20Dec 2024 by Maja Bartczak

EU Friday – 20 December

EU Friday

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. EU LEADERS REBUFF TRUMP'S UKRAINE PEACE PLAN EU leaders issued a stark warning against premature peace talks between Ukraine and Russia at their Summit in Brussels this week. Rebuffing US President-elect Donald Trump's hints at brokering a ceasefire, leaders from Belgium, Lithuania, Sweden and elsewhere insisted that Ukraine, not Moscow – or Washington – must dictate the terms of future negotiations. "The priority now is to strengthen Ukraine," said Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, suggesting that peacekeepers could be an option. The summit also saw cautious support for a European peacekeeping force, with Sweden and Belgium open to contributing troops after the war. For now, Belgium's Alexander de Croo warned: "First the Ukrainians have to win the war." As Ukrainian President…

25Jul 2024 by Maja Bartczak

Happy New 2024-2029 Parliamentary Mandate: 5 years of advocacy opportunities

Uncategorized

Last week, between 16 and 19 July, the first plenary session of the newly elected European Parliament took place in Strasbourg. The Parliament re-elected Ursula von der Leyen as the European Commission President for the next five years with a comfortable majority. It re-elected its President, Roberta Metsola (EPP, Malta) with an overwhelming cross-party majority of 562 votes in favour, and chose to (re-)appoint its Vice-Presidents, including five Socialists and Democrats (S&D) Vice-Presidents (VPs), and three European People’s Party VPs. The first plenary officially kickstarted the new legislative mandate that will last for the next 5 years, until 2029. New groups and new strength The new Parliament is composed of 720 seats, which is a slight increase of 15 seats compared to the previous one (after Brexit), in order to…

13May 2024 by Maja Bartczak

Let the Games begin: one month to European Elections

Opinion, Views

In less than a month, on 6 to 9 June, Europeans will go to polling stations to vote on the composition of the next European Parliament, which will hold office for the upcoming five years (2024-2029). Given the current political shift towards the right in most EU Member States, the upcoming elections are likely to be a turning point in European politics. After the last plenary session of the current Parliament a couple of weeks ago, MEPs have left for their home countries either not to come back or to do their best to be re-elected. Goodbyes, tears, and current polls MEPs met for the last time in Strasbourg in April with a busy agenda of 90 votes. They approved trilogue agreements, such as the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, the…

07Mar 2024 by Joost Mulder

EU 2024: Half-way there, the sprint begins

Opinion, Views

There are three months left before this year’s EU elections on 6 to 9 June. By the end of March, a complete list of Spitzenkandidaten for the top European Commission job should be finalised. Since January, the pace of weekly political and legislative developments in Brussels has not slowed down. Previously contested laws such as the Nature Restoration law have been finalised, while others including the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive have been held hostage. The last two-month sprint begins before the last Plenary session of the current Parliament on 22 to 25 April. No slowing down In the course of February and the beginning of March, almost all European groups, that recognise the Spitzenkandidaten process, have put forward their candidates for the role of the next European Commission president.…

09Feb 2024 by Joost Mulder

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…

20Dec 2023 by Joost Mulder

EU2024: Time is ticking

News

In less than six months, between 6 and 9 June 2024, Europeans in all 27 EU member states will choose 720 MEPs – the new European Parliament composition for the next legislative mandate (2024-2029). While time is ticking ahead, the months ahead still provide interesting advocacy opportunities that can help you to achieve key policy objectives in the next mandate. Right on the rise November 2023 brought a record high in opinion polls for Identity and Democracy (ID), the most right-wing party in the European Parliament, with projected 87 seats in total. This puts them four seats ahead of the other right-wing group, the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), and only two seats below the liberal group Renew Europe. If this trend continues, the race for third place in the…

13Dec 2023 by Maja Bartczak

EU Friday – 13 December

EU Friday

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. THE EPP'S AUTOMOTIVE PLAN: HARDLINE APPROACH OR STRATEGIC NEGOTIATION? The European People's Party (EPP) has unveiled a strategy aimed at safeguarding the EU's automotive sector amid the environmental pressures of the Green Deal. Under leadership of German MEP Jens Gieseke, the EPP promotes a technology-neutral framework for emission reductions, including alternatives such as biofuels alongside electric vehicles, and calls for a revision of the 2035 ban on internal combustion engines to allow for a more gradual transition. The EPP also opposes the penalties to be imposed on carmakers in 2025 for failing to meet electric vehicle production quotas, arguing that the fines harm an industry that is already struggling with weak consumer demand and insufficient charging infrastructure. Instead, they are pushing…

06Dec 2023 by Maja Bartczak

EU Friday – 6 December

EU Friday

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. EUDR DELAYED: EU STRIKES DEAL TO KEEP LANDMARK LEGISLATION IN PLACE EU member states and the Parliament this week reached a crucial agreement to delay the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) by one year, setting a new deadline of 30 December 2025. Despite the delay, the legal text remains unchanged and the regulation's ambitious goal of ensuring deforestation-free supply chains remains intact. The European People's Party (EPP), which had pushed for amendments to weaken the law, eventually withdrew its proposals, signalling a political defeat after failing to garner enough support. The agreement includes a political statement from the European Commission committing to finalise country risk benchmarks six months ahead of the new deadline and to explore ways to reduce…

29Nov 2023 by Maja Bartczak

EU Friday – 29 November

Uncategorized

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. VON DER LEYEN'S NEW COMMISSION GETS THROUGH AMID DEEP DIVISIONS Ursula von der Leyen's new Commission squeaked through the European Parliament on Wednesday with 370 votes in favour, 282 against and 36 abstentions. Behind the numbers lies a deeply fractured political landscape, with tensions simmering across party lines and national delegations. The centre-right European People's Party (EPP) almost unanimously supported the Commission, joined by the far-right European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), including Italy's Brothers of Italy and the Flemish NVA, a surprising turnaround for the ECR who had previously opposed von der Leyen's second term but backed the team to ensure right-wing leadership in Brussels. However, the road to approval was far from smooth. The Socialists and Democrats (S&D) remained split…

22Nov 2023 by Maja Bartczak

EU Friday – 22 November

EU Friday

Welcome to Better Europe's weekly update on EU Affairs. EUROPE'S STRUGGLE FOR RELEVANCE IN A FRACTURED G20 The G20 summit in Rio laid bare Europe's struggle to remain relevant in a fractured global arena. With U.S. President-elect Donald Trump casting a long shadow, European leaders scrambled to defend their climate and geopolitical priorities against growing resistance. French President Emmanuel Macron didn't mince his words, calling the G20 "a forum that doesn't work" and lambasting its failure to act on climate change or the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pushed for progress on climate finance, but Argentina's provocative new leader Javier Milei – channelling Trump's anti-multilateralism – stalled talks on the final communique. Ukraine, once a G20 focus, fell by the wayside, while German Chancellor…