Recovery billions + China diplomacy + Gas networks • Europe.Table

The US courts China while the EU pouts
Germany gets more money from Brussels – Belgium and Romania get less
Municipalities to prepare for gas network decommissioning
Gas crisis: Germany in Central Europe task force
McGuinness examines central sanctions body
Baerbock and Coveney condemn Northern Ireland bill
North Macedonia: president in favor of compromise
Götz Reichert – observing the long-term

Dear reader,

For the first time since his unsuccessful appearance at the end of the G7 summit, the German chancellor has again spoken out about security guarantees for Ukraine. Details are currently being agreed with the partners and Ukraine, Olaf Scholz said yesterday in the ARD summer interview. However, the commitments for the period after the war would be below the level of a NATO guarantee.

The consequences of the war are also the subject of two important appointments for the chancellor today. After kicking off the concerted action with unions and employers, Scholz will head to Paris, where he will meet Emmanuel Macron for a working dinner at the Elysée in the evening. Meanwhile, the two-day Ukraine Recovery Conference begins in Lugano, where the war-torn country will present its priorities.

On a similar but unrelated recovery note: At the turn of the month, payments from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) for the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic were recalculated. In the News, Till Hoppe shows which countries will gain and which will have to make do with less aid.

In the long term, the global security architecture will depend not only on Russia but, above all, on China. Frank Sieren analyzes how differently the US and the EU are seeking dialogue with China.

Finally, I would like to draw your attention to my News on the future of the gas networks. The rapporteur for the amendment to the gas market directive, Jens Geier (SPD), wants to oblige municipalities to engage in strategic planning for decommissioning now – also a contribution to making the energy supply independent of Russia.

Your
Manuel Berkel

Feature

The US courts China while the EU pouts

While Washington attempts to establish contact with China on many levels, Brussels is not really willing to talk to Beijing. Not even when the Chinese security advisor or the minister of defense are already in Europe for other meetings. This threatens to put the EU on the sidelines.

This visit is indicative of a new constellation in the newly forming world order: On June 13, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with his direct counterpart, Yang Jiechi. Yang is the architect of Chinese foreign policy in the Politburo. Yang, on the other hand, had not scheduled a stop with EU representatives. They did not want to.

Meanwhile, a White House spokesman described the Luxembourg talks as “candid, substantive, and productive”. In the process, Sullivan stressed “the importance of maintaining open lines of communication to manage competition between our two countries”. The White H ou se even raised the prospect of a summit between President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden in the coming months.

Meanwhile, cold silence reigns in Brussels toward China. Only Nicolas Chapuis, the departing EU ambassador to Beijing, is now coming out of the woodwork: He told Bloomberg that two high-level meetings will be held in the coming weeks. But while that is still an unclear plan, the US has long since created facts and reactivated its China contacts. Beijing, in turn, is responding to this initiative with increased receptiveness to talks.

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