for international cooperation.
The CIF is contributing a total of $900 million.

$300 million is to be made available for technical assistance for the transition to clean energy sources. The Minister of Economic Affairs made it clear in Baku that this initiative was also intended to send a signal to the negotiating rooms at COP29. “The industrialized countries are standing by their climate financing, at the same time we are bringing more private investors and donors on board and broadening the donor base,” Habeck said on Monday. luk

‘Massive uncertainty’: Berlin criticizes the EPP’s EUDR amendments sharply

According to Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir, the German government has not reached an agreed position on the amendments to the EU regulation for deforestation-free supply chains (EUDR). The German government supports the postponement of the rules, as does the Council as a whole, said Özdemir on the margins of the EU Agriculture Council on Monday. However, the substantive changes to the introduction of a new risk category for producer countries, which the Parliament had recently voted in favor of, were still being looked at until the meeting of EU ambassadors on Wednesday.

The Green politician accused the EPP, which had introduced the additional amendments, of causing “massive uncertainty.” As Parliament’s position now differs from the Commission proposal, which the Council also wanted to adopt in identical wording, trilogue negotiations between the institutions will be necessary.

Not all member states benefit from zero-risk category

If the amending law is not signed and sealed before December 30, the regulation will come into force as originally planned. Countries in particular, which are unlikely to benefit from the proposed zero-risk category, will have to weigh up whether they will bow to Parliament’s demands due to the time pressure or still raise objections.

The rapporteur for the EPP group, Christine Schneider (CDU), rejected the criticism: “It is now up to the German government to show a willingness to compromise in the Council, to signal to other Member States the will to reduce bureaucracy and to bring about a quick solution instead of campaigning by stirring up fears,” she said. jd, tho

Agriculture Council: Özdemir calls for EU protein strategy

Together with his Danish counterpart Jacob Jensen, German Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir has called for the new EU Commission to present an EU protein strategy to promote the European production of protein crops. “We urgently need to focus more on this issue for the security of our food supply,” said the Green politician at the EU Agriculture Council on Monday. Domestic feedstuffs are needed to reduce dependence on third countries. According to the EU Commission, only three percent of soy feed in the EU comes from domestic production, compared to two-thirds for rapeseed.

The European Commission had announced an EU protein strategy for the last term of office but never presented it. Özdemir failed to mention that a similar fate also threatens the German counterpart: the BMEL had announced the further development of the protein crop strategy into a protein strategy for spring 2025. The planned new election means that this is now unlikely.

Plant-based alternative products harbor conflict potential

The Czech Republic, Ireland, Estonia and Luxembourg formally supported the initiative, and other countries also expressed their support during the Council meeting, including Poland and Portugal. However, some countries took exception tothe fact that the paper presented by Özdemir and Jensen also advocates better promotion of “plant-based or alternative protein sources.” This should not be about lab-grown meat, warned Italian Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida from Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party. “We must strike a balance between plant and animal proteins,” said Mária Malová, representative of Slovakia.

At his hearing in the EU Parliament, the designated EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Christophe Hansen, clarified that he did not want to impose any regulations on nutrition. However, he emphasized that the EU was lagging far behind in the production of plant proteins, especially as protein crops are useful for climate protection. He also argued that the accession of Ukraine as a major producer country could help the EU to become more independent in protein crops. Özdemir had argued similarly in the past. Hansen has not yet commented on whether he intends to resume the project for an EU protein strategy. jd

Electricity price: Bavaria wants to fight for bidding zone

The Bavarian state government has spoken out emphatically against the division of the German electricity bidding zone. “Every company is currently considering how it can hold its own. That is why we must not experiment with the electricity price zone issue,” said Tobias Gotthardt, State Secretary in the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, at an event at the Bavarian state representation in Brussels on Monday evening.

A European report is expected at the end of the year, which will make a recommendation for the redistribution of the electricity bidding zones. The member states and the Commission will then have to decide. One argument in favor of the division would be that generation plants would increasingly settle in regions with high demand, such as southern Germany. In northern and eastern Germany, on the other hand, the price of electricity could fall.

Building cost subsidies as an alternative

However, a division of the German bidding zone would place a heavy burden on the chemical company, said Peter von Zumbusch, head of the plant in Burghausen. “If we have to close our site, we will certainly not go to northern Germany,” said Zumbusch, referring to a presentation that showed significantly lower electricity prices in the USA, China and many other countries.

An alternative for better allocation signals for generation plants that could be implemented quickly would be changes to the construction cost subsidies, said Christoph Müller, member of the management board of transmission system operator Amprion. This could be implemented as early as 2025. The Bidding Zone Review, on the other hand, would not take effect until 2030. Renewable energies should not be excluded from a reorganization of the subsidies for grid connection. A closed season is no longer appropriate. ber

Energy ministers meet in mid-March

The first meeting of energy ministers under the Polish Council Presidency will take place in Brussels on March 17, 2025. Table.Briefings has also learned that the second Energy Council will take place in Luxembourg on June 16. There will be an informal meeting in Warsaw on May 12 and 13.

The dates are still provisional. According to reports, the Polish Council Presidency wants to push ahead with the roadmap for the phase-out of Russian energy sources and the revision of the energy security strategy, among other things. ber

Hydrogen IPCEI: Daimler Truck receives 226 million grant for small fuel cell series

The commercial vehicle manufacturer Daimler Truck is receiving a grant of €226 million from the hydrogen IPCEI to build a small series of trucks with fuel cell drives. 100 tractor units are now to be developed, built and delivered to customers at the end of 2026. The vehicles are to be powered by liquid hydrogen; the drive system comes from cellcentric in Esslingen, a joint venture between Daimler Truck and Volvo.

The funding will also be used to finance feasibility studies for the hydrogen supply chain and the production facilities for series production. To date, there are five prototypes of the vehicles, which have achieved ranges of over 1000 kilometers on a single tank of fuel and thus achieve values comparable to diesel trucks for long-distance operation. The funding amount of €226 million corresponds to almost two-thirds of the total eligible project share. mgr

Digital platforms: It all comes down to enforcement

By Pencho Kuzev

The business model and market abuse of a handful of large Chinese and American tech companies undermine the EU’s ability to protect future generations, ensure elections and national security, and promote business growth. It is already clear that these problems are exacerbated by the extreme political instability in Washington.

The space for quality journalism is shrinking in our society. On the one hand, disinformation and hatred are systematically reinforced by questionable algorithms, while on the other, journalism is suffering from the inadequate and non-transparent online advertising market, which is dominated by large technology companies.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced the “Democracy Shield.” She has also held out the prospect of investments to help European SMEs and start-ups grow. However, investing in infrastructure and innovation is not enough to promote growth and resilience. It is necessary to create a scope for competition in the internal market. Effective enforcement of EU law against large, non-European companies is crucial for this.

Although the enforcement of the GDPR has often burdened SMEs and start-ups in particular, there have so far been few substantial measures to curb the misuse of personal data by large Chinese and US companies. GDPR enforcement in Ireland and Luxembourg would have a significant impact on Chinese and US companies across Europe without affecting European SMEs and start-ups.

Task force of Chief Enforcement Officers

Although many findings from the Draghi report give us cause for concern, and the signals following Trump’s election give no room for optimism, policymakers should not panic. Europe has a number of effective enforcement tools at its disposal to tackle the key challenges: Competitiveness, endangering future generations, foreign influence and serious threats to democracy. A structured mechanism is needed to coherently use all available regulatory tools, in particular DMA, DSA, GDPR and so on.

A taskforce of Chief Enforcement Officers with an overarching Commission approach could strategically deploy enforcement tools – without the need for additional legislation. An analysis by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation describes in detail how such a task force could work. President von der Leyen should simply bundle Europe’s diverse powers and use political credibility effectively.

Unified enforcement structure

Too often, the Commission’s directorates and units and the national regulatory authorities work in isolation. The Commission needs a unified enforcement structure to be able to use different legal instruments coherently across Europe against a single target company.

The challenges posed by the enormous power of digital platforms deserve top political priority. There are considerable risks: either the enforcement of EU law is taken seriously as a central task, or the basic democratic order will be jeopardized in the long term. Enforcing our values is an investment in our sovereignty and competitiveness.

EUROPE.TABLE EDITORIAL OFFICE

Till
Hoppe

Sarah
Schaefer

Lukas
Knigge

Corinna
Visser

Markus
Grabitz

Alina
Leimbach

Eric
Bonse

Manuel
Berkel

Stephan
Israel

Claire
Stam

János
Allenbach-Ammann

Feature

Mercosur: France’s difficult search for allies

Paris struggles for blocking minority in Brussels

Netherlands and Poland could vote against

Mercosur can also have advantages for France

Touchstone for Macron’s influence

Ukraine: US decision reignites debate on arms deliveries

Borrell calls on member states to follow the example of the USA

Unclear how many missiles Ukraine has

Harsh reaction from Moscow

Events

News

Chinese drones for Russia: Germany demands Foreign Affairs Council to take action

Complete weapon systems are supplied

Franco-German Assembly in a small circle

Green cement: Habeck presents standards and promises millions in support

Over $1 billion in climate financing

‘Massive uncertainty’: Berlin criticizes the EPP’s EUDR amendments sharply

Not all member states benefit from zero-risk category

Agriculture Council: Özdemir calls for EU protein strategy

Plant-based alternative products harbor conflict potential

Electricity price: Bavaria wants to fight for bidding zone

Building cost subsidies as an alternative

Energy ministers meet in mid-March

Hydrogen IPCEI: Daimler Truck receives 226 million grant for small fuel cell series

Opinion

Digital platforms: It all comes down to enforcement

Enforcing the GDPR in Ireland and Luxembourg

Task force of Chief Enforcement Officers

Unified enforcement structure

Europe.table editorial team

EUROPE.TABLE EDITORIAL OFFICE

Feature

Mercosur: France’s difficult search for allies

Paris struggles for blocking minority in Brussels

Netherlands and Poland could vote against

Mercosur can also have advantages for France

Touchstone for Macron’s influence

Ukraine: US decision reignites debate on arms deliveries

Borrell calls on member states to follow the example of the USA

Unclear how many missiles Ukraine has

Harsh reaction from Moscow

Events

News

Chinese drones for Russia: Germany demands Foreign Affairs Council to take action

Complete weapon systems are supplied

Franco-German Assembly in a small circle

Green cement: Habeck presents standards and promises millions in support

Over $1 billion in climate financing

‘Massive uncertainty’: Berlin criticizes the EPP’s EUDR amendments sharply

Not all member states benefit from zero-risk category

Agriculture Council: Özdemir calls for EU protein strategy

Plant-based alternative products harbor conflict potential

Electricity price: Bavaria wants to fight for bidding zone

Building cost subsidies as an alternative

Energy ministers meet in mid-March

Hydrogen IPCEI: Daimler Truck receives 226 million grant for small fuel cell series

Opinion

Digital platforms: It all comes down to enforcement

Enforcing the GDPR in Ireland and Luxembourg

Task force of Chief Enforcement Officers

Unified enforcement structure

Europe.table editorial team

EUROPE.TABLE EDITORIAL OFFICE

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