U.S president Donald Trump continues to be blamed for initiating a trade war with Europe, when indications for that are not entirely there. During this week’s rally in West Virginia, however, Trump reiterated that he’d love to see no tariff-barriers whatsoever. Why is he still not striking a nerve with EU leaders?
Last month, we’ve seen U.S president Donald Trump slam European leaders for their lack of commitment to NATO military spending targets. Trump believes that his European partners are spending too little on defence and says that in the future, they shouldn’t rely on the States to provide for their security. In light of this policy […]
At the current moment, the European Union is as divided as ever: Central and Eastern European nations are fundamentally at odds with the vision of EU leaders in Brussels. The one thing that has been holding the group together is a common investment and trade policy. The People’s Republic of China however, has the potential […]
During European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker’s visit to Washington D.C, Donald Trump once again suggested a tariff-and subsidy-free trade area between the European Union and the United States. Yet, the American president continues to fall on deaf ears, for reasons that tell more about the EU than it does about ominous ‘Trumpism’.
In recent piece for Politico Europe, Italian Jean Monnet professor Alberto Alemanno backs down on the (already dead) idea of transnational lists for European elections. According to him, current problems of European democracy can be solved through more internationalised elections. He’s very wrong.
The European Union finds itself in a massive debate over migration. Ever since waves of migrants began arriving on the shores of Europe, states have given very different responses, ranging from a complete refusal to accept them, to criticism of countries that “don’t do their part.” In an effort to sort out the mess, the […]
Many companies have “self-regulated” by launching initiatives that improve the marketplace, e.g. setting ethical work standards or by providing consumers with more information. These policies are particularly encouraging because they are completely voluntary. However, governments are continuously perverting self-regulation for their own narrative. A Few Examples of Self-Regulation There are many reasons why companies choose […]
Public-health advocates are moving in on the one danger we’ve all been missing: cereal-box cartoon characters. That’s right, Tony the Tiger, Cap’n Crunch, Count Chocula, and Snap, Crackle and Pop are all after our children. But, luckily, the European Union, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Jamie Oliver are here to protect us. No, I’m […]
In a crushing report, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) went after EU spending on plans for a European high-speed rail network. The institution calls current plans “very unlikely”, and describes them as having “low added” value. And yet, the Juncker Commission does little to nothing to reduce cohesion spending, which, according to its own […]
As the European Union’s integration policies come increasingly under fire, and the union does not agree between itself where it wants to head, it is unwise for Brussels to flirt with the accession of countries such as Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia or Albania. In fact, the EU needs a halt to all accessions for a longer […]
Bill Wirtz 