After months of wrangling and an epic list of delays, the Commission has finally released its Industrial Accelerator Act.
This could turn into one of the EU’s most consequential industrial policy files in years - and the proposal is honestly not a bad place to start.
Some quick thoughts:
I have just held a call with President Pedro Sánchez to express the EU’s full solidarity with Spain.
The EU will always ensure that the interests of its Member States are fully protected.
Wichtiger Beitrag von @wernertyann.bsky.social im Tagesspiegel heute, wie die Bundesregierung das letzte Amtsjahr von Macron noch für gemeinsame 🇩🇪-🇫🇷 Vorstöße nutzen kann und sollte
Ich durfte heute einen Gastbeitrag für den Tagesspiegel beisteuern: es geht um Macrons verbleibende Macht in seinem letzten Amtsjahr, und wo er noch etwas bewegen kann.
Spoiler: Vieles ist noch möglich, aber bei Weitem nicht mehr alles.
Details im Artikel:
www.tagesspiegel.de/internationa...
Das war ein Meilenstein: Präsident Macron hat eine "vorgerückte" französische Abschreckung (dissuasion avancée) verkündet. Deutschland ist privilegierter und ambitioniertester Partner, andere europäische Länder ebenfalls dabei.
Hauptpunkte 🧵
Strategically it’s incredibly clever the EU is eroding the key levers of the green transition.
As a net oil and gas importer being susceptible to repeated geopolitical supply and terms of trade shocks is just such a great place to be.
Scholarship opportunity! @delorsberlin.bsky.social is offering a scholarship that aims to support an exceptional student passionate about European public policy and planning to pursue a Master of International Affairs at @hertieschool.bsky.social next AY:
www.hertie-school.org/en/study/fun...
Bemerkenswertes Interview über die zusehends radikalisierte Mitte
www.zeit.de/2026/10/bija...
"Es gibt in den Verträgen keine Möglichkeit, einen Mitgliedstaat rauszuschmeißen." Co-Direktorin @onethuthree.bsky.social spricht mit dem @zdfde.bsky.social über Ungarns Blockade der EU-Sanktionen gegen #Russland und die Handlungsoptionen der #EU. 👉 www.zdfheute.de/politik/ausl... #Ungarn
Beim Neujahrsempfang haben wir jetzt eine Podiumsdiskussion u.a. mit @onethuthree.bsky.social & @danielfreund.bsky.social
Perhaps a good time to bring up again our proposal with @dimitrispieker.bsky.social and Ulrich Karpenstein on how to suspend Hungary’s voting rights based on a breach of solidarity in CFSP: www.delorscentre.eu/en/publicati...
Orbán‘s political director:
The entire point of debating frozen assets for months was to get around Orbán’s veto.
Either Hungary moves - or that option should be back on the table.
This marks a new level of escalation by Orbán. In December, he agreed to allow the other member states to proceed with the loan through enhanced cooperation - without Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.
Hungary is vetoing a decision in which it would not even participate.
Tomorrow in two weeks, the JDC and @hertiecfr.bsky.social have the honour to welcome Tamara Ćapeta, Advocate General at the @eucourtofjustice.bsky.social, for a keynote on the #EU as a constitutional democracy!
📆 27 Feb
⏰ 3 - 4.30pm
📍 @hertieschool.bsky.social
👉 www.delorscentre.eu/en/events-at...
🇵🇱⚖️President Nawrocki vetoes the law reforming the National Council of Judiciary, dispelling any hopes the Polish government had of reforming the rule of law through new legislation. Major, but expected, defeat for the new MoJ Waldemark Żurek and his plans. 1/
📣 Call for submissions for the 5th #HenrikEnderlein Prize!
📆 Until 21 March, #EU scholars are invited to submit their work from #SocialSciences that demonstrates scholarly excellence and contributes to the public debate on the future of #Europe. Find out more 👉 www.delorscentre.eu/en/about/new...
Contrary to Trump administration claims that the European Commission is interfering in elections across Europe, the Commission has not yet published any DSA decision related to electoral processes and civic discourse, writes Luise Quaritsch.
Join our team! We are looking for a student assistant for our work on Franco-German relations. You will be part of our Pariser Platz Dialogue team and involved in organising our flagship events in Berlin and Paris.
Deadline for application is 7 March: hertie-school.dvinci-easy.com/en/p/en/jobs...
EPP targeting S&D-led Spain is also not new, see derailed Ribera hearing. But turning RoL protection partisan by naming Spain and not e.g. EPP-led Greece, ranked 89th on RSF press freedom index (even HU ranks 68th) & 48th on WJP rule of law index, does RoL no service: www.eppgroup.eu/newsroom/rul...
No I don’t think so either. My comment was more related to the fact that the EPP is only scutinizing non-EPP/non-ECR countries.
Their targeting of Spain has different roots I think and is also not new, see e.g. the derailing of Riberas hearing for Commissioner by EPP MEPs
The EPP has a long tradition of shielding its own against EU scrutiny on the rule of law. It long protected Orbán when Fidesz was still member of the EPP, and now it is blocking rule of law fact finding missions to Meloni‘s Italy, who has become an important EPP ally.
Das klingt ganz gut.
Wenn Deutschland sich bei der gemeinsamen Aufsicht jetzt tatsächlich bewegt, kämen bei der Kapitalmarktunion mal weg von Sonntagsreden und hin zu echten Integrationsschritten.
The debate really has evolved. Back in 2023, in the Franco-German report on EU institutional reform, we had this - onion-like - graph on how we envisioned a possible future of EU integration in different layers. It was not taken well at the time
www.auswaertiges-amt.de/resource/blo...
Great thread of what a multi-speed Europe means in practice. It’s the key thing to come out of y’day’s informal EU summit on competitiveness: MS have given EU Commission the green light to explore different formats to move fwd on competitiveness& expect it to present a plan at March European Council
This framing of 'the EU has never done multiple speed Europe' seems like a product of way too short institutional memory.
Since the 1980s, major EU integration often happened in avantgarde groups, be it the Euro, Schengen, EU Patent, EU Public Prosecutor. The real change is a different one.
5/ The first option is not really an option currently as treaty reform is not on the table.
And on the drawbacks of the third option, @lucasguttenberg.bsky.social has a very good thread here: bsky.app/profile/luca...
4/ Thirdly, it can be done outside of EU framework through intergovernmental agreements, such as at height of Eurozone crisis (ESM, Fiscal Compact). But also looser arrangements like coalitions of the willing in defense can fall in this category, with no or less involvement of EU institutions.
3/ Secondly, smaller groups of MS may also move forward within EU framework through secondary law. The Treaties provide formal way to do so through enhanced cooperation. 9 MS must participate and Council, after consent of EP, must authorize (divorce law, unitary patent, EPPO, Ukraine support loan).
