How to combine #recovery with #resilience in #EU

#Boris_Johnson’s risky game

Boris Johnson is playing a risky game this week. How else should one understand the appearance of his Northern Ireland minister Brandon Lewis in the British House of Commons, who, with the introduction of a new Brexit Bill, has just announced the breach of the Brexit Agreement with the EU: “Yes, this does break international law.” Lewis […]

#Macron in #Beirut – A New Start for a Middle East Policy?

Last week in the streets of Beirut, French President Emmanuel Macron was greeted by the Lebanese like a messiah. In the social media of the crisis-ridden country, some people are longing to go back to colonial times, as the Levantine country was under French mandate. This is how low the country’s elites have sunk, regardless […]

Who is helping the #Syrians, after nine years of war?

Twelve million Syrians need humanitarian aid every day. The EU is mobilising donations, counting on civil society and UN aid agencies. Through the UN Security Council, Russia and China are reducing the number of border crossings into Syria. To stop the suffering, Brussels must take a stronger stance politically. The figures attesting to the suffering […]

#Putin’s strange view of #Second_World_War

Tuesday the military parade for the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War took place in Moscow. 23 June was declared 9 May by President Vladimir Putin: the pandemic had forced the postponement.   Why 23 June of all days? Because this day is also an anniversary, on the same day 75 […]

#Europeans, cooperate to better #innovate !

Innovation is essential in order to survive in global competition. More than ever this is true in the age of COVID-19. However, Europe is lagging further and further behind in comparison with other world regions such as North America or East Asia. This is put forward in a study on #world_class_patents in 58 cutting-edge technologies. […]

The #Corona crisis and #EU_banking – yet another test for Europe?

A decade ago we learnt that the European project could not be taken for granted. History is not a one-way street. Triggered by the Great Financial Crisis, the continent was engulfed in the eurozone crisis, which pitched northerners against southerners in previously unimaginable ways. The crisis nearly ended with Greece leaving the eurozone – who […]

Today is #le_18_juin. #De_Gaulle’s day!

In Germany and elsewhere in Europe, this bilingual headline will at best awaken historians and history lovers. Today is the 80th anniversary of the BBC radio speech by Brigadier General Charles de Gaulle. For the French, l‘appel du 18 juin rings just about the same bells as Winston Churchill’s blood, toil, tears, and sweat speech […]

How much is #500bn euros?

Not long ago EU leaders bickered over the third decimal place of the next EU 2021-2027 budget. Should it be 1.074% of EU Gross National Income as proposed by Charles Michel in his role as President of the European Council, 1.114% as suggested by the European Commission, a generous 1.3% as argued by the European […]