As the World Trade Organization is meeting in Geneva this week, Biden administration officials have taken aim at Europe’s protectionist trade policies. The US Ambassador to the WTO, Maria Pagán, laid out ‘persistent barriers’ that American goods and services face to enter the European market. High on the agenda were EU food and wine standards, […]
They’re cookies, and they’re not the delicious kind: internet cookies pop up on every new website we click on. The pop-up often says something like this: “We use cookies to help our site work, to understand how it is used, and to tailor the adverts presented on our site. By clicking “Accept” below, you agree […]
While the Conservative leadership race dominates the news in the UK, the European Union is continuing to regulate as usual. At a recent European Council, the Netherlands proposed an EU departure tax, which would add a levy of €7 (£6.25) to every flight departing from an airport inside of a member state. The tax has […]
When France built its high-speed rail network, it revolutionised the way we looked at train travel. What takes 4-5 hours by long-distance bus from Brussels to Paris can now be completed in just over an hour with a Thalys train. Dumping slow regional trains for fast and futuristic new models has brought more comfort and […]
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 […]
In the name of supporting farmers, the French government is further increasing consumer taxes. The yellow vests hardly have a reason to stop protesting. The “Loi EGalim“ Last October, the French legislature passed the “Loi EGalim,” the long-form description of which reads: law for the balance of trade relations in the agricultural and food sector and […]
Wearing fur is becoming more and more taboo. The issue is increasingly fraught and some large brands and fashion shows have decided to opt out of fur altogether. It isn’t just firms and consumers making the choice to ditch fur. Fur farms are outlawed in many European countries, such as the UK, Austria, the Czech […]
Europe has been hit by a Green wave in politics, with environmentalists structurally outperforming establishment social democrat parties. But it isn’t so much about climate change as it is a rebranding of socialism for young voters. Beware of the consequences. The Green Wave Green parties, as a phenomenon, have their origins in Europe. In the […]
Expensive hotels, beach resorts, and staggering travel costs: the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) would have some tough questions to answer, if only the countries that funded it would ask them. Unfortunately, the United Kingdom happily continues to spend taxpayers’ money on providing health experts with a luxurious jetsetting lifestyle. The WHO’s travel expenses for […]
Early Facebook investor Roger McNamee has called for social media companies to be regulated in the same way as tobacco and alcohol. The justification for such action, he argues, is the risk of addiction and social media’s influence on public discourse and democracy. But are these fears warranted? Or is McNamee falling into a trap […]
2017 has seen yet another increase in lifestyle regulations and sin taxes in Europe, with both national governments and Brussels imposing new rules. While countries adopt varying degrees of economic interventionism, different standards over fiscal consolidation, or alternating positions in reaction to climate change, lifestyle regulations seem to be popular across the board. Historically, it […]
This month, EU governments and the European Parliament signed off on substantial changes to the Union’s Common Agricultural Policy. In the so-called “Omnibus talks”, the EU’s three main institutions, together with representatives of producers agreed to grant essential privileges to farmers. The initial proposal by the EU Commissioner for Agriculture, the Irish politician Phil Hogan, […]
The opposition towards contemporary technological advancements is common, but it never had such a powerful ally in mainstream media sources. Commentators in newsrooms should know that the mindset that now opposes Lyft, Uber, and Airbnb would have prevented the commercialisation of the printing press, and would, therefore, have threatened their own existence. Gutenberg’s Invention Caused […]
In the acronym-filled debate about the European Union’s trade policies, the mood has taken a decidedly anti-free trade turn in recent years. CETA and TTIP both incited large-scale protests in major European cities. The question, then, is: who is fuelling the anti-free trade spirit that has taken hold? The answer might surprise you. In March, […]
When you’re taking the train in Europe, governments are usually involved – either through state-run or state-subsidised options. Inevitably, these services have deteriorated over time, due to a lack of competition, while the fares have increased. Just look at France. The Republic’s railway network might be lauded internationally, but not by the French, whose complaints […]
In a little under three weeks’ time, the Germans will be heading to the polls. Angela Merkel is poised to be re-annointed Chancellor. But while her party, the Christian-Democrat CDU/CSU should easily regain power, the German parliament is set to become more diverse – and not necessarily in a good way. Both the liberal democrat […]
In its last parliamentary session before the summer break, the German Bundestag legalised same-sex marriage. The vote – if not the result – came as a surprise to everyone. Including, perhaps, Merkel herself. Merkel’s party, the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) is in a coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD) and both parties had agreed to not put the issue […]
Uneventful. That is the word many political commentators use to describe Germany’s parliamentary election in September. Angela Merkel’s only serious rival, Martin Schulz, doesn’t stand a chance. Schulz’s Social Democrat Party SPD is polling at around 25 per cent, while Merkel’s centre-left CDU/CSU is coming in at 40 per cent in some polls. With politics, though, […]
He was the SPD’s new hope. Their chance of taking over in Berlin. Martin Schulz, the 62 year-old former president of the European Parliament, was the one to beat Merkel. He was a fresh face – he’d never run for parliament in Germany – and had proved to be a witty voice in the Brussels […]
Even if it came against a divisive and disliked opponent, Emmanuel Macron’s victory over Marine Le Pen represented substantial support for his policy platform. His proposed reforms may be popular, but the youngest president in the history of the French Republic, who ran as an independent promising major change, has a major problem to overcome […]
