Helena Qs

@heqs.bsky.social

Young professional & think tanker in Berlin; focused on European Security with expertise in total defence and crisis preparedness on German and European levels.

#Gesamtverteidigung umfasst militärische und zivile Verteidigung – beide sind untrennbar miteinander verbunden. Doch die zivile Seite hinkt in #DEU deutlich hinterher. Drei Handlungsfelder zeigen, wie Deutschland diese sicherheitspolitische Lücke schließen kann. Meine Analyse 👇 (DE/EN)

Gesamtverteidigung umsetzen: Drei Handlungsfelder zur Stärkung der zivilen Seite | Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung

Gesamtverteidigung umfasst militärische und zivile Verteidigung – beide sind untrennbar miteinander verbunden. Doch die zivile Seite hinkt deutlich hinterher. Drei Handlungsfelder zeigen, wie Deutschl...

boell.de

The Socialists in the EP have leveraged a no-confidence vote put up by the far right to effectively gut a major part of the reform of the EU budget. Stunning development that further imperils the prospect for a major MFF reform. I had hopes that this time would be different. But I was naive. Thread:

Socialists to support von der Leyen in no-confidence vote after she backs down on EU budget

European Commission president expected to easily survive ― but she has made two major concessions.

politico.eu

3,5% für harte Verteidigung sind im Haushaltsentwurf gesetzt – doch das 1,5%-Ziel bleibt unerwähnt. Trotz bestehender Konzepte zu ziviler Verteidigung und fortgeschrittener Debatten zum Infrastruktur-SV. Warum Deutschland das neue NATO-Ziel ernst nehmen sollte – unser Standpunkt bei @table.media 👇

1,5 Prozent für Resilienz: Warum Deutschland den neuen Nato-Beschluss ernst nehmen sollte

Die Nato-Staaten wollen 1,5 Prozent ihres BIP für zivile Verteidigung und Resilienz ausgeben. Torben Schütz und Helena Quis von der Bertelsmann Stiftung mahnen:...

table.media

A group of eight states (NL, FI, SE, EE, LV, LT, BE, LU) is calling for stronger EU-wide civilian preparedness. Germany is notably absent. Read my latest piece on why Germany should step up - by embracing a whole-of-society approach to security that goes beyond strategy papers and into practice 👇

Germany and the European Preparedness Paradigm: Delivering Security as a Whole-of-Society Task

In light of a fundamentally changing security landscape, Germany has a special obligation to contribute to Europe's resilience and preparedness. But it is not fully equipped to meet this expectation. ...

bst-europe.eu

The European Preparedness Union Strategy was dropped today. It builds heavily on the Niinistö Report (Oct 2024), so not many surprises - but still an important development worth noting 🧵Read the thread with my key takeaways 👇

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Haushaltsausschuss beschließt Änderungen des Grundgesetzes Verteidigungsausgaben und Sondervermögen: Der Haushaltsausschuss hat am Sonntag einem Gesetzentwurf der Fraktionen von SPD und CDU/CSU zur Änderung des Grundgesetzes zugestimmt.

Haushaltsausschuss beschließt Änderungen des Grundgesetzes

Verteidigungsausgaben und Sondervermögen: Der Haushaltsausschuss hat am Sonntag einem Gesetzentwurf der Fraktionen von SPD und CDU/CSU zur Änderung des Grundgesetzes zugestimmt.

bundestag.de

Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Keith Kellogg just delivered a major speech at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) on how the war in Ukraine could end. He laid out Trump’s approach to resolving the conflict—in his words, the most challenging foreign policy situation ahead. Thread with his main points 🧵⬇️

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Trump delivered his first SOTU of his second term last night. Quite a watch. What stood out? Did Europe even get a mention? What does it all mean moving forward? I broke it down on DLF & Deutsche Welle this morning—here’s a short thread with my key takeaways:🧵:

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Among other things, CDU and SPD agree on a 500 billion euro special fund for infrastructure. This is an important step for #civildefence, which can only form a credible #totaldefence together with the military if both are adapted to the current threat situation. #Gesamtverteidigung

Germany's CDU, SPD agree on major financial package – DW – 03/04/2025

Preliminary talks between Germany's CDU and SPD have yielded an early result, with the parties agreeing on a special fund to boost defense spending, freed from the "debt brake."

dw.com

CDU/CSU &SPD have just proposed a sea change in German fiscal policy: - defence spending above 1% of GDP exempt from debt brake - 10-year €500bn special fund for infrastructure - looser debt rules for states - further debt-brake reform in new Bundestag

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Von der Leyen has just announced the Commission's "Rearm Europe" plan. The most important parts target national fiscal space: The Commission will activate the national escape clauses in the fiscal rules and put a new loans-based instrument on the table. Here is what it means:

Germany heads to the polls today for what could be an historic election in which the conservative CDU is likely to win and the far-right AfD is tracking for its best-ever outcome. Here’s how the results will be revealed 👇 Here’s where you’ll find them: ow.ly/rN3Z50V4V3O

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