All EU-related News in English in a list. Read News from the European Union in French, German & Hungarian too.

You are here

European Union

Europe’s chemical powerhouse tells Brussels to go easy on new regulations

Euractiv.com - Wed, 02/07/2025 - 17:03
Hendrik Wüst, state premier of Germany's chemical hub North Rhine-Westphalia, demanded “level-headed chemicals policy” on a visit to the EU capital on Wednesday.
Categories: European Union

Bulgarian healthcare workers launch protest over low wages

Euractiv.com - Wed, 02/07/2025 - 16:06
Protesters are calling for legislative guarantees to enforce minimum wages in the health sector. Discontent is spreading and no clear resolution is in sight.
Categories: European Union

EU court strikes down Poland’s pharmacy advertising ban

Euractiv.com - Wed, 02/07/2025 - 15:52
Pharmacy owners were fined for displaying signs about card payments, and during the pandemic, patients weren’t informed that vaccinations were available in pharmacies.
Categories: European Union

EU prosecutor Laura Kövesi haunts Greece’s rotten system

Euractiv.com - Wed, 02/07/2025 - 15:35
Brussels’ top prosecutor is exposing the scandals Greece tried to bury.
Categories: European Union

Resistance rallies against EU’s €392 billion regional funding overhaul

Euractiv.com - Wed, 02/07/2025 - 14:14
Fourteen EU countries want "a stand-alone Cohesion Policy" to be preserved in the EU's next budget, a document seen by Euractiv says.
Categories: European Union

Seven key points about the EU’s new 2040 climate target

Euractiv.com - Wed, 02/07/2025 - 13:18
Brussels sets sights on 90% emissions cut by 2040 – here’s what you need to know.
Categories: European Union

EU spending watchdog pours cold water on Commission’s reform-for-cash budget plan

Euractiv.com - Wed, 02/07/2025 - 12:58
The "main problem" with a recovery-fund style model is "we don't even have a basis for saying whether it worked well or not," the EU's chief auditor told Euractiv.  
Categories: European Union

Von der Leyen took 16 private jet flights in 2024, Commission confirms

Euractiv.com - Wed, 02/07/2025 - 12:58
The president's travel habits have frequently drawn attention from political opponents.
Categories: European Union

Rethinking Europe’s Economic Model: A New Vision for Competitiveness and Political Identity

Ideas on Europe Blog - Wed, 02/07/2025 - 12:09

by Manuela Moschella (Professor of Political Science, University of Bologna) and Lucia Quaglia (Professor of Political Science, University of Bologna)

The European Union (EU) stands at a critical juncture. Global competition, technological disruption, and geopolitical fragmentation challenge the economic framework that has defined the EU for over three decades. Two landmark reports — Much More Than a Market by Enrico Letta and The Future of European Competitiveness by Mario Draghi — outline a bold vision for Europe’s economic future. In our article “Much More Than a Report: The Search for Europe’s New Political Identity and the Politics of Competitiveness” in the Journal of Common Market Studies, we examine these reports and show that they signal a decisive shift from internal market efficiency to external competitiveness as the bloc’s strategic priority. These shifts imply a redefinition not only of the EU’s economic priorities, but also of its political identity.

A New Economic Playbook

A central theme uniting the two reports is the call for a more assertive and state-driven economic policy. The authors advocate a departure from the EU’s long-standing emphasis on non-interventionism and free-market orthodoxy. This includes supporting “European champions”, strengthening industrial policy, and ensuring economic security through investment and regulation.

Investment emerges as a key area for transformation. Letta proposes expanding and rebranding the Capital Markets Union as a “Savings and Investments Union” to unlock private capital for long-term growth. Draghi goes further, calling for joint EU borrowing and the creation of European financial instruments to fund strategic initiatives, particularly in defence, energy, and digital infrastructure. The message is clear: Europe must scale up its financial tools to cope with contemporary challenges and match its ambitions.

The Need for Institutional Reforms

Both reports also recognize the importance of institutional reforms. They criticize slow decision-making and regulatory fragmentation in the EU, arguing that streamlined governance is essential for swift and effective action. However, the challenge is not merely institutional: it is profoundly political. Implementing this new strategy requires broad-based legitimacy not only from EU institutions and national governments, but also from the public. Increased defence spending and targeted industrial subsidies may raise concerns about diverting resources from social welfare or education. Without transparent communication to the public and political ownership, these initiatives run the risk of being met with public resistance in the member states, which, ultimately, might be reluctant to go ahead.

At stake is not merely a set of economic policies but a redefinition of the EU’s identity. The push toward economic sovereignty, industrial protectionism, and strategic autonomy raises fundamental questions: Can the EU maintain its commitment to openness, legal predictability, and multilateralism while adopting more interventionist tools? How can it balance market freedom with national interests and supranational coordination?

Letta and Draghi do not deny these tensions. Strategic autonomy may require selective protectionism. Economic security may necessitate more public spending. But ultimately, these are not technocratic but political choices that require public debate and shared vision.

The Road Ahead

The EU has often moved forward in times of crisis — from the creation of the Euro to the NGEU funding package adopted in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The current situation calls for a similar resolve. However, technocratic reports alone are not enough. Political leadership, especially at the national level, will be essential to translate vision into action and to mobilize public support.

As the EU seeks to turn a corner in its economic development, the choice is not simply about adopting new tools. It is about affirming a coherent vision of what Europe stands for both economically and politically. Whether the Union can successfully recalibrate its economic model while maintaining cohesion and legitimacy will shape not only its competitiveness but the future of European integration itself.

Manuela Moschella is Professor of Political Science at the University of Bologna and Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins SAIS Europe. Her research focuses on European and global economic governance, central banking, and the politics of economic policymaking. She is one of the editors of the Review of International Political Economy.

 

 

Lucia Quaglia  is Professor of Political Science at the University of Bologna. She has published 9 books, 7 of which with Oxford University Press and has guest co-edited 7 special issues of academic journals. Together with Manuela Moschella and Aneta Spendzharova, she has published a textbook on European Political Economy (Oxford University Press, 2024).

The post Rethinking Europe’s Economic Model: A New Vision for Competitiveness and Political Identity appeared first on Ideas on Europe.

Categories: European Union

Greece faces migrant surge as Libya, Turkey intensify Mediterranean energy ties

Euractiv.com - Wed, 02/07/2025 - 08:06
Greece is facing a sharp spike in migrant arrivals from Libya just as Ankara and Tripoli step up energy exploration near Crete – fuelling fears of geopolitical coercion and escalating tensions in the eastern Mediterranean.
Categories: European Union

Merz vs Tusk vs Weber

Euractiv.com - Wed, 02/07/2025 - 07:48
In today’s edition of The Capitals, read about the Merz-Tusk-Weber triangle, the Commission's 2040 climate target, Macron and Putin speaking, and Ursula von der Leyen’s private jet.
Categories: European Union

Paving the Way for Europe’s competitive green future [Promoted content]

Euractiv.com - Wed, 02/07/2025 - 07:00
The “R&I for a competitive green transition” event on 23-24 June highlighted why investing in green research and innovation (R&I) is an essential driver of a fair, sustainable, and competitive future for Europe. The closing remarks of Marc Lemaître, Director-general of the European Commission’s DG for Research and Innovation, provide reflections on the role of R&I in providing tangible solutions for Europe’s green growth and environmental resilience.
Categories: European Union

Only fair global finance can unlock the global transition out of fossil fuels

Euractiv.com - Wed, 02/07/2025 - 06:40
Rather than addressing real structural barriers that exacerbate global climate risks, the EU has increasingly focused on extracting critical materials from the Global South.
Categories: European Union

Why it’s obvious the EU will accept Trump’s 10% baseline tariff

Euractiv.com - Wed, 02/07/2025 - 06:10
The EU's trade chief is in Washington on Wednesday in a last-ditch bid to avert even higher levies.
Categories: European Union

EU told to get real on AI or risk ‘Chernobyl-sized disaster’

Euractiv.com - Wed, 02/07/2025 - 06:00
AI pioneer Stuart Russell says rolling back AI regulation now would be a dangerous mistake – with consequences for both Europe and the world.
Categories: European Union

Socialists blast Brussels plan to tie EU budget to national reforms

Euractiv.com - Wed, 02/07/2025 - 06:00
The group also wants to fend off any attempt to repurpose the €142 billion European Social Fund for other priorities, such as defence.
Categories: European Union

What a 90% emissions cut could mean for EU citizens

Euractiv.com - Wed, 02/07/2025 - 06:00
A web of policy signals, investment choices, and support measures will ultimately determine the final cost for households and industry.
Categories: European Union

Global climate action at risk as ‘disappointed’ camps square off, EU negotiator warns

Euractiv.com - Wed, 02/07/2025 - 06:00
With talks stalling ahead of COP30, the EU warns that a growing divide could derail global climate progress.
Categories: European Union

Weapons, warrants, and whistle protests: the tensions shaping Kosovo’s election season

Euractiv.com - Wed, 02/07/2025 - 06:00
A weapons raid on a Kosovo Serb politician has triggered accusations of political targeting and renewed tensions ahead of local elections.
Categories: European Union

EU stuck in Chinese finger trap as top Beijing official lands in Brussels

Euractiv.com - Wed, 02/07/2025 - 06:00
Donald Trump's trade war has squeezed Europe into an awkward bind on China – and Wednesday sees Brussels' leaders in talks with both Washington and Beijing.
Categories: European Union

Pages