About a year ago, the European Parliament addressed once again the now mainstream concern of the “addictiveness” of social media, claiming that features such as infinite scroll and auto-playing videos are to blame for hocking users to their apps.
ConsEUmer podcast / EP171: Sausage fight, Czech goes super on trains, and Google your breakup (w/ Donald Kimball)
In this week’s episode, Donald Kimball from the Washington Policy Center ** mistakenly said institute on the recording, apologies **, joins us to discuss what the potential breakup of Google would mean for consumers. Also, meat producers lobbying against the use of the word “sausage” in meat substitute products lost at the ECJ, and rail […]
On Free the Economy to talk European agriculture
I was a guest on Free the Economy, a podcast by the Competitive Enterprise Institute, to talk about European agriculture regulation and what the future holds for trade.
Playing Politics with Steel Mergers Sends the Wrong Signals
With the presidential race going into its final stretch, every and all political capital that candidates can make in key swing states is being exploited, including union and trade demands that counter long-term American interests. A recent steel merger controversy displays this problem in extensive detail. Since late last year, the planned acquisition of U.S. […]
ConsEUmer podcast / EP170: Message screening, Paris speed limit, and EU Commissioning
Going solo in this week’s episodes, where I’ll tell you more about the procedures establishing the next European Commission. Also in this episode: the Netherlands opposes blanket screening of instant messaging services like WhatsApp, and the mayor of Paris faces a major battle over the reduced speed limits on Paris’ peripheral roads. October 3, 2024 […]
EU-China Trade War on EVs Shortsighted
The European Union recently decided to impose tariffs on imports of electric vehicles from China. The reason is that the Chinese government subsidizes the manufacture of electric cars, which puts European carmakers at a disadvantage. The U.S. recently imposed a drastic increase in tariffs to 100% of the import value of the car, meaning that […]
ConsEUmer podcast / EP169: The price isn’t right (co-hosted w/ Elizabeth Hicks)
This week’s episode is co-hosted with the CCC’s U.S Affairs Analyst Elizabeth Hicks. We talk about the U.S presidential election, and the latest proposals by both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump for price controls. Follow Liz on X @eohicks. September 26, 2024 Follow ConsEUmer wherever you get your podcasts: Apple: https://apple.co/2HR4TLTSpotify: https://spoti.fi/3l3GZdxGoogle podcasts: https://bit.ly/3fyyzto
Why Europe’s ‘Farm to Fork’ policies collapsed
The new European Commission, the European Union’s executive body, will soon be tasked with “simplifying” agricultural regulations within the Union. “The Commission is taking strong and swift action to support our farmers at a time when they are facing many challenges and concerns,” explained Ursula von der Leyen, the current President of the European Commission. What this […]
An RFK–Trump Union Would Be Total Chaos
This piece was co-authored with Stephen Kent. The presidential bid of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ended where skeptics assumed it would, with a full-fledged endorsement of Donald Trump for president, setting off a battle by Kennedy to get his name removed from the ballot in battleground states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina. The universes of two political […]
ConsEUmer podcast / EP168: Draghi’s report & iPhone 16 features (co-hosted w/ Fabio Fernandes)
This week’s episode is co-hosted with Fabio Fernandes. We talk about the competitiveness and innovation report by former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, as well as the release of the iPhone 16 and some of the missing features that Europeans won’t be able to enjoy. September 12, 2024 Follow ConsEUmer wherever you get your podcasts: […]
Bill Wirtz 