János Allenbach-Ammann
@janosallamm.bsky.social
Brussels-based economic policy journalist for The Capitol Forum. Focused on trade and economic security. Formerly: Economic policy journalist @table.media, Economy editor with Euractiv.
Brutal opening paragraph. But it's 100% factual. I wish more outlets wrote like this. euobserver.com/223378/talib...
“The EU could well conclude that it can’t act (against China) because the short-term costs are too high. In which case it will have given in to coercion both now and later.” Great piece by Soumaya Keynes. With a shoutout to Brad and my piece. 1/
Tall story? Fury in France as Sophie la Girafe, the national toy revealed to be secretly made in China 🦒 The maker ran a ‘fake’ factory in France for years, while secretly producing the iconic toy in China. Story by Xiaofei Xu
Tall story? Sophie la Girafe, France’s national toy, revealed to be Chinese-made
The maker of Sophie la Girafe reportedly ran a ‘fake’ factory in France for years, while secretly producing the iconic toy in China.
scmp.com
"Spain’s ability to produce the bloc’s cheapest renewable energy is no longer a local success story but a geopolitical challenge to traditional Franco-German hegemony." "Berlin and Paris are now viewing Spain as a competitor in the race to become the continent’s industrial core."
How Madrid is trying to use renewables to redesign Europe’s industrial map
In his weekly column, Marc López Plana, editor and director of 'Agenda Pública,' warns of the risk of institutional dumping under the European Commission’s Industrial Accelerator Act. The EU’s industr...
agendapublica.es
Sánchez: “You may have heard that Spain is alone. They’re the same people who said that when we recognized the State of Palestine, and then others followed. “We are not alone — we are the first. Those who will end up alone are the ones defending the indefensible.”
I guess the sign is back in the window...
Mark Carney@mark-carney.bsky.social · 6mo agoMy statement on Iran-related hostilities in the Middle East:
Habe versucht, den aktuellen Zustand der EU-Wirtschaftspolitik für die @republik.ch einzufangen. www.republik.ch/2026/02/27/w...
Wenn Panik Politik macht
Die EU reagiert im Krisenmodus: Deregulierung hier, neue Integrationsprojekte dort.
republik.ch
I understand the need for EU industrial policy, but there is a very real risk of the EU landing in the worst of all worlds by shutting off foreign competition, relaxing its own competition enforcement, gutting the ETS, and tailoring the Competitiveness Fund to its big, old corporations.
a man in a suit and tie is saying `` this is the worst '' in an office .
ALT: a man in a suit and tie is saying `` this is the worst '' in an office .
media.tenor.com
Finally available in english and paywall-free We are sued for this article. Palantir doesn't want policymakers and decisionmakers or anyone to read this article... Streisand, Galore! 😉 www.republik.ch/2026/02/18/h...
How tenaciously Palantir courted Switzerland
Internal documents show how the country finally rejected pitches by tech company Palantir.
republik.ch
Palantir Technologies is suing Republik Magazine over an investigation into Palantir’s activities in Switzerland, published in December 2025. The lawsuit demands a counterstatement and is currently being heard by the Zurich Commercial Court. Link in comments. #palantir #freemedia
Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir: “Palantir is here to disrupt (…) and, when it's necessary, to scare enemies and, on occasion, kill them. And we hope you're in favor of that."
« Hausaufgaben machen » ist deutsche Staatsräson. So viel Angst vor den Möglichkeiten der Politik, dass man sich an vermeintlich objektive, äussere Kriterien festklammert, welche die Hausaufgaben definieren, die die Politik abzuarbeiten hat.
Christian Odendahl@codendahl.bsky.social · 6mo ago“Anyone who talks about independence from the USA today must first do their homework at home. … Unfortunately, efforts in the French Republic have also been insufficient to achieve this so far.” www.welt.de/politik/ausl...
Die EU-Botschafter haben soeben grünes Licht gegeben für die Bilateralen III mit der Schweiz. Offiziell bestätigt wird das am 24. Februar im Rat für Allgemeine Angelegenheiten. #SchweizEU
"Idea that VDL'd be 'v much reassured' by Rubio’s remarks-at a moment when the US has declared itself a threat to Europe-is just real boot-licking nonsense; a betrayal of European citizenry. It’s not just VDL. Elites room gave Rubio a mass standing ovation" www.un-diplomatic.com/p/bootlickin...
Bootlicking at the Munich Security Conference
The Munich Security Conference lived up to its reputation for being the festival of bland fanaticism that it’s always been, only more so this time.
un-diplomatic.com
Beim Angriff der Küstenwache auf Geflüchtete vor #Chios mit 15 Toten gibt es erste Beweise: Laut Obduktionsbericht kein Ertrinken, sondern Tod durch Schädel-/Hirnverletzung. Anwält:innen wollen die Täter zur Verantwortung ziehen und die griechische Regierung schlägt mit einer Hetzkampagne zurück.1/3
Griechische Grenztruppe tötet ohne Kontrolle
Autopsien der 15 Toten von Chios zeigen, dass diese nicht ertrunken sind. Gegenüber »nd« äußert der Frontex-Grundrechtsbeauftragte Bedenken zur Küstenwache. Die Regierung eskaliert nun gegen NGOs.
nd-aktuell.de
My favourite factoid from today's EU summit so far: The Merz/Meloni/DeWever coalition that really wants to push for European competitiveness invited a large majority of member states to its pre-summit meeting, but it did not invite the most successful major EU economy of the past years: Spain.
a man in a suit and tie stands in front of a blue and yellow flag
ALT: a man in a suit and tie stands in front of a blue and yellow flag
media.tenor.com
🔥🔥🔥It's official: Der Krieg der Tech-Autoritären Oligarchie gegen die Medien hat eine neue Stufe erreicht: Palantir klagt gegen uns. Sie wollen ein Recht auf Gegendarstellung. Uns, das @republik.ch-Magazin. Ein kleines unabhängiges Schweizer Medienhaus, finanziert von Leser:innen und werbefrei.
Die Zukunft alter Sorten steht auf dem Spiel Die EU will das verschachtelte Saatgutrecht vereinfachen – Fachleute kritisieren massive Einschränkungen für kleine Züchter:innen. Ein Entwurf der Staaten könnte zum Verschwinden alter Sorten führen, warnen sie. www.derstandard.at/story/300000...
Roggen aus früheren Zeiten: Die Zukunft alter Sorten steht in Brüssel auf dem Spiel
Die EU will das verschachtelte Saatgutrecht vereinfachen – doch Fachleute kritisieren massive Einschränkungen für kleine Züchterinnen und Züchter
derstandard.at
Worth reading. We want long lasting competitiveness and wealth creation. We can get both, being truth to our goals and principles.
POLITICO Europe@politico.eu · 6mo agoOPINION: As the current consensus goes, Europe has smothered itself in unnecessary regulation, and growth will return once red tape is cut. This agenda is bound to disappoint.
Tomorrow’s summit is a chance for EU leaders to stop chasing the wrong fixes — and finally sketch a response that matches the scale of Europe’s economic challenge. Here, lucasguttenberg.bsky.social, @sandertordoir.bsky.social and I lay out what that could look like. www.politico.eu/article/euro...
Europe is chasing the wrong fix for its growth crisis
The continent’s old growth model no longer works in today’s world. And EU leaders need a plan that matches the scale of this shift.
politico.eu
The French Haut-commissariat à la Stratégie et au Plan just released a paper calling for a 30% tariff on all imports from China. www.strategie-plan.gouv.fr/files/files/...
strategie-plan.gouv.fr
You'd think the whole debate around EU autonomy (especially from the US) would also trigger a rethinking about whose voices should be heard at the highest level of the Commission. Well... No.
Big step for the ECB, but also, no good reason why offering collateralised loans to other central banks had to involve so much drama - you can lend on these terms to the Sparkasse Saarbrücken, why not Banco Central do Brasil?
Reuters@reuters.com · 6mo agoExclusive: The European Central Bank is working on opening up its liquidity facility to more countries, making it cheaper and easier to access in a bid to foster the international role of the euro, three sources told Reuters reut.rs/4r2973D
Meine Nachlese zum EU-Gipfel der vergangenen Woche für die @republik.ch. Die EU freut sich an ihrer neu gefundenen Stärke und Einigkeit. Bisher ist das vor allem Rhetorik. Die EU muss die neue Weltunordnung nicht nur analysieren, sondern auch darin handeln können. www.republik.ch/2026/01/29/e...
Europas Illusion der Stärke
Die strukturellen Schwächen der EU bleiben – trotz dem vorläufigen Grönland-Sieg.
republik.ch
A new level of mafia statehood: if you do not give money to this person, his praetorian guard will come and terrorize you.
Philip Bump@pbump.com · 7mo agoTrump’s fundraisers are now using the threat of dispatching ICE against citizens as an email engagement tactic.
Please. This is absurd. Europe can certainly deter Russia and defend itself if its focused and determined. Perpetuating a sense of European helplessness may help Rutte bureaucratically but its 1. wrong 2. prevents action. 3. willfully blind: the US ain't coming to defend Europe.
Henry Foy@henryjfoy.ft.com · 7mo ago“If anyone thinks here… that the European Union or Europe as a whole can defend itself without the US, keep on dreaming,” Nato SecGen Mark Rutte told the European Parliament. “You can’t.” “It will make things more complicated. I think Putin will love it. So think again.” as.ft.com/r/25718b02-2...