European Union

October 12, 2020

Decentralise Financing To Improve The Rule Of Law

The new Commission report on the rule of law in the EU has found that ‘there are serious challenges, cases where the resilience of rule of law safeguards is being tested and where shortcomings become more evident’.
October 10, 2020

Presidential Elections in Poland – Concentrated or Separated Power?

Incumbent President Andrzej Duda or Mayor of Warsaw Rafal Trzaskowski? That is the choice facing Polish voters on 12 June, in the second round of the presidential elections. In the first round Duda, a candidate of the ruling Law and Justice party, received 43,5% while Trzaskowski, from the main opposition party Civic Platform, attracted 30,5% of the vote.
October 8, 2020

Finding the Right Balance EU-China Relations After COVID-19

The virtual meeting between top-level EU and Chinese officials on 14 September appears to be an ironic metaphor of the increasing distance in the relationship. The online meeting replaced the much-anticipated Leipzig Summit, which aimed to further integrate two key economies in the world.
September 28, 2020

Global Supply Chains In A Post-Covid World

COVID-19 has caused huge disruptions to global trade and supply chains, both directly and indirectly (as a result of policy responses: lockdowns, social distancing measures etc). While some supply chains have recovered or adapted, others are yet to find ways of overcoming the pandemic.
September 25, 2020

Rejecting Mercosur Would Be a Lose-Lose

Nearly a month ago, “Fridays for Future” speaker Luisa Neubauer met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. According to Neubauer, Merkel assured her that she would “definitely not sign” the free trade agreement between the EU and the Mercosur states – Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
September 18, 2020

Trade Wars & Digital Taxation

A digital services taxation framework within the EU has been discussed widely over the course of the last two years, with the State of the European Union address revealing a renewed commitment to coming up with a more specific proposal in early 2021.
September 17, 2020

Institutional Proximity and Economic Freedom

The European Union has long positioned itself in a unique role in the international policy sphere. The concept of the EU as a ‘normative actor’ has gained significant currency, as it aims to build a privileged relationship with selected neighbouring countries with programmes such as the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP).
September 16, 2020

Netherland’s Crackdown On E-cigarettes

The Netherlands is on the brink of introducing plain packaging for e-cigarettes. The only other country to have gone down that path is Israel. Not many countries have introduced plain packaging for tobacco products, let alone vaping products, because it doesn’t work. The Dutch government also plans to ban (non-tobacco) e-cigarette flavours.
September 15, 2020

Is Populism Endangering Economic Freedom?

Nationalism and populism have permeated the sphere of global politics in the 21st century, and the EU is no exception. This particular change in the political environment inevitably causes changes in economic policy, as populist leaders tend to increase governmental spending, focus on more protectionist policies, and raise trade barriers.