Blog Post
Completing the banking union is the dominant task in the financial services area for the next five years. In the short term, the Commission should affirm its leadership by pushing for the creation of a credible EU anti-money laundering supervisory agency.
Blog Post
Historically, the EU enlargement process played a powerful role in encouraging the EU candidates and potential candidates to conduct fundamental political, economic and institutional reforms. This has also happened with the Western Balkan countries once they received the EU membership perspective in 2003. However, in the last few years, preparations for their accession slowed down, as a result of limited progress in domestic reforms, unresolved regional conflicts and limited appetite for further enlargement among EU member states.
Blog Post
If confirmed. Commissioner-designate Goulard will soon have direct responsibility for three areas within this broader mandate. Firstly, digital economy and society. Secondly, European industry and the single market. And thirdly, the defence industry and space. Because this diverse brief makes it easy to focus on the trees while losing sight of the forest the role must be defined by a clear overarching strategy
Blog Post
Commissioner Vestager has been given two portfolios; Executive Vice-President for a Europe fit for the Digital Age and Competition Commissioner. While having more than one portfolio may not be new, combining an important policy coordination function and an enforcement function is a novel approach. This raises a number of important questions related to how the objectives of either portfolio can be delivered cleanly.
Blog Post
European Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen disseminated her mission letters to commissioner-designates. The letter to the commissioner-designate for Innovation and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, highlights several essential priorities, yet they leave a number of important questions open that I recommend Members of the European Parliament to ask at the upcoming parliamentary hearings of the designates.
Blog Post
For the first time ever, a large economy will cut a path to climate neutrality by 2050 – a milestone that scientists consider to be the only sensible way to protect the world from the more dramatic impacts of climate change.
Blog Post
At the presentation of her team for the next European Commission, President-elect Ursula von der Leyen declared that hers will be a ‘geopolitical Commission’. It is no surprise, therefore, that her mission letter to Mr Hogan, the incoming Commissioner-designate for Trade, assigns two roles to European Union trade policy.
Blog Post
European Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen disseminated her mission letters to commissioner-designates. In my opinion, the letters to economy commissioners highlight several essential priorities, yet they leave a number of important questions open that I recommend Members of the European Parliament to ask at the upcoming parliamentary hearings of the designates.
