Of all the leaders in Europe one would have perhaps least expected Emmanuel Macron, today’s leading advocate of EU federalism, to try to find a compromise with Britain on Brexit. But, in contrast to so many others, he seems to have realised the potential damage to the continent if there is a ‘no deal’ withdrawal. […]
The free-market welfare state. Sounds like an oxymoron? Think twice, says Samuel Hammond, a policy analysist from the Washington DC-based Niskanen Center, who in a recently released paper (which he also outlined here at CapX) argues that free-marketeers should embrace the welfare state. The starting point of Hammond’s reasoning is that free market capitalism – […]
Donald Trump’s proudest moment after yesterday’s meeting with Jean-Claude Juncker seemed to be when the US president said the EU would soon be buying “a lot of soybeans” from the United States. The head-to-head in Washington DC followed months of puerile chest-beating over trade, which degenerated into Trump last week describing a group of longstanding […]
It’s not often the Brussels bureaucracy does something truly praiseworthy, but this week’s signing of a free trade agreement between the EU and Japan, is indeed good news. The deal, which almost eliminates all tariffs between the EU and the second largest economy in Asia, is just one part of a bigger effort from Brussels to […]
It was dubbed the “Mother of All EU Summits.” June’s European Council was hotly anticipated, with discussions scheduled on the next long-term budget, Eurozone reform, and of course Brexit. Other issues crept onto the agenda in the last few weeks – trade wars with The Donald, the Macedonia-Greece row (which seems close to a solution) […]
When Britain voted to Leave the EU, the immediate response from European leaders and the Brussels establishment was shock followed by pessimism. But the mood turned surprisingly quickly. Ever since Emmanuel Macron’s triumph in the French presidential elections, grand plans have been back on the menu, with more EU integration being heralded as the only […]
Ninety-four billion euros. That’s the hole Brexit will leave in the next seven-year EU budget cycle. When the European Commission started the debate on the next Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF) a few weeks ago one of the biggest questions was how, or even whether, the Commission could cover the shortfall without making spending cuts. Budget […]
Two months after elections in which upstart populists outshone Italy’s mainstream parties, a government deal appears to be very close. After weeks of negotiations, the Five Star Movement (M5S) and Lega could come to an agreement by early next week. If they can agree on a candidate for prime minister, then two populist parties (ignoring […]
The EU budget frenzy of (at least) one year has officially begun. Today, the European Commission, led by Budget Commissioner Günther Oettinger, revealed the first proposal for the upcoming multi-annual financial framework (MFF). This budget will be being in place from 2021 to 2027, when the current budget of 2014-2020 – the last one featuring […]
This week, Emmanuel Macron travelled to Strasbourg to address the European Parliament for the first time. After entering the halls on a red carpet, “King Emmanuel,” as he was dubbed by Politico, delivered another enthusiastic speech in favour of radical reform of the European Union and showed once again that he is an unabashed supporter […]
Jean-Claude Juncker’s State of the European Union speech last week attracted plenty of criticism. Mostly from those accusing him of not learning anything from Brexit, and just continuing towards the goal of an ever closer union. As Nigel Farage said afterwards: “The message is very clear: Brexit has happened, full steam ahead.” Syed Kamall, a […]
