Looking forward to our session today! 🗣️🎤👇🏻
02.03.2026 10:48
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Looking forward to our session today! 🗣️🎤👇🏻
Such a privilege to be in Brussels last week with the bright young minds studying European Social & Political Studies at UCL.
They loved the interactive talks with leading think-tankers @heathergrabbe.bsky.social, senior fellow @bruegel.org & @sophia-russack.bsky.social, researcher @ceps.eu.
To round up this week, here is my flash analysis of this month's EP plenary. This includes:
- Power: Who won the votes?
- Coalitions
- Far-Right Watch: Votes on which the far-right was decisive
- Group Coherence
- The national view: How often MEPs from each EU country are part of the majority
Two-speed Europe, coalitions of the willing, core Europe - all different labels currently circling in the debate for same idea that way forward is no longer at EU27.
But the how is important, and I think different people understand different things by the concept.
Quick thread on legal options:
In the discussion on using Enhanced Cooperation for single market deepening seem to forget that the EU treaties put a clear limit on Enhanced Cooperation - that it shall not undermine the single market or the economic cohesion of the EU:
A small bombshell on rule of law conditionality from Luxembourg today: Advocate-General Capeta finds in her opinion that Commission was not allowed to unfreeze EU funds to Hungary in December 2023 and proposes that the Court of Justice annul the decision: curia.europa.eu/site/upload/...
Thread:
#Merzoni, with the willing participation of 🇪🇺President von der Leyen, have formed a pact to dilute the power of the European Union and return it to national capitals in order to carry out corporate wishes.
It is the opposite of Draghi's vision. Yet they are citing him as their inspiration.
Aside from the MSC, Secretary of State Rubio is visiting only two countries in Europe: Hungary and Slovakia. The threat of „civilizational erasure“ doesn’t seem quite so acute there.
President von der Leyen's 🇪🇺Commission took more meetings with American companies last year than companies from any other country.
table.media/europe/analy...
THÜRINGEN | Sonntagsfrage Landtagswahl INSA/TA, OTZ, TLZ
AfD: 38% (-1)
CDU: 24%
LINKE: 14%
BSW: 7%
SPD: 7% (+1)
GRÜNE: 3%
Sonstige: 7%
Änderungen zur letzten Umfrage vom 11. Dezember 2025
Verlauf: whln.eu/UmfragenTH
#ltwth
Required watching for the EU bubble - investigative format "ARD Monitor" has done a research on the omnibus vote in the European Parliament and the origins of majority of the centre-right EPP with the far-right groups last November:
The proposal seems ill-timed. And coming from Weber, it can also be read as subtly undermining von der Leyen, even if framed for the next term (2029–2034) and aimed at a future Commission President (unless: VDL III 😉). /5
Also, global EU influence is affected by intergovernmental reflexes (e.g., as shown recently by Friedrich Merz) and formats that include non-EU states (e.g., on Ukraine and defence). /4
Today, the current Commission President clearly eclipses the European Council President in terms of visibility (and influence?) - and the European Parliament president anyhow /3
As regards the single president, I find that the “voiceless EU” diagnosis did fit in the past better than today. For instance, when this idea was floated last time in 2017, by then-Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. /2
Last week, Manfred Weber put forward institutional reform ideas to strengthen the EU’s unity (both neither nor new nor realistic): 1. Expand qualified majority voting in foreign policy; 2. merge the offices of the Commission and European Council presidents. /1
The proposal seems ill-timed. And coming from Weber, it can also be read as subtly undermining von der Leyen, even if framed for the next term (2029–2034) and aimed at a future Commission President (unless VDL III 😉) /5
Also: Global influence depends also on intergovernmental reflexes (e.g. by Merz), and extra-EU formats (inkl the EU on Ukraine, defence, etc.). /4
Today, the current Commission President clearly outshines the EUCO President (the EP President anyhow). /3
As regards the single president, I find that the “voiceless EU” diagnosis did fit in the past better than today. For instance, when this idea was floated last time in 2017, by then-Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. /2
Guys, why why why why does European media so routinely repeat this falsehood??
Most 🇪🇺Council votes are by qualified majority, not unanimity, which is only reserved for foreign policy and taxation.
This voting method on Monday for the Russian gas ban was in no way exceptional.
These disciplinary measures are interesting - and potentially another sign of the EU's party-politicisation and the EPP's current cross-institutional domination
What does seem new with this “second generation” of 2025 motions is the strategy: not just signalling protest to national audiences, but actively seeking to undermine trust in the Commission and challenge the legitimacy of EU institutions (6/6).
Since the 1990s, motions of censure against the Commission have been used mainly by far right gourps in the European Parliament, so their current involvement is nothing new (5/6).
Part of the problem lies in the instrument's design. Triggering a motion requires only 1/10 of MEPs (currently 72), while success requires a two-thirds majority - making it virtually impossible to send the Commission home for political reasons (4/6).
For comparison: before 2025, the last motions of censure were in 2014 (again Juncker) and 2005 (against Barroso), both triggered by Nigel Farage. In total, there have been only 15 motions of censure since the first one in 1972 (3/6).
The motion was again rejected: 390 MEPs against, 165 in favour, and 10 abstentions. In October, two motions saw 378 and 383 MEPs support von der Leyen. In July, 360 expressed confidence while 175 backed the motion. Hence, support for her is rising (2/6).
What a week! So much happened that the motion of censure brought forward by the PfE against von der Leyen almost went unnoticed. Admittedly, there is a clear inflation effect: this was already the 4th motion in just half a year 🗳️ (1/6)
"The European Democracy Shield is an important step, but the Commission’s level of ambition does not yet match the scale of the threat we face."
Yesterday, the EP rapporteur Tobé published his draft report on the European Democracy Shield.
www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/pres...
Today, the European Parliament voted to put the Mercosur trade agreement to the European Court of Justice for review.
It was a politically momentous decision, very tight and carried by an unusual majority, so it is worth looking a bit deeper into it.