Poland’s Law and Justice Party vetoed a resolution supporting linking EU funding to the rule of law. This makes a lot of sense given the concept has now all but gone in Poland, as Mark Tatala argues in New Europe.

As President, Donald Trump was a disruptive force shown through the withdrawal from the TPP and ending of NAFTA. Joe Biden premiership, Syed Kamall argues, signals an improvement in international relations and an easing of protectionism.

Adam Bartha argues that the Spanish approach to mitigate the economic consequences of the pandemic is the wrong one to follow. The emphasis should be on economic deregulation to speed up the growth after the pandemic, not on tax hikes and government overregulation.

On Al Jazeera Adam Bartha discusses the impacts of new restrictions on European economies. He argued that poor domestic policy has made the economic impacts of lockdowns even worse.

EURACTIV features the latest International Tax Competitiveness Index. The article outlines that Estonia has the most competitive tax system globally. This is highlighted by 20% taxes on corporate & individual income, as well as a land value tax.

The International Tax Competitiveness found that Italy has the worst tax regime in the whole of Europe. Anse Politics feature the report describing the significant regulatory burdens affecting Italian businesses.

Dorottya Tornai analyses the link between the rise in populism and the decline in economic freedom. She argues that this signals caution to those countries considering populistic policies.

In her state of the union address there is a convenient lack of substance on the rule of law from Von der Leyen. EU institutions must stop tacitly endorsing authoritarians and take a stronger stance against the decline of the rule of law in Hungary and Poland.

Fears of a new cold war with China are growing day by day. A new foreign policy is needed in Europe to prevent a despotic state from extending their power. Steve Davies and Syed Kamall offer their solutions.