Decisive minds in associations + Election campaign without Krah + Future of the Green Deal

Dear reader,

There is still little sign of the European election campaign in Germany. But preparations are underway – not only among the parties and politicians, but also among those who want to manipulate the elections. (Sometimes they are the same.) In the super election year, the attackers have upgraded and, thanks to artificial intelligence, they have new powerful tools at their disposal. With the DSA, the EU has created a tool to combat disinformation on the Internet. But the surveillance bodies are still being developed.

Prebunking is a long-established means of combating disinformation: The method aims to “strengthen people’s mental resilience before they encounter disinformation”, explains Beth Goldberg, Head of Research and Development at Google’s Jigsaw unit. In this way, people learn to recognize and reject false information. They become “immune”.

Google has already used this technology before elections in Europe, most recently in Indonesia. Today, the company is launching its corresponding campaign in Germany in the run-up to the European elections. The videos will run for at least four weeks on YouTube, as well as on Facebook and Instagram. According to Goldberg, the success can be proven through surveys and measurements of how many people have actually seen a video. Jigsaw uses the advertising systems of social media for this. “It works across age groups and demographics and is also scalable”, says Goldberg.

If you’re already immune to decontextualization, the scapegoat method or reputational damage, all the better. If you want to learn more about the campaign, read the full interview here.

All the best for you,

Your
Corinna Visser

Where the EU Green Deal has been watered down – and what happens next

By

Lukas Knigge

It was Ursula von der Leyen’s big project in this legislature. The Green Deal was supposed to put Europe on the net zero path by 2050. The Commission President announced her plan in 2019 and launched a range of laws in 2021. How much progress has the EU made?

A stocktaking at the end of the European Parliament’s legislative period shows: The first years of the Green Deal were marked by comprehensive reforms, for example, in emissions trading, the expansion of renewables and higher climate targets. They pave the way for continued progress towards the ambitious climate targets.

However, towards the end of the period and under the pressure of the Covid pandemic, inflation and the war in Ukraine, momentum was lost: The European climate and environmental action project came under increasing pressure.

Especially since the main climate laws – known as the Fit for 55 package – were finalized, support for further Green Deal measures dropped massively. In particular, von der Leyen’s political base, the Christian Democratic EPP, exerted enormous pressure on the Commission to keep the number of additional Green Deal laws to a minimum.

The Commission often gave in to pressure from the EPP

This jeopardized several projects:

The EPP’s rejection almost completely overturned the Nature Restoration Law (NRL). Although it couldn’t stop it, the proposal was watered down so much compared to the Commission proposal that even the level of ambition of the member states in the Council was higher – a never-before-seen situation with climate action measures.
The EPP also tried to gut the Pesticides Regulation (SUR). In the end, the Greens rejected the law in Parliament because they felt it would not have improved existing regulations. In turn, the EPP rejected renegotiations. Ultimately, as a concession to the farmer protests, the Commission President withdrew the proposal, after it had been declared dead anyway.
A Soil Health Law became the Soil Monitoring Law without binding targets for soil health in the member states. This was due to the high pressure on the Commission, including the legislative moratorium the EPP had called for.
A law to restrict microplastics was first postponed and finally presented in a watered-down form.
The chemicals regulation REACH has been postponed several times and is still in the Commission’s drawer today. This, too, is in the interests of the EPP. It is unclear whether REACH will ever see the light of day.

EPP with ‘prehistoric’ voting behavior

All these laws are part of the Green Deal. A group of environmental organizations called the EPP “prehistoric thinkers” because they often voted against more climate action. Christian Ehler from the EPP refuses to accept this figure alone. He said the important thing was what was voted on – not whether you voted yes or no. The EPP justifies its rejection of further legislation with the aim of protecting the economy and farmers from new regulations.

Ehler is the rapporteur for the large industrial policy project of the Green Deal, the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA), which will be put to a final vote in the European Parliament on Thursday. The Act is a response to China’s massive industrial subsidies and the US Inflation Reduction Act. It aims to speed up approval procedures for the expansion of green technologies, as well as to make global supply bottlenecks more resilient and more independent of foreign suppliers.

However, the NZIA hardly provides any new funding to support the economy, another reason why the Greens criticize the bill. Michael Bloss, climate policy spokesperson for the Green Party, called it a missed opportunity. During a Table.Briefings debate, Ehler countered that public funds are not enough to finance transformation processes. “It will only work if we deepen the internal energy market in Europe and if there is finally a level playing field on the capital market to make it attractive to international investors.”

And after the European elections?

What’s next for the Green Deal? The party election programs make few concrete statements on this. However, the new EU climate target for 2040 proposed by the Commission is on the agenda: minus 90 percent. The associated legislative package will be the main climate policy task of the next Commission and the next Parliament. According to current plans, it will be presented in the first half of 2025 at the earliest under the Polish Council Presidency.

Michael Bloss campaigns for a Green Industrial Deal in the next legislature, which aims to preserve Europe as a business location and ensure that the climate targets for 2030, 2040 and 2050 remain achievable. Christian Ehler from the EPP hopes that the new Commission will introduce fewer regulatory bills and instead more control via market-based instruments such as European emissions trading.

Giegold: ‘We need a near-zero package’

German State Secretary for Economic Affairs Sven Giegold wants to prevent the Green Deal from being rolled back with a new legislative package. “We need a fit-for-near-zero package,” he said Tuesday evening at an event hosted by the Jacques Delors Center and the German CEO Alliance for Climate in Berlin.

“The Green Deal is not yet complete and it must remain a priority,” the former MEP continued. Anything else would “not only harm the climate, but also our economy.”

On one crucial point, Giegold’s initiative opposes the French government and its allies in the Council: “For Germany, it is clear that the next legislative package must again include targets for renewable energies and energy efficiency. Both will take on a large part of the greenhouse gas reduction,” the State Secretary said.

Paris, on the other hand, is only aiming for a target for “decarbonized energy,” which would also include nuclear energy. At the energy ministers’ meeting last December, France and ten other EU states drafted a corresponding paper to influence the climate legislation for 2040.

AfD wants to largely remove Krah from election campaign

AfD top candidate Maximilian Krah is to skip the European election campaign kick-off in Donaueschingen, but is otherwise allowed to stay. In addition, election videos featuring Krah will not be broadcast and there will also be no posters featuring the 47-year-old, according to parliamentary party circles.

On Tuesday, it became known that the police had arrested an employee from Krah’s Brussels MEP office. Jian G. is suspected of spying for China. Party leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla then invited Krah to a crisis meeting on Wednesday.

Has Krah prevented applications to Huawei?

Some party colleagues in the parliamentary group were not surprised by the accusations. The Chinese connections of Jian G. have reportedly been an issue there for five years. Krah had also tried to prevent motions on the Chinese telecoms supplier Huawei from coming out of the parliamentary group, they said. When the issue was raised from within the parliamentary group years ago, a member of the federal executive board replied that the matter should not be opened up.

Friends of Russia in the AfD, on the other hand, tend to argue with the presumption of innocence. Even if some are beginning to worry about the impact of the accusations on the AfD’s election results. Moreover, Krah is not the only problem case: some in the AfD fear that Petr Bystron, the second man on the European election list, has even bigger skeletons in his closet than Krah. Bystron is accused of having accepted money from Russia. fak

Wife under investigation: Sánchez suspends official duties

Following corruption charges against his wife Begoña Gómez, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is considering resigning from the office he has held since 2018. He has canceled all his public appointments “for a few days” to think about it, the socialist politician announced on X on Wednesday. He is being harassed by the right and the extreme right by all means.

“I have to stop and think. I urgently need to answer the question of whether it is worth it, despite the quagmire in which the right and the far right are trying to play politics. Whether I should continue to head the government or step down from this high honor”, Sánchez wrote in a “Letter to the Public”. The 52-year-old intends to announce his decision on Monday.

The organization Manos Limpias (Clean Hands) had previously filed a complaint with a court in Madrid against Sánchez’s wife Begoña Gómez for corruption and influence peddling. Manos Limpias is a private group that has been campaigning for right-wing causes in Spain for years. It accuses Gómez (49) of having exploited her position as wife of the head of government to do business. The court gave no further details and stated that the investigation was under seal.

Ribera nominated as top candidate

Also on Wednesday, Spanish Energy and Environment Minister Teresa Ribera was nominated as the lead candidate for the Spanish Socialists’ (PSOE) list for the EU elections. This was announced by the party on Wednesday. This paves the way for the influential climate politician to become a Commissioner in the next legislative period. “We want more Europe, fairer and more solidary, more social, greener and more feminist“, Ribera tweeted afterwards. This is the agenda that guarantees progress and prosperity, she continued.

Ribera is not only regarded as an expert in international climate negotiations, but also as open, communicative and tough in European negotiations. When Spain held the EU Council Presidency in the second half of 2023, she succeeded in reaching a trilogue compromise on the highly controversial renaturation law. cst/dpa/rtr

EU Parliament votes in favor of CAP relaxation

The plenary of the European Parliament voted on Wednesday by 425 votes to 130 with 33 abstentions in favor of relaxing environmental rules within the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The regulation must now be formally approved by the Council, which is scheduled for the Agriculture Council at the end of May.

A majority of MEPs have decided to weaken the “modest ecological component” of the CAP, explains French MEP and agricultural politician Christophe Clergeau (S&D) to Table.Briefings. The vote is backward-looking, does not solve farmers’ income problems in any way and turns its back on the necessary agro-ecological turnaround in agriculture. Clergeau had submitted a draft resolution that was supported by parts of the S&D Group, the Greens/EFA and the Left.

Lins calls on Özdemir to implement easing of restrictions

Norbert Lins (EPP), Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, does not accept the criticism that the changes would lower environmental standards. The high environmental ambition of the CAP would remain. The only change is to focus more on incentives. “I call on the German Minister of Agriculture to implement these decisions from Strasbourg and Brussels one-to-one in Germany”, he said. The German government must make full use of the scope for relaxation created by the changes.

The package proposed by the Commission to simplify the CAP aims to reduce the bureaucratic burden on farmers. Several environmental rules that must be met in order to receive CAP funds are to be relaxed and farms with an area of less than ten hectares are to be exempt from inspections. According to the Commission, this affects 65 percent of CAP recipients.

Path clear for adoption before the European elections

With its approval, the plenary paves the way for the proposal to be adopted before the European elections. To make this possible, the MEPs, like the member states before them, approved the Commission text without any substantial changes. A trilogue is therefore not necessary. An urgency procedure was also used within Parliament, in which committee work is skipped. Critics see this as undemocratic, but Parliament’s legal service had no legal objections.

On Tuesday, Parliament also confirmed a delegated act on changes to the rules on the preservation of permanent grassland. Despite opposition from the left-wing groups, Parliament decided by a large majority not to raise an objection (417 votes in favor, 162 against and 25 abstentions). The text gives member states more freedom in implementing the requirements for good agricultural and environmental conditions of permanent grassland (GAEC 1). cst/jd

EU withdrawal from Energy Charter clears penultimate hurdle

In its final session week before the European elections, the EU Parliament voted to withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty. “International fossil fuel investors no longer have the option of bypassing ordinary courts and attacking climate policy with extrajudicial lawsuits,” said Green MEP Anna Cavazzini.

As a final step, the member states still have to approve the withdrawal by a qualified majority. The vote is expected in May. It will likely be accepted, as the Council had already voted in favor of the exit in March.

Investor protection for 20 years despite withdrawal

The phase-out will come into force one year after notification. However, investor protection will remain in place for another 20 years. According to the NGO PowerShift, the EU is currently negotiating an agreement to restrict this option. However, the EU decision also stipulates that member states can continue to decide whether to remain in the treaty.

The International Energy Charter protects the interests of investors in other countries that are parties to the charter. According to PowerShift, proceedings are still ongoing, for example against the taxation of power plant excess profits and against the German coal phase-out. ber

Parliament adopts internal market emergency instrument

A majority of 408 MEPs voted in favor of the final text of the Single Market Emergency and Resilience Act on Wednesday. This is intended to prevent supply bottlenecks, such as at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, when the movement of goods within Europe briefly came to a standstill.

The law introduces a three-stage warning system to identify supply bottlenecks at an early stage. For a number of crisis-relevant products, the law releases companies from liability obligations that prioritize orders from the EU Commission to the detriment of other customers in a crisis situation.

Following Parliament’s approval, the EU Council must now officially approve the text. The law will then enter into force as a regulation. jaa

EP adopts supply chain law

The EU Parliament finally adopted the Supply Chain Directive (CSDDD) on Wednesday. MEPs adopted the result of the trilogue negotiations with 374 votes in favor, 235 against and 19 abstentions. Although the Commission, Council and Parliament had already agreed on a text in mid-December, the Member States had made significant changes in Coreper.

The Council must now adopt the final version before the directive can enter into force. The member states then have two years to transpose it into national law. In Germany, the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG) is to be amended for this purpose.

The parliamentarians also approved the trilogue agreement on the Packaging Ordinance. The law includes targets for reducing packaging and making it recyclable. Bans on certain single-use plastic packaging are to apply from 2030. Very lightweight plastic bags are also to be banned from the EU internal market.

The EU Parliament has also approved the political compromise on the Clean Air Directive. This will bring the limit values for many air pollutants into line with the WHO guideline values by 2030. The limit values for particulate matter and nitrogen oxides in particular are considered a challenge in many regions and could lead to driving bans and production restrictions in industry. leo, mgr

Parliament votes in favor of platform work law

Members of the European Parliament have confirmed the directive on platform work by a large majority. On Wednesday, 554 MEPs from all political groups voted in favor of the text, and 56 against it – including the German FDP MEPs. 24 MEPs abstained.

Alongside the Minimum Wage Directive, the directive is one of the key labor market policy measures of the current legislative period and is intended to combat bogus self-employment on large digital platforms. It obliges EU countries to establish a rebuttable legal presumption of employment at national level. There had been much controversy about this presumption. In the legal text that is now coming into force, it is regulated in such a way that there are no uniform EU-wide criteria for this, but it is introduced based on national laws.

Rules for algorithms in workplaces

The text explicitly states that the initiation of such proceedings should be made easier compared to the status quo. The burden of proof then lies with the platform, which must prove that there is no employment relationship. For the first time in the EU, there are also rules on the use of algorithms in the workplace – for example, that a dismissal may only take place with human supervision.

The directive was highly controversial in the Council. Germany and France blocked the law for months – an agreement was therefore open for a long time. In March, a majority was reached in the Council at the last minute – bypassing the two states. lei

Conservative party family ECR agrees on election program

The European Conservative Party family (ECR) is not entering the European election campaign with a lead candidate. This was decided by party leader Giorgia Meloni, who is also Prime Minister of Italy and leads the Fratelli d’Italia, and Mateusz Morawiecki, former Prime Minister of Poland and leading politician of the PIS. At the meeting, the ECR leadership also adopted the manifesto for the European elections.

The unanimity is astonishing because there is a dispute within the party family about the direction to take after the European elections. Morawiecki is publicly in favor of including Hungary’s Fidesz in the ECR group and possibly forming a large right-wing group with Marine Le Pen’s French Rassemblement National. Meloni rejects this.

Against the ‘federal superstate’

“Doing less, but all the better” is the motto Meloni would like to give the EU in the next mandate. “After years in which we have developed in the direction of a federal superstate, the conservatives should not only represent their origins in terms of values, but also in terms of returning to the EU treaties.” Morawiecki rejected a policy “that conducts social experiments with the peoples of Europe”.

In addition to more state sovereignty, the joint election program calls for the strengthening of the European defense industry, closer cooperation between the EU and NATO and priority investment in technology and security. The protection of external borders should be strengthened and no member state should be forced to take in illegal migrants. The Green Deal must be turned on its head. The ECR supports “a more balanced and local climate strategy that does not forget ordinary people […] and stops ignoring the interests of farmers and fishermen, citizens and businesses”. mgr

BSW seeks its own group in the EU Parliament

The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) does not want to join any of the existing parliamentary groups after the European elections. Rather, the BSW is focusing on new collaborations with parties that correspond to its program priorities. There are already trusting talks with potential partners, said lead candidate Fabio De Masi in Berlin on Wednesday.

He left open the question of whether his party is on the left or right of the spectrum. In addition to traditional left-wing demands such as disarmament and redistribution, the BSW advocates limiting migration and asylum procedures in third countries as well as opposing European integration. The traditional label “left” no longer makes much sense today, said De Masi.

He is looking for allies who put the issues of peace and justice at the forefront. As a half-Italian, he has good contacts in Italy, said De Masi. He is probably alluding to the 5-Star Movement, which shares the BSW’s Eurosceptic program. Party chairwoman Sahra Wagenknecht had already stated that there were also talks with La France insoumise and the Nordic Left. Forecasts currently predict that the BSW will win seven seats in parliament. To form a parliamentary group, it needs 23 MEPs from at least seven EU countries. vew

DSA: TikTok disables controversial feature – Commission continues to scrutinize

ByteDance has announced that it will suspend the reward system in the TikTok Lite app, which was introduced in Spain and France and flagged by the EU Commission as potentially unlawful. “TikTok always tries to find a constructive approach with the EU Commission and other regulators. Therefore, we are voluntarily suspending the reward features in TikTok Lite while we address the concerns raised,” the company stated on Wednesday afternoon. The decision came just one and a half hours before a deadline for a response to the EU Commission was due to expire, so the company temporarily conceded.

However, the Commission does not intend to let the controversial social media provider, owned by China, off the hook. “Our children are not guinea pigs for social media,” fumed Thierry Breton on X (formerly Twitter). He acknowledged that TikTok had disabled the reward system, but added, “The proceedings against TikTok regarding the addiction risk on the platform will continue.”

Thus, ByteDance has narrowly avoided an imminent order under the Digital Services Act, which could have come as soon as Thursday. Under the DSA, regulatory authorities can impose enforcement actions up to blocking a service if they suspect violations. fst

Urgewald: EU sanctions would hit Russian LNG exports hard

According to the environmental organization Urgewald, the economic pressure on Russia could be significantly increased if the EU were to ban the import and trade of Russian LNG. Such a measure would cause massive logistical problems for Russia’s main export terminal, Sabetta.

“If the nearby EU ports and waters were no longer available as destinations and transshipment points, the transportation routes for Russian gas from the Arctic would become significantly longer and more expensive. Moreover, due to the very limited number of ships available, Russia would no longer be able to export the current volumes,” writes energy campaigner Sebastian Rötters in a new Urgewald briefing.

According to an Urgewald analysis of shipping data, deliveries of Russian LNG to the EU have risen from 23 to 31 million tons since Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago. Without icebreaker tankers of the Arc7 class, neither the Sabetta terminal on the Yamal Peninsula nor the Arctic LNG2 expansion project would be economically viable. In addition, 20 percent of the LNG shipped to the EU is transferred in Europe and mainly exported to China.

US sanctions force Novatek onto the defensive

Urgewald is therefore calling for tougher EU sanctions:

an immediate EU-wide import ban on Russian LNG;
a transshipment ban for Russian LNG in EU ports and waters;
Sanctions on ships calling at Russian LNG export terminals in order to deprive Russia of access to the existing Arc7 tanker fleet;
effective steps to prevent the technology exports Russia requires to build the Arctic LNG2 export terminal and other Arc7 tankers.

The United States has already forced the exporter Novatek onto the defensive with sanctions against Arctic LNG2. However, it is unclear whether EU sanctions would really stop exports completely. According to a Reuters report, Novatek operates an alternative export terminal in the Murmansk region, which remains ice-free in winter. ber

Commission investigates Chinese medical products procurement market

On Wednesday, the EU Commission published a notice in the Official Journal of the European Union announcing the initiation of an investigation under the International Procurement Instrument (IPI). The investigation targets the public procurement market for medical products in China, where European providers are currently losing market share.

The IPI allows the EU to act against third countries that disadvantage EU suppliers in their public procurement in favor of domestic providers. The notice lists several disadvantages faced by European suppliers:

China’s public procurement law adheres to a “Buy China” policy
The “Made in China 2025” strategy requires hospitals to procure at least 70 percent from domestic production
There are mandates for 100 percent Chinese production for more than a hundred products
Procuring foreign products requires a more complex procedure than for Chinese products.

With the launch of the investigation, the Commission has sent a questionnaire to the Chinese government. This invites the Chinese government to participate in clarifying the issues raised by the Commission. The investigation will conclude after nine months but may be extended by five months.

EU can take countermeasures

If discussions with the Chinese government do not lead to the desired result, the EU Commission has two options under the IPI. First, it can impose a so-called “Score Adjustment” on Chinese providers in public tenders in the EU. This means the price of the Chinese offer is artificially increased for the comparison of bids. The Commission can impose a maximum score adjustment of up to 50 percent and in individual cases up to 100 percent.

The Commission also has the option to completely exclude Chinese providers from public procurement markets. However, the IPI stipulates that any EU countermeasures must be proportionate. The countermeasures are not necessarily limited to the affected sector of medical products, but due to the proportionality clause, any measures would likely focus primarily on this sector.

The launch of the investigation triggered a series of reactions. The Chinese Chamber of Commerce in the EU expressed its “deep disappointment” with the Commission’s actions and called for more dialogue. US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said she is watching the development with interest. “The International Procurement Instrument is a trade tool that could potentially help address the unfair trade policies and practices of the People’s Republic of China,” she said in a statement. jaa

The key players on the EU scene – Associations

Markus Beyrer

The 58-year-old Austrian has been leading Business Europe as Director General since the end of 2012. Well-connected in Brussels, he channels the interests of the business community into the legislative processes – a challenging task with 42 member associations from various countries with different priorities.

Karl Haeusgen

The Munich-based entrepreneur has been president of the German Mechanical Engineering Association (VDMA) since 2020. He proactively considers the EU level and has articulated his mostly medium-sized member companies’ criticisms of the supply chain law very clearly.

Wolfgang Große Entrup

The CEO of the German Chemical Industry Association does not mince words: Few other association representatives have criticized policies from Brussels and Berlin as bluntly in recent months. This has earned the Cologne native respect beyond his industry.

Klaus Günter Deutsch

The economist heads the Department of Industry and Economic Policy at the Federation of German Industries (BDI), with a strong focus on European initiatives like the reform of debt rules. He is also an excellent expert on the structures and actors formulating German positions for the EU Council within the federal government.

Arne Franke

The head of the European Department at the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations monitors legislation in labor market and social policy from his office in the Brussels European Quarter. His workload has increased over the years: Traditionally, the EU has limited competencies in labor market and social policy, but this scope was expanded during the Juncker Commission and has continued under Ursula von der Leyen.

Hildegard Müller

Since 2020, Müller has been leading the German Automotive Industry Association (VDA), tasked with the challenging role of representing the interests of the key German industry amid the transition to battery-powered cars. She needs to balance the sometimes divergent demands of manufacturers and suppliers. Her extensive network in politics and business likely assists her. Müller was a CDU member of the Bundestag and minister of state in the Chancellor’s Office and previously led the Federal Association of the Energy and Water Industries.

Wolfgang Weber

Since 2020, Weber has been the head of the German Electrical and Digital Industry Association, ZVEI. A PhD chemist based in Berlin with an office in Frankfurt/Main, he previously managed BASF’s Brussels office, coordinating the chemical company’s lobbying efforts. He is therefore very familiar with the processes on the EU stage. He started his career at the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI).

Ralf Diemer

Diemer has been the Managing Director of the E-Fuel Alliance for three years, advocating for climate-neutral fuels to have a significant role in the decarbonization of transportation and industry. The Swabian, who has performed as a cabaret artist on stage in Brussels and Berlin, previously headed the VDA office in Brussels for a long time. He has a large network both in the EU institutions and within Berlin’s political parties.

Freya Lemcke

Since 2019, Lemcke has headed the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s representation in Brussels. The business economist, after many years in the city, is an excellent connoisseur of Brussels – not only of the EU institutions and key players but also of the best chocolatiers.

Daniel Mitrenga

The economist rose from an advisor to head of the Europe department and a member of the executive board at the Association of Family Businesses. Persistence pays off: The demands of family-owned businesses for less bureaucracy are now gaining more attention in Brussels.

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,

There is still little sign of the European election campaign in Germany. But preparations are underway – not only among the parties and politicians, but also among those who want to manipulate the elections. (Sometimes they are the same.) In the super election year, the attackers have upgraded and, thanks to artificial intelligence, they have new powerful tools at their disposal. With the DSA, the EU has created a tool to combat disinformation on the Internet. But the surveillance bodies are still being developed.

Prebunking is a long-established means of combating disinformation: The method aims to “strengthen people’s mental resilience before they encounter disinformation”, explains Beth Goldberg, Head of Research and Development at Google’s Jigsaw unit. In this way, people learn to recognize and reject false information. They become “immune”.

Google has already used this technology before elections in Europe, most recently in Indonesia. Today, the company is launching its corresponding campaign in Germany in the run-up to the European elections. The videos will run for at least four weeks on YouTube, as well as on Facebook and Instagram. According to Goldberg, the success can be proven through surveys and measurements of how many people have actually seen a video. Jigsaw uses the advertising systems of social media for this. “It works across age groups and demographics and is also scalable”, says Goldberg.

If you’re already immune to decontextualization, the scapegoat method or reputational damage, all the better. If you want to learn more about the campaign, read the full interview here.

All the best for you,

Your
Corinna Visser

Where the EU Green Deal has been watered down – and what happens next

By

Lukas Knigge

It was Ursula von der Leyen’s big project in this legislature. The Green Deal was supposed to put Europe on the net zero path by 2050. The Commission President announced her plan in 2019 and launched a range of laws in 2021. How much progress has the EU made?

A stocktaking at the end of the European Parliament’s legislative period shows: The first years of the Green Deal were marked by comprehensive reforms, for example, in emissions trading, the expansion of renewables and higher climate targets. They pave the way for continued progress towards the ambitious climate targets.

However, towards the end of the period and under the pressure of the Covid pandemic, inflation and the war in Ukraine, momentum was lost: The European climate and environmental action project came under increasing pressure.

Especially since the main climate laws – known as the Fit for 55 package – were finalized, support for further Green Deal measures dropped massively. In particular, von der Leyen’s political base, the Christian Democratic EPP, exerted enormous pressure on the Commission to keep the number of additional Green Deal laws to a minimum.

The Commission often gave in to pressure from the EPP

This jeopardized several projects:

The EPP’s rejection almost completely overturned the Nature Restoration Law (NRL). Although it couldn’t stop it, the proposal was watered down so much compared to the Commission proposal that even the level of ambition of the member states in the Council was higher – a never-before-seen situation with climate action measures.
The EPP also tried to gut the Pesticides Regulation (SUR). In the end, the Greens rejected the law in Parliament because they felt it would not have improved existing regulations. In turn, the EPP rejected renegotiations. Ultimately, as a concession to the farmer protests, the Commission President withdrew the proposal, after it had been declared dead anyway.
A Soil Health Law became the Soil Monitoring Law without binding targets for soil health in the member states. This was due to the high pressure on the Commission, including the legislative moratorium the EPP had called for.
A law to restrict microplastics was first postponed and finally presented in a watered-down form.
The chemicals regulation REACH has been postponed several times and is still in the Commission’s drawer today. This, too, is in the interests of the EPP. It is unclear whether REACH will ever see the light of day.

EPP with ‘prehistoric’ voting behavior

All these laws are part of the Green Deal. A group of environmental organizations called the EPP “prehistoric thinkers” because they often voted against more climate action. Christian Ehler from the EPP refuses to accept this figure alone. He said the important thing was what was voted on – not whether you voted yes or no. The EPP justifies its rejection of further legislation with the aim of protecting the economy and farmers from new regulations.

Ehler is the rapporteur for the large industrial policy project of the Green Deal, the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA), which will be put to a final vote in the European Parliament on Thursday. The Act is a response to China’s massive industrial subsidies and the US Inflation Reduction Act. It aims to speed up approval procedures for the expansion of green technologies, as well as to make global supply bottlenecks more resilient and more independent of foreign suppliers.

However, the NZIA hardly provides any new funding to support the economy, another reason why the Greens criticize the bill. Michael Bloss, climate policy spokesperson for the Green Party, called it a missed opportunity. During a Table.Briefings debate, Ehler countered that public funds are not enough to finance transformation processes. “It will only work if we deepen the internal energy market in Europe and if there is finally a level playing field on the capital market to make it attractive to international investors.”

And after the European elections?

What’s next for the Green Deal? The party election programs make few concrete statements on this. However, the new EU climate target for 2040 proposed by the Commission is on the agenda: minus 90 percent. The associated legislative package will be the main climate policy task of the next Commission and the next Parliament. According to current plans, it will be presented in the first half of 2025 at the earliest under the Polish Council Presidency.

Michael Bloss campaigns for a Green Industrial Deal in the next legislature, which aims to preserve Europe as a business location and ensure that the climate targets for 2030, 2040 and 2050 remain achievable. Christian Ehler from the EPP hopes that the new Commission will introduce fewer regulatory bills and instead more control via market-based instruments such as European emissions trading.

Giegold: ‘We need a near-zero package’

German State Secretary for Economic Affairs Sven Giegold wants to prevent the Green Deal from being rolled back with a new legislative package. “We need a fit-for-near-zero package,” he said Tuesday evening at an event hosted by the Jacques Delors Center and the German CEO Alliance for Climate in Berlin.

“The Green Deal is not yet complete and it must remain a priority,” the former MEP continued. Anything else would “not only harm the climate, but also our economy.”

On one crucial point, Giegold’s initiative opposes the French government and its allies in the Council: “For Germany, it is clear that the next legislative package must again include targets for renewable energies and energy efficiency. Both will take on a large part of the greenhouse gas reduction,” the State Secretary said.

Paris, on the other hand, is only aiming for a target for “decarbonized energy,” which would also include nuclear energy. At the energy ministers’ meeting last December, France and ten other EU states drafted a corresponding paper to influence the climate legislation for 2040.

AfD wants to largely remove Krah from election campaign

AfD top candidate Maximilian Krah is to skip the European election campaign kick-off in Donaueschingen, but is otherwise allowed to stay. In addition, election videos featuring Krah will not be broadcast and there will also be no posters featuring the 47-year-old, according to parliamentary party circles.

On Tuesday, it became known that the police had arrested an employee from Krah’s Brussels MEP office. Jian G. is suspected of spying for China. Party leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla then invited Krah to a crisis meeting on Wednesday.

Has Krah prevented applications to Huawei?

Some party colleagues in the parliamentary group were not surprised by the accusations. The Chinese connections of Jian G. have reportedly been an issue there for five years. Krah had also tried to prevent motions on the Chinese telecoms supplier Huawei from coming out of the parliamentary group, they said. When the issue was raised from within the parliamentary group years ago, a member of the federal executive board replied that the matter should not be opened up.

Friends of Russia in the AfD, on the other hand, tend to argue with the presumption of innocence. Even if some are beginning to worry about the impact of the accusations on the AfD’s election results. Moreover, Krah is not the only problem case: some in the AfD fear that Petr Bystron, the second man on the European election list, has even bigger skeletons in his closet than Krah. Bystron is accused of having accepted money from Russia. fak

Wife under investigation: Sánchez suspends official duties

Following corruption charges against his wife Begoña Gómez, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is considering resigning from the office he has held since 2018. He has canceled all his public appointments “for a few days” to think about it, the socialist politician announced on X on Wednesday. He is being harassed by the right and the extreme right by all means.

“I have to stop and think. I urgently need to answer the question of whether it is worth it, despite the quagmire in which the right and the far right are trying to play politics. Whether I should continue to head the government or step down from this high honor”, Sánchez wrote in a “Letter to the Public”. The 52-year-old intends to announce his decision on Monday.

The organization Manos Limpias (Clean Hands) had previously filed a complaint with a court in Madrid against Sánchez’s wife Begoña Gómez for corruption and influence peddling. Manos Limpias is a private group that has been campaigning for right-wing causes in Spain for years. It accuses Gómez (49) of having exploited her position as wife of the head of government to do business. The court gave no further details and stated that the investigation was under seal.

Ribera nominated as top candidate

Also on Wednesday, Spanish Energy and Environment Minister Teresa Ribera was nominated as the lead candidate for the Spanish Socialists’ (PSOE) list for the EU elections. This was announced by the party on Wednesday. This paves the way for the influential climate politician to become a Commissioner in the next legislative period. “We want more Europe, fairer and more solidary, more social, greener and more feminist“, Ribera tweeted afterwards. This is the agenda that guarantees progress and prosperity, she continued.

Ribera is not only regarded as an expert in international climate negotiations, but also as open, communicative and tough in European negotiations. When Spain held the EU Council Presidency in the second half of 2023, she succeeded in reaching a trilogue compromise on the highly controversial renaturation law. cst/dpa/rtr

EU Parliament votes in favor of CAP relaxation

The plenary of the European Parliament voted on Wednesday by 425 votes to 130 with 33 abstentions in favor of relaxing environmental rules within the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The regulation must now be formally approved by the Council, which is scheduled for the Agriculture Council at the end of May.

A majority of MEPs have decided to weaken the “modest ecological component” of the CAP, explains French MEP and agricultural politician Christophe Clergeau (S&D) to Table.Briefings. The vote is backward-looking, does not solve farmers’ income problems in any way and turns its back on the necessary agro-ecological turnaround in agriculture. Clergeau had submitted a draft resolution that was supported by parts of the S&D Group, the Greens/EFA and the Left.

Lins calls on Özdemir to implement easing of restrictions

Norbert Lins (EPP), Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, does not accept the criticism that the changes would lower environmental standards. The high environmental ambition of the CAP would remain. The only change is to focus more on incentives. “I call on the German Minister of Agriculture to implement these decisions from Strasbourg and Brussels one-to-one in Germany”, he said. The German government must make full use of the scope for relaxation created by the changes.

The package proposed by the Commission to simplify the CAP aims to reduce the bureaucratic burden on farmers. Several environmental rules that must be met in order to receive CAP funds are to be relaxed and farms with an area of less than ten hectares are to be exempt from inspections. According to the Commission, this affects 65 percent of CAP recipients.

Path clear for adoption before the European elections

With its approval, the plenary paves the way for the proposal to be adopted before the European elections. To make this possible, the MEPs, like the member states before them, approved the Commission text without any substantial changes. A trilogue is therefore not necessary. An urgency procedure was also used within Parliament, in which committee work is skipped. Critics see this as undemocratic, but Parliament’s legal service had no legal objections.

On Tuesday, Parliament also confirmed a delegated act on changes to the rules on the preservation of permanent grassland. Despite opposition from the left-wing groups, Parliament decided by a large majority not to raise an objection (417 votes in favor, 162 against and 25 abstentions). The text gives member states more freedom in implementing the requirements for good agricultural and environmental conditions of permanent grassland (GAEC 1). cst/jd

EU withdrawal from Energy Charter clears penultimate hurdle

In its final session week before the European elections, the EU Parliament voted to withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty. “International fossil fuel investors no longer have the option of bypassing ordinary courts and attacking climate policy with extrajudicial lawsuits,” said Green MEP Anna Cavazzini.

As a final step, the member states still have to approve the withdrawal by a qualified majority. The vote is expected in May. It will likely be accepted, as the Council had already voted in favor of the exit in March.

Investor protection for 20 years despite withdrawal

The phase-out will come into force one year after notification. However, investor protection will remain in place for another 20 years. According to the NGO PowerShift, the EU is currently negotiating an agreement to restrict this option. However, the EU decision also stipulates that member states can continue to decide whether to remain in the treaty.

The International Energy Charter protects the interests of investors in other countries that are parties to the charter. According to PowerShift, proceedings are still ongoing, for example against the taxation of power plant excess profits and against the German coal phase-out. ber

Parliament adopts internal market emergency instrument

A majority of 408 MEPs voted in favor of the final text of the Single Market Emergency and Resilience Act on Wednesday. This is intended to prevent supply bottlenecks, such as at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, when the movement of goods within Europe briefly came to a standstill.

The law introduces a three-stage warning system to identify supply bottlenecks at an early stage. For a number of crisis-relevant products, the law releases companies from liability obligations that prioritize orders from the EU Commission to the detriment of other customers in a crisis situation.

Following Parliament’s approval, the EU Council must now officially approve the text. The law will then enter into force as a regulation. jaa

EP adopts supply chain law

The EU Parliament finally adopted the Supply Chain Directive (CSDDD) on Wednesday. MEPs adopted the result of the trilogue negotiations with 374 votes in favor, 235 against and 19 abstentions. Although the Commission, Council and Parliament had already agreed on a text in mid-December, the Member States had made significant changes in Coreper.

The Council must now adopt the final version before the directive can enter into force. The member states then have two years to transpose it into national law. In Germany, the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG) is to be amended for this purpose.

The parliamentarians also approved the trilogue agreement on the Packaging Ordinance. The law includes targets for reducing packaging and making it recyclable. Bans on certain single-use plastic packaging are to apply from 2030. Very lightweight plastic bags are also to be banned from the EU internal market.

The EU Parliament has also approved the political compromise on the Clean Air Directive. This will bring the limit values for many air pollutants into line with the WHO guideline values by 2030. The limit values for particulate matter and nitrogen oxides in particular are considered a challenge in many regions and could lead to driving bans and production restrictions in industry. leo, mgr

Parliament votes in favor of platform work law

Members of the European Parliament have confirmed the directive on platform work by a large majority. On Wednesday, 554 MEPs from all political groups voted in favor of the text, and 56 against it – including the German FDP MEPs. 24 MEPs abstained.

Alongside the Minimum Wage Directive, the directive is one of the key labor market policy measures of the current legislative period and is intended to combat bogus self-employment on large digital platforms. It obliges EU countries to establish a rebuttable legal presumption of employment at national level. There had been much controversy about this presumption. In the legal text that is now coming into force, it is regulated in such a way that there are no uniform EU-wide criteria for this, but it is introduced based on national laws.

Rules for algorithms in workplaces

The text explicitly states that the initiation of such proceedings should be made easier compared to the status quo. The burden of proof then lies with the platform, which must prove that there is no employment relationship. For the first time in the EU, there are also rules on the use of algorithms in the workplace – for example, that a dismissal may only take place with human supervision.

The directive was highly controversial in the Council. Germany and France blocked the law for months – an agreement was therefore open for a long time. In March, a majority was reached in the Council at the last minute – bypassing the two states. lei

Conservative party family ECR agrees on election program

The European Conservative Party family (ECR) is not entering the European election campaign with a lead candidate. This was decided by party leader Giorgia Meloni, who is also Prime Minister of Italy and leads the Fratelli d’Italia, and Mateusz Morawiecki, former Prime Minister of Poland and leading politician of the PIS. At the meeting, the ECR leadership also adopted the manifesto for the European elections.

The unanimity is astonishing because there is a dispute within the party family about the direction to take after the European elections. Morawiecki is publicly in favor of including Hungary’s Fidesz in the ECR group and possibly forming a large right-wing group with Marine Le Pen’s French Rassemblement National. Meloni rejects this.

Against the ‘federal superstate’

“Doing less, but all the better” is the motto Meloni would like to give the EU in the next mandate. “After years in which we have developed in the direction of a federal superstate, the conservatives should not only represent their origins in terms of values, but also in terms of returning to the EU treaties.” Morawiecki rejected a policy “that conducts social experiments with the peoples of Europe”.

In addition to more state sovereignty, the joint election program calls for the strengthening of the European defense industry, closer cooperation between the EU and NATO and priority investment in technology and security. The protection of external borders should be strengthened and no member state should be forced to take in illegal migrants. The Green Deal must be turned on its head. The ECR supports “a more balanced and local climate strategy that does not forget ordinary people […] and stops ignoring the interests of farmers and fishermen, citizens and businesses”. mgr

BSW seeks its own group in the EU Parliament

The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) does not want to join any of the existing parliamentary groups after the European elections. Rather, the BSW is focusing on new collaborations with parties that correspond to its program priorities. There are already trusting talks with potential partners, said lead candidate Fabio De Masi in Berlin on Wednesday.

He left open the question of whether his party is on the left or right of the spectrum. In addition to traditional left-wing demands such as disarmament and redistribution, the BSW advocates limiting migration and asylum procedures in third countries as well as opposing European integration. The traditional label “left” no longer makes much sense today, said De Masi.

He is looking for allies who put the issues of peace and justice at the forefront. As a half-Italian, he has good contacts in Italy, said De Masi. He is probably alluding to the 5-Star Movement, which shares the BSW’s Eurosceptic program. Party chairwoman Sahra Wagenknecht had already stated that there were also talks with La France insoumise and the Nordic Left. Forecasts currently predict that the BSW will win seven seats in parliament. To form a parliamentary group, it needs 23 MEPs from at least seven EU countries. vew

DSA: TikTok disables controversial feature – Commission continues to scrutinize

ByteDance has announced that it will suspend the reward system in the TikTok Lite app, which was introduced in Spain and France and flagged by the EU Commission as potentially unlawful. “TikTok always tries to find a constructive approach with the EU Commission and other regulators. Therefore, we are voluntarily suspending the reward features in TikTok Lite while we address the concerns raised,” the company stated on Wednesday afternoon. The decision came just one and a half hours before a deadline for a response to the EU Commission was due to expire, so the company temporarily conceded.

However, the Commission does not intend to let the controversial social media provider, owned by China, off the hook. “Our children are not guinea pigs for social media,” fumed Thierry Breton on X (formerly Twitter). He acknowledged that TikTok had disabled the reward system, but added, “The proceedings against TikTok regarding the addiction risk on the platform will continue.”

Thus, ByteDance has narrowly avoided an imminent order under the Digital Services Act, which could have come as soon as Thursday. Under the DSA, regulatory authorities can impose enforcement actions up to blocking a service if they suspect violations. fst

Urgewald: EU sanctions would hit Russian LNG exports hard

According to the environmental organization Urgewald, the economic pressure on Russia could be significantly increased if the EU were to ban the import and trade of Russian LNG. Such a measure would cause massive logistical problems for Russia’s main export terminal, Sabetta.

“If the nearby EU ports and waters were no longer available as destinations and transshipment points, the transportation routes for Russian gas from the Arctic would become significantly longer and more expensive. Moreover, due to the very limited number of ships available, Russia would no longer be able to export the current volumes,” writes energy campaigner Sebastian Rötters in a new Urgewald briefing.

According to an Urgewald analysis of shipping data, deliveries of Russian LNG to the EU have risen from 23 to 31 million tons since Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago. Without icebreaker tankers of the Arc7 class, neither the Sabetta terminal on the Yamal Peninsula nor the Arctic LNG2 expansion project would be economically viable. In addition, 20 percent of the LNG shipped to the EU is transferred in Europe and mainly exported to China.

US sanctions force Novatek onto the defensive

Urgewald is therefore calling for tougher EU sanctions:

an immediate EU-wide import ban on Russian LNG;
a transshipment ban for Russian LNG in EU ports and waters;
Sanctions on ships calling at Russian LNG export terminals in order to deprive Russia of access to the existing Arc7 tanker fleet;
effective steps to prevent the technology exports Russia requires to build the Arctic LNG2 export terminal and other Arc7 tankers.

The United States has already forced the exporter Novatek onto the defensive with sanctions against Arctic LNG2. However, it is unclear whether EU sanctions would really stop exports completely. According to a Reuters report, Novatek operates an alternative export terminal in the Murmansk region, which remains ice-free in winter. ber

Commission investigates Chinese medical products procurement market

On Wednesday, the EU Commission published a notice in the Official Journal of the European Union announcing the initiation of an investigation under the International Procurement Instrument (IPI). The investigation targets the public procurement market for medical products in China, where European providers are currently losing market share.

The IPI allows the EU to act against third countries that disadvantage EU suppliers in their public procurement in favor of domestic providers. The notice lists several disadvantages faced by European suppliers:

China’s public procurement law adheres to a “Buy China” policy
The “Made in China 2025” strategy requires hospitals to procure at least 70 percent from domestic production
There are mandates for 100 percent Chinese production for more than a hundred products
Procuring foreign products requires a more complex procedure than for Chinese products.

With the launch of the investigation, the Commission has sent a questionnaire to the Chinese government. This invites the Chinese government to participate in clarifying the issues raised by the Commission. The investigation will conclude after nine months but may be extended by five months.

EU can take countermeasures

If discussions with the Chinese government do not lead to the desired result, the EU Commission has two options under the IPI. First, it can impose a so-called “Score Adjustment” on Chinese providers in public tenders in the EU. This means the price of the Chinese offer is artificially increased for the comparison of bids. The Commission can impose a maximum score adjustment of up to 50 percent and in individual cases up to 100 percent.

The Commission also has the option to completely exclude Chinese providers from public procurement markets. However, the IPI stipulates that any EU countermeasures must be proportionate. The countermeasures are not necessarily limited to the affected sector of medical products, but due to the proportionality clause, any measures would likely focus primarily on this sector.

The launch of the investigation triggered a series of reactions. The Chinese Chamber of Commerce in the EU expressed its “deep disappointment” with the Commission’s actions and called for more dialogue. US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said she is watching the development with interest. “The International Procurement Instrument is a trade tool that could potentially help address the unfair trade policies and practices of the People’s Republic of China,” she said in a statement. jaa

The key players on the EU scene – Associations

Markus Beyrer

The 58-year-old Austrian has been leading Business Europe as Director General since the end of 2012. Well-connected in Brussels, he channels the interests of the business community into the legislative processes – a challenging task with 42 member associations from various countries with different priorities.

Karl Haeusgen

The Munich-based entrepreneur has been president of the German Mechanical Engineering Association (VDMA) since 2020. He proactively considers the EU level and has articulated his mostly medium-sized member companies’ criticisms of the supply chain law very clearly.

Wolfgang Große Entrup

The CEO of the German Chemical Industry Association does not mince words: Few other association representatives have criticized policies from Brussels and Berlin as bluntly in recent months. This has earned the Cologne native respect beyond his industry.

Klaus Günter Deutsch

The economist heads the Department of Industry and Economic Policy at the Federation of German Industries (BDI), with a strong focus on European initiatives like the reform of debt rules. He is also an excellent expert on the structures and actors formulating German positions for the EU Council within the federal government.

Arne Franke

The head of the European Department at the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations monitors legislation in labor market and social policy from his office in the Brussels European Quarter. His workload has increased over the years: Traditionally, the EU has limited competencies in labor market and social policy, but this scope was expanded during the Juncker Commission and has continued under Ursula von der Leyen.

Hildegard Müller

Since 2020, Müller has been leading the German Automotive Industry Association (VDA), tasked with the challenging role of representing the interests of the key German industry amid the transition to battery-powered cars. She needs to balance the sometimes divergent demands of manufacturers and suppliers. Her extensive network in politics and business likely assists her. Müller was a CDU member of the Bundestag and minister of state in the Chancellor’s Office and previously led the Federal Association of the Energy and Water Industries.

Wolfgang Weber

Since 2020, Weber has been the head of the German Electrical and Digital Industry Association, ZVEI. A PhD chemist based in Berlin with an office in Frankfurt/Main, he previously managed BASF’s Brussels office, coordinating the chemical company’s lobbying efforts. He is therefore very familiar with the processes on the EU stage. He started his career at the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI).

Ralf Diemer

Diemer has been the Managing Director of the E-Fuel Alliance for three years, advocating for climate-neutral fuels to have a significant role in the decarbonization of transportation and industry. The Swabian, who has performed as a cabaret artist on stage in Brussels and Berlin, previously headed the VDA office in Brussels for a long time. He has a large network both in the EU institutions and within Berlin’s political parties.

Freya Lemcke

Since 2019, Lemcke has headed the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s representation in Brussels. The business economist, after many years in the city, is an excellent connoisseur of Brussels – not only of the EU institutions and key players but also of the best chocolatiers.

Daniel Mitrenga

The economist rose from an advisor to head of the Europe department and a member of the executive board at the Association of Family Businesses. Persistence pays off: The demands of family-owned businesses for less bureaucracy are now gaining more attention in Brussels.

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

Where the EU Green Deal has been watered down – and what happens next

The Commission often gave in to pressure from the EPP

EPP with ‘prehistoric’ voting behavior

And after the European elections?

Giegold: ‘We need a near-zero package’

Events

News

AfD wants to largely remove Krah from election campaign

Has Krah prevented applications to Huawei?

Wife under investigation: Sánchez suspends official duties

Ribera nominated as top candidate

EU Parliament votes in favor of CAP relaxation

Lins calls on Özdemir to implement easing of restrictions

Path clear for adoption before the European elections

EU withdrawal from Energy Charter clears penultimate hurdle

Investor protection for 20 years despite withdrawal

Parliament adopts internal market emergency instrument

EP adopts supply chain law

Consent to packaging and air pollution control

Parliament votes in favor of platform work law

Rules for algorithms in workplaces

Conservative party family ECR agrees on election program

Against the ‘federal superstate’

BSW seeks its own group in the EU Parliament

DSA: TikTok disables controversial feature – Commission continues to scrutinize

Urgewald: EU sanctions would hit Russian LNG exports hard

US sanctions force Novatek onto the defensive

Commission investigates Chinese medical products procurement market

EU can take countermeasures

Heads

The key players on the EU scene – Associations

Markus Beyrer

Karl Haeusgen

Wolfgang Große Entrup

Klaus Günter Deutsch

Arne Franke

Hildegard Müller

Wolfgang Weber

Ralf Diemer

Freya Lemcke

Daniel Mitrenga

Europe.Table Editorial Team

EUROPE.TABLE EDITORIAL OFFICE

Feature

Where the EU Green Deal has been watered down – and what happens next

The Commission often gave in to pressure from the EPP

EPP with ‘prehistoric’ voting behavior

And after the European elections?

Giegold: ‘We need a near-zero package’

Events

News

AfD wants to largely remove Krah from election campaign

Has Krah prevented applications to Huawei?

Wife under investigation: Sánchez suspends official duties

Ribera nominated as top candidate

EU Parliament votes in favor of CAP relaxation

Lins calls on Özdemir to implement easing of restrictions

Path clear for adoption before the European elections

EU withdrawal from Energy Charter clears penultimate hurdle

Investor protection for 20 years despite withdrawal

Parliament adopts internal market emergency instrument

EP adopts supply chain law

Consent to packaging and air pollution control

Parliament votes in favor of platform work law

Rules for algorithms in workplaces

Conservative party family ECR agrees on election program

Against the ‘federal superstate’

BSW seeks its own group in the EU Parliament

DSA: TikTok disables controversial feature – Commission continues to scrutinize

Urgewald: EU sanctions would hit Russian LNG exports hard

US sanctions force Novatek onto the defensive

Commission investigates Chinese medical products procurement market

EU can take countermeasures

Heads

The key players on the EU scene – Associations

Markus Beyrer

Karl Haeusgen

Wolfgang Große Entrup