The Regulatory Scrutiny Board examines the impact assessments of draft legislation from the EU Commission. Members of the European Parliament criticize the RSB for not acting in a transparent manner – they suspect hidden political influence in the case of the Supply Chain Act. Von der Leyen now wants to strengthen the committee.
By Charlotte Wirth
Europe is regulating, and the business community is reacting – in some cases with harsh criticism. If, for example, the parliamentary version of the Digital Services Act were to be passed, members of the Bundesverband Digitale Wirtschaft would be among those most affected: many are part of the online advertising industry. In an interview with Falk Steiner BVDW President Dirk Freytag and Vice President Thomas Duhr explain their criticism and warn of regulatory chaos.
By Falk Steiner
Eileen Gu has entered a political minefield by switching flags from the USA to China. Accusations of treason in the US are now followed by resentment in China regarding her privileged life. Statements that seem innocent and detached don't help. Gu has to realize that for top athletes like her, there is no such thing as a politics-free zone in the current times.
By Christiane Kuehl
Cat pictures helped Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) boom in China. First, the art scene sensed good business. Now tech giants like Tencent and Alibaba are also issuing tokens. They are afraid of missing out on the next hype. But the government already put a spanner in the works of the tech industry once. Now, that could happen again.
By Ning Wang
The EU-Africa summit is intended to give new impetus to the partnership between the two continents. A broad range of topics also includes possible cooperation in the field of renewable energies. For example, Europe wants to promote the expansion of infrastructure with know-how and an investment offensive and, in return, import green hydrogen in particular. Observers warn not to lose sight of the population in the process.
By Timo Landenberger
Poland and Hungary have lost in court in the dispute over the new rule of law mechanism. Budapest in particular is now threatened with financial sanctions. However, it remains to be seen whether the EU Commission will initiate proceedings before the country's parliamentary elections. There has been sharp criticism from the European Parliament.
By Eric Bonse
The International Olympic Committee and its attempts to cozy up to the host country of the Winter Olympics are once again under fire. The case of tennis player Peng Shuai has just begun to fade from the public eye. But now, human rights organizations put questions about forced labor back on the agenda. The United Nations also expressed its "deep concern". Meanwhile, cargo flights from western Xinjiang have been heading for airports in Budapest and Liège since mid-January. It is unclear whether the goods are actually free of forced labor.
By Marcel Grzanna
VW is experiencing heavy losses in its most important sales market. The group blames the drop in sales on closed factories and semiconductor bottlenecks. But the market has grown overall, and other foreign high-volume manufacturers such as Toyota have been able to maintain their market share. The cars of new Chinese competitors are already on a par with VW's – and have a price advantage.
By Frank Sieren
Who will steer the European Union through the most serious foreign policy crisis since the end of the Cold War? Three months after the start of the Ukraine-Russia conflict in November 2021, this question has still not been answered.
By Eric Bonse
Last week, the EU Commission presented the Chips Act as a central industrial policy project. German industry now voices criticism of the focus on very specific technologies – and of the influence of chip manufacturer Intel.
By Till Hoppe
