EU Friday – 14 February

EU Friday – 14 February

EU Friday
Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. MEPS TELL ECB TO CONSIDER GEOPOLITICAL RISKS AND CHALLENGE DIGITAL EURO While over the past years MEPs mostly battled over how much climate change should influence the European Central Bank’s policy decisions, this week’s discussion in plenary clearly moved on to a much broader set of geopolitical concerns. The debate was heated, with MEPs divided over whether the ECB should prioritise everyday citizens or prepare for geopolitical shocks. ECB President Christine Lagarde acknowledged these challenges, arguing for a cautious, data-driven approach. She also highlighted the role of the digital euro in strengthening Europe's financial autonomy, drawing the anger of some ECR MEPs who had tabled amendments to challenge the decision to develop a digital euro in the first place. Others insisted…
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EU 2024: a busy start to a busy year

EU 2024: a busy start to a busy year

News
The new year 2024 is a year of elections: citizens in the U.S., India, and of course Europe, will go voting. In the EU, the race for the European Parliament has already started, with elections due to take place in June. In January, the new Presidency of the Council took over with a clear goal in mind (to finalise as many legislative files as possible), current President of the European Council Charles Michel announced his candidacy in the European Parliament elections, and several lead candidates for national lists were announced. January was definitely a busy start for the European Union, with the pace expected to only accelerate further. Busy start As usual, with the new year, a new presidency kicked in. The Belgians, who took over after the Spanish, announced…
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EU Friday – 7 February

EU Friday – 7 February

EU Friday
Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. EU TRADE MINISTERS PREPARE FOR TRUMP'S TRADE TANTRUMS In a diplomatic dance to dodge Trump's trade tirades, EU ministers for trade, the internal market, and industry huddled in Warsaw on Tuesday, seeking strength in unity against the U.S. president's “tariff” threats. Polish Economy Minister Krzysztof Paszyk set the tone: "We have to stick together, otherwise Trump's trade tornado will blow us away like yesterday's news. "The summit exposed familiar cracks in EU solidarity. While most members and the Commission support the Mercosur deal, France remains the party pooper. The EU is now eyeing Malaysia, India and Indonesia for trade talks, hoping to diversify and avoid putting all its eggs in one basket. "The US trade stance is changing by the hour,"…
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