B&K Newsletter: The first EU-Gulf Cooperation Council summit
This week, the outgoing President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the Emir of Qatar, H.H. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (as the rotating President of the Gulf Cooperation Council), will co-chair the first-ever summit between the European Union and the GCC. To mark the importance of the summit, the Saudi crown prince, […]
B&K Newsletter: The EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement: a now-or-never situation?
A tormented history Negotiators of the trade deal between the European Union (EU) and Mercosur countries are meeting in Brasília this week for a new round of talks. They aim to seal the deal as soon as possible, possibly by a November G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro. On 28 June 1999, the European Union […]
B&K Newsletter: The Case C-650/22
On 4 October, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) will judge the case of the former French professional footballer Lassana Diarra challenging the rules governing contractual relations between players and clubs under the FIFA regulation. In the case of C-650/22, a former professional footballer is challenging FIFA’s “Regulations on the Status and […]
B&K Newsletter: The Austrian (semi) Deja Vu
The far-right FPÖ party came out first in the Austrian legislative elections yesterday, putting after nearly 25 years the centre-right ÖVP party in front of the government dilemma of whether to return to a coalition with the Eurosceptic political force. According to the final results, the FPÖ obtained 29.2 per cent, a historic success for […]
B&K Newsletter: The Battle of Brandenburg
Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) eked out a slim victory in Brandenburg’s state election, fending off the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). Final results show the SPD at 30.9% versus the AfD’s 29.2%. While this outcome spares Scholz from immediate political peril, it does little to quell internal party dissent or speculation about […]
B&K Newsletter: An overview of the 79th UNGA Session
Between 23 September and 28 September, EU leaders are expected to attend the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the main legislative and policymaking body of the United Nations. The theme for the general debate of the 79th session of the General Assembly is “Leaving no one behind: acting together […]
B&K Newsletter: The curtain comes up on the new von der Leyen’s Commission
After days of speculation and a feverish summer of negotiations with the member states, Ursula von der Leyen has announced the composition of the new European Commission: 20 commissioners, six vice presidents and a president – including 11 women and 16 men – will make up the new EU executive whose main task is to […]
B&K Newsletter: The Draghi Report: The Future of Europe
Unveiled on September 9th in Brussels, Mario Draghi’s report, “The Future of European Competitiveness,” presents an in-depth analysis and a daring plan for the economic prospects of the European Union. In the infamous report, Draghi, as it seems, makes the last call for the European future, indicating that the EU is facing a prolonged period […]
B&K Newsletter: The Future of European Agriculture
On Wednesday, September 4th, the European Commission together with the Strategic Dialogue on the future of EU agriculture, presented its latest report, which will shape the future of agribusiness in Europe. The central message of a joint report presented to the European Commission by President Ursula von der Leyen stresses the need to change the […]
B&K Newsletter: Back to school, Brussels!
Commission’s nominees First and foremost, let’s look at the new European Commission. Before the summer pause, the freshly re-elected President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, asked the 27 Member States to deliver two nominees, one man and one woman, as their candidates for the role of Commissioner. To date, 22 nominees have been […]