Cars still cause a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions in Europe. In its draft "Fit for 55" package, the Commission formulates for the first time an EU-wide date for phasing out internal combustion engines and more ambitious CO2 limits for new cars. But these are not strict enough.
By Redaktion Table
EU-China summit, Hungarian elections, and parliamentary session: Claire Stam takes a look at the European menu.
By Redaktion Table
Beijing's approach to its own history is always worth a special look. After all, transparency is not a strong suit here either. In 2006, however, China's Foreign Ministry published a book on declassified documents for the first time. A second volume never came out. Thus, other documents have to serve as a reminder of history.
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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shaken many long-held Western assumptions about the foundations of peace in Europe. Among other things, it has renewed policymakers’ focus on energy dependence as a key strategic issue.
By Redaktion Table
China has announced its intention to phase out financing of overseas coal-fired power. But the details remain unclear. For example, will China also stop projects that have already been started? Wawa Wang and Dr. Vanessa Buth from the non-governmental organization Just Finance International, which campaigns for more transparency in public procurement, reviewed China's numerous coal projects in the Western Balkans. They urge the EU and Germany to call on China to disclose its overseas coal policies.
By Redaktion Table
The right to repair is the generic term for measures aimed at both strengthening consumer rights and reducing the resource consumption of products. The EU Commission will present its concrete plans on Wednesday. However, it is already clear that they are not entirely consumer-friendly.
By Redaktion Table
The sanctions imposed so far are not enough to stop Vladimir Putin, argue Lukasz Rachel and Moritz Schularick. They suggest that the West should announce a gradual embargo on oil and gas. This would give the affected companies time to adjust – and the Kremlin an incentive to negotiate.
By Redaktion Table
The social media news feed that never ends. The pop-up on the booking page that screams to users "74 people are watching this too! There are only 3 offers left!". The privacy settings page or account deletion page that can only be found after a marathon of clicks: These are all corporate design decisions that define the everyday online lives of millions of people. At best, such design practices are just annoying. At worst, they are intrusions on people's freedom of choice in the name of maximizing attention and profit. That's why the European Digital Services Act ("DSA") for tech platforms needs to explicitly focus on design issues.
By Redaktion Table
Can and should the EU become more involved in resolving tensions with China? A coordinated European approach is all the more important today, as trade is becoming increasingly political. At the same time, actions such as the creation of the Taiwan Office in Lithuania need to be better coordinated. Otherwise, the EU will be forced to collectively represent policies that are dictated by individual member states.
By Redaktion Table
The US is trying its hardest to contain China's economic and technological rise. But protectionist policies and trade and investment restrictions will not cause any lasting damage to the Chinese economy. This is because the technological strength of China's economy has already passed a critical threshold. It is only a matter of time before China catches up technologically with the US, writes Zhang Jun, Dean of Economics at Fudan University Shanghai.
By Redaktion Table
