Let’s not repeat the mistakes of the “Beepocalypse”

In 2006, a considerable amount of US-based beekeepers noticed that large numbers of bees were abandoning their colonies, leaving the queen bees and an inadequate number of bees behind. This phenomenon was named Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), and was initially blamed on genetically-modified organisms (GMOs). When this suspicion wasn’t substantiated scientifically, the blame was shifted […]

Contribution in Politico on public health

The magazine Politico asked me to contribute to a health policy debate for both their online and magazine publication. The contribution were made under following headline: HEALTH CARE 2024 How to solve Europe’s obesity problem Experts tackle the bloc’s crisis of lifestyle diseases. Life expectancy in Europe is steadily increasing. But the World Health Organization […]

Tax credits aren’t subsidies

American superstar congresswoman Alexandria Occasio-Cortez prided herself in being instrumental in chasing Amazon out of her home district of Queens, New York City. The tech giant had found a deal with the city to be granted tax credits in return for building an HQ in New York which would employ thousands of people. Cortez had […]

The European Parliament thinks you’re too stupid to know that a veggie-burger doesn’t contain meat

“Consumer Protection” The European Parliament Agriculture Committee (AGRI) supported compromise Amendment Number 41 on April 1. The amendment calls for a ban on denominations of plant-based food products as containing meat or dairy products. In essence, names such as “veggie burger” or “soy milk” would not be allowed anymore, as they mislead consumers into believing […]

Marine Le Pen can win in 2022 by doing nothing

A couple months ago, when he was still the rising star of a new generation of EU enthusiasts, France’s “centrist” president Emmanuel Macron was expected to turn European politics around. Back then, the only people pointing out the potential negative consequences of his administration were libertarians, of which there aren’t many in France, and conservatives, […]

What advertising bans get wrong about consumer behaviour

Advertising bans are increasingly relevant in political debate, with some countries having already establishes rules that don’t allow for “junk food” advertising. But these proposals are all based on the assumptions that consumers are buying goods that they never would have wanted otherwise.