This summer, the EU plans to finally get serious about Chinese industrial policy. The Buy European rules in the Industrial Accelerator Act could be a key part of the answer. The catch: in their current form, they may do more harm than good. @ph-jaeg.bsky.social and I have some ideas to fix them.

As EU leaders gather at the European Council tomorrow to discuss mounting Chinese import pressure, a consensus is emerging that industrial overcapacity poses a systemic threat to Europe’s manufacturing base. Far less settled is what the EU should do about it.

Not bad at all. If Berlin is genuinely ready to move on its decade-long blockage of common capital market supervision, that would mark a pretty meaningful shift. as.ft.com/r/62f36c5b-8...

Germany shifts on EU oversight of financial services

Capital markets union ‘more important than clinging to national interests’, says finance minister

as.ft.com

🌳Mobilising capital for Europe’s Green Transition: Where do we stand? 🗓️4 June 13:00-14:00 CEST Joint event with @delorsberlin.bsky.social on financing Europe’s Green Transition, featuring @rebeccawire.bsky.social, @marleneschoerner.bsky.social & Sofia Viola @eib.org 🔗Register: buff.ly/DbOSqj1

For years, Europe assumed foreign investment would naturally generate industrial upgrading. The Industrial Accelerator Act marks a shift. @aleichthammer.bsky.social & I argue its FDI conditionality targets a real issue, but is currently too weak to solve it 🧵 www.delorscentre.eu/en/publicati...

German Foreign Minister Wadephul gave a keynote speech on the EU yesterday titled "Boldly shaping the future of Europe", with several proposals for institutional reform: www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/newsroom/... Quick thread on the main points:

Ein Unternehmen gründen in nur 48 Std, das in ganz Europa operieren kann, ohne viel Papierkram oder Kosten - das ist das zentrale Versprechen von EU Inc. Ob EU Inc. ein Gamechanger für Europas Startups wird, darüber spreche ich mit @marleneschoerner.bsky.social: open.spotify.com/episode/3OIB...

EU Inc. – Gamechanger für Europas Startups?

open.spotify.com

Suspending funds is the EU’s strongest tool to safeguard rule of law. In Hungary, release of frozen EU funds was a key factor in Péter Magyar’s campaign. The Commission wants to enshrine RoL conditionality in the next MFF. In a new paper, I take a closer look: www.delorscentre.eu/en/publicati...

Subsidies on full throttle? The EU Commission is about to change state aid rules yet again, given the energy crisis. One interesting component: electricity prices for energy-intensive industries can be subsidised even more. This impacts subsidies like Germany's "Industriestrompreis": (1/5)

Young, innovative firms often struggle to grow in Europe, and access to finance is a key issue. Now the EU is setting up a €5bn public-private fund: The Scaleup Europe Fund. In my new policy brief, I discuss whether this is a good idea and how the fund should be designed. Main takeaways 👇

After months of wrangling and an epic list of delays, the Commission has finally released its Industrial Accelerator Act. This could turn into one of the EU’s most consequential industrial policy files in years - and the proposal is honestly not a bad place to start. Some quick thoughts:

Das klingt ganz gut. Wenn Deutschland sich bei der gemeinsamen Aufsicht jetzt tatsächlich bewegt, kämen bei der Kapitalmarktunion mal weg von Sonntagsreden und hin zu echten Integrationsschritten.

Max is right. The strategy has to be about creating momentum that brings everyone along. On capital market integration in particular, this means strengthening existing EU initiatives - not running a six-member-state sideshow. From what I understand, that’s the direction for now.

Max Bergmann@maxbergmann.bsky.social · 6mo ago

This is huge. And my guess is that this doesn't lead to a two speed Europe but a mass bandwagon effect. If the Six agree others will almost all follow.

X's AI tool Grok reportedly produced 3 million sexual deepfakes in 11 days - today the Commission reacted and opened another formal investigation into X under the Digital Services Act. Here is what the investigation is about ⬇️🧵 ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

Commission investigates Grok and X\'s recommender systems under the Digital Services Act

The European Commission has launched a new formal investigation against X under the Digital Services Act (DSA).

ec.europa.eu

You may have missed it amidst the chaos of the last few days, but there is a new high-level EU report in town: A Franco-German task force led by Jörg Kukies and Christian Noyer presented recommendations to tackle the scale-up financing gap. Here is what it says and why you should care about it.

1/ This year revealed how the EU's critical raw materials dependence has become an economic security vulnerability. ReSourceEU is the EU’s most serious attempt yet to remedy this. To end the year, I dive into what it does and whether it can shift the trajectory: www.delorscentre.eu/en/publicati...

The EU's critical raw materials predicament: ReSourceEU to the Rescue?

The EU’s dependence on highly concentrated critical raw material (CRM) supply chains, above all on China, has emerged as a central economic security vulnerability.

delorscentre.eu

A Christmas break might do EU doomers some good too.

The proposed "28th Regime" is hoped to remove bureaucratic, legal, and financial hurdles that hold back small, innovative EU companies. However, crucial questions remain wide open. In my new policy brief, I analyse the main options and relevant trade-offs. 1/🧵 www.delorscentre.eu/en/publicati...

Regime change instead of business as usual: A pan-European corporate law to unlock cross-border

delorscentre.eu

Lots to criticise in yesterday’s cars package - but one point deserves credit. The COM plans to limit support for corporate cars to EVs and tie it to European preferences. Exactly what @lucasguttenberg.bsky.social, @sandertordoir.bsky.social, and I called for and a genuinely meaningful step forward

The Commission’s new Democracy Shield🛡️raised high expectations but proposes mostly additions to existing frameworks rather than attempt innovation. 👇In my new policy brief out today, I analyse the Commission’s newest democracy strategy. 1/🧵 www.delorscentre.eu/en/publicati...

The European Democracy Shield – Papering over the cracks

Protecting European democracy requires consistent commitment to democratic values both at EU and at national level – not just the creation of additional strategies.

delorscentre.eu

🥐 Das letzte EU to go-Frühstück des Jahres steht an! Am Mi., 17.12. um 8:30 Uhr geht es um das EU-Autopaket und die europäische Autoindustrie. Mit dabei: Unser Co-Direktor @nilsredeker.bsky.social & Senior Policy Fellow @jannikjansen.bsky.social. Jetzt anmelden 👉 www.delorscentre.eu/en/events-at...

White smoke from Berlin: the coalition has agreed to tie new car purchase incentives to European preference rules - and work to align them across the EU. A very smart move as @sandertordoir.bsky.social, @lucasguttenberg.bsky.social and I have argued here: www.delorscentre.eu/fileadmin/2_...

Good to see @europarl.europa.eu refer to principle of solidarity in its resolution on Hungary calling for triggering of Art. 7(2) TEU. With @dimitrispieker.bsky.social and Ulrich Karpenstein, we argued that new Art. 7 procedure should be initiated against HU based on breaches of solidarity in CFSP

Today’s Omnibus vote has rolled over an already perforated cordon sanitaire in the European Parliament. For the first time, the EPP sided with far-right groups on a file key to the Commission’s agenda. Make no mistake: this was no accident and it’s unclear whether the centrist coalition can recover🧵

Today´s vote on the Sustainability Omnibus was a watershed moment in the European Parliament, as the EPP sides with far-right political groups to scratch climate transition plans and civil liability under the CSDDD, and reduce the scope of companies covered under the CSRD. Thread:

Today, the conservatives (EPP) passed a major piece of EU legislation with the far-right groups in the EU Parliament, marking the breakdown of the cordon sanitaire. The EPP, under Weber, has decided to sacrifice long-term principles and stability for short-term political gains. Thread:

I am very excited to be joining the Jacques Delors Centre as Policy Fellow for EU Financial Markets! I look forward to contributing to the debate on how financial markets can best serve citizens and companies, and help promote the #greentransition and #EUcompetitiveness.

Jacques Delors Centre@delorsberlin.bsky.social · 11mo ago

September brought many new faces to the JDC - it took us a week to meet them all. But who are our new colleagues? Let’s start with Marlene Schörner, our Policy Fellow for EU Financial Markets. She focuses on the Savings and Investment Union (#SIU) and #GreenFinance. Welcome to the team, Marlene!