European Union – European Neighbourhood Monitor

What to watch when von der Leyen addresses the European Parliament

By Pieter Cleppe Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s planned presence in the visitors’ gallery is an unusual sight for a European Commission President’s State of the Union address. It is tied to an expected announcement of an “all encompassing” EU–Canada partnership covering trade and security, after the latest tit-for-tat tariff war between Ottawa and Washington. […]

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The Road to the EU’s Next Long-Term Budget Remains Long

European Union / ENM

By Pieter Cleppe In June, the Cypriot EU Presidency came up with a compromise proposal on the EU’s long term budget, which intended to cut a modest 33 billion euro. That didn’t get much more love than the proposal of the European Commission, which wants to spend about 2 trillion euro between 2028 and 2034,

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The EU’s regulatory frenzy causes more and more tensions with its trading partners

Trade / ENM

By Pieter Cleppe Last week, the European Commission decided to impose a fine of 890 million euros on Google, this time under the new European “Digital Markets Act” (DMA). It is yet another European fine running into the billions levied on an American tech company. Once again, Google is being forced to cough up money

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Europe’s Energy Policy Reckoning

Energy / ENM

By Pieter Cleppe Europe’s energy strategy is no longer sustainable. What once passed as long-term planning has collided with geopolitical reality, and the consequences are now impossible to ignore. The war in Iran has merely accelerated a crisis that was already years in the making: a system built on fragile assumptions, increasing dependency, and political

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EU Reassesses Russian Oil Ban Timeline

Eastern Europe / ENM

Rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are increasing concerns about global energy supply, particularly following disruptions linked to the Strait of Hormuz. Industry leaders, including Wael Sawan, have warned that Europe could face shortages of key fuels such as diesel, jet fuel, and gasoline in the near term. These developments have contributed to heightened

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India Balances Brussels and Washington in Parallel Trade Deals

Indopacific / ENM

India has moved to deepen its economic ties with both the European Union and the United States, advancing two significant but structurally different trade arrangements within weeks of each other. While both initiatives signal New Delhi’s intention to expand global trade partnerships, the agreements differ in ambition, scope and political context. Great news for India

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Is an agreement on the EU’s long term budget in sight?

European Union / ENM

By Pieter Cleppe EU member states are seeking to reach agreement by the end of this year on the European Union’s next long-term budget, formally known as the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). The proposed framework would cover EU expenditure from 2028 to 2034. Negotiations are proving more complex than in previous cycles, partly because interest

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EUDR delay seen as exposing the limits of the “Brussels effect”

Environment / ENM

The European Union’s decision to delay the implementation of its deforestation law is increasingly seen as a stark illustration of how difficult it has become for Brussels to project its regulatory power beyond its borders. The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), first proposed in 2021, was intended to prevent products linked to deforestation from entering the bloc’s

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Danish EU Presidency pushes ‘super tax’ on heated tobacco

European Union / ENM

NGOs still remain influential in policy debate on EU spending By Pieter Cleppe The Danish Presidency has ignited a major political storm in Brussels after introducing a last-minute overhaul of the Tobacco Excise Directive (TED) that dramatically raises taxes on heated tobacco products. A newly circulated Council draft reveals that both the Presidency and the

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EU governments back one-year pause and potential reopening of deforestation law

Environment / ENM

EU governments have endorsed a proposal to postpone the implementation of the bloc’s deforestation rules for an additional year and to introduce a mechanism that could allow the legislation to be revised as early as next spring, according to diplomats briefed on the talks. The decision, taken during negotiations on Wednesday, opens the door to

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