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 […]
B&K Newsletter: Fuelling the Future: Europe’s €38 Billion Bet on Hydrogen Infrastructure and the Quest for Cost Efficiency
The Italian Government recently committed to allocate over €994 million in subsidies towards Hy2Infra projects designated under the EU’s Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) list. This substantial investment represents the initial phase of projects within the European Union’s Green Deal initiative. The European Commission approved the Hy2Infra IPCEI in February 2024, marking a […]
B&K Newsletter: Navigating New Horizons: Who will be the European Commissioners for the next five years?
On July 18th, Ursula von der Leyen received the endorsement of the European Parliament for a second term as President of the European Commission. She is now responsible for forming her principal team of commissioners, one from each EU member state. These commissioners, comparable to national government ministers, carry out specific policy areas such as […]
B&K Newsletter: Where the Parliament goes: who is going to play a central role in the next European Parliament
A recap of the last two weeks Last week, the European Parliament re-elected Roberta Metsola as her President and Ursula von der Leyen as the head of the European Commission, choosing continuity over an unstable scenario. This week, MEPs elected the chairs and vice chairs of the committees and subcommittees, clearly indicating who will be […]
Biden drops out; what does it mean for Europe and transatlantic relationship?
On Sunday, July 21st, 2024, President Biden made an unprecedented decision to officially withdraw from the presidential race and endorse his vice president, Kamala Harris. This move has not only redirected attention to the Democratic Party in the U.S. but has also left President Trump overshadowed until the Democratic convention in August. Additionally, for the […]