overregulation

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.
August 17, 2020

Maximum Taxation, Minimal Benefits for France

For the fifth consecutive year, France has been the champion of taxation, with the average French citizen paying more than half of their income into the state’s coffers. France’s tax policy remains inefficient and infringes upon the purchasing power of French employees, despite the slight decrease of overall taxation following the yellow vest protests.
June 29, 2020

The End of the Liberal International Order

If there seems to be any consensus among academics it is that the dominant Western liberal international order is coming to an end. With the arrival of Trump and the rise of China we must ask ourselves: which international order comes next?
June 23, 2020

The Issue at Stake Was Not to Choose Between Lives and the Economy

We often hear that managing a crisis like coronavirus depends on societal choices. The choice would be to save lives or economies. Health and economic data show that reality is much more complex than this simplification of the dilemma. Some countries have managed to accommodate both. Others, like France, have registered both a high mortality rate and a significant economic setback.