Finance & Trade

Finance Ministers Back EU Coronavirus Recovery Fund

October 06, 2020

Despite concerns that restrictions on uses of the money could slow payouts, ministers backed a bill to create the EU coronavirus recovery fund, clearing the way for EU ambassadors to sign off on the text and open European Council talks with the European Parliament on a final form of the legislation.
Britain has Offered the EU a Transition Period for European Fishing Fleets

October 01, 2020

The Guardian reports that Britain has offered the EU a three-year transition period for European fishing fleets to allow them to prepare for post-Brexit changes, allowing the catches of EU fishermen to be phased down by 2024 to allow enough time for European coastal communities to adapt.
The Daily Mail: Tens of Thousands of British Expat Accounts to be Closed Post-Brexit

September 21, 2020

Tens of thousands of British banking customers who live in Europe are to be stripped of their accounts and credit cards, after the UK Government failed to guarantee a continuation of pan-European banking rules post-Brexit.
Politico: Opinion: Germany Must Consider the Future of Euro-Chinese Relations

September 15, 2020

According to Matthew Karnitschnig writing in Politico, as Beijing continues to be a source of concern and human rights violations, Germany must seriously consider the future of Euro-Chinese relations.
Politico: Digital Tax on U.S. Tech Giants Faces Headwinds

July 29, 2020

According to Politico, the prospect of a Europe-wide digital tax on digital giants such as Google, Facebook, and Amazon is meeting bi-partisan headwinds from the Trump Administration and U.S. lawmakers, who, in response, have threatened to impose tariffs on popular U.S. imports of national products from Europe.
Landmark EU Budget Deal Could Create Long-term Disputes

July 22, 2020

Although hailed by European Union negotiators as a landmark deal that enhances EU fiscal integration, the €1.8 trillion European Union budget deal contains a national budget reform review mechanism by the European Commission that could raise sovreignty concerns at the national level.
Colson: Franco-German €500 Billion Proposal a Step Towards a Federal Europe.

June 14, 2020

Writing in Business Insider, Thomas Colson explains how the proposed Franco-German 500 billion euro EU COVID-19 economic rescue plan could reshape the future of Europe, centralizing power in Brussels.
NordStream 2 Pipeline Dispute Intensifies

June 10, 2020

The ongoing dispute between the United States and Russia relating to the completion of the NordStream 2 natural gas pipeline has intensified, with German leaders having to navigate between the geopolitical concerns of the U.S., Poland, Ukraine, and Baltic countries and its own medium-term energy security.
CNN: ECB and Germany "Throw a Wall of Money" at the Coronavirus Recession

June 09, 2020

After Germany’s government approved a national €130 billion ($146 billion) stimulus package to kickstart its post-COVID-19 economy, the European Central Bank ("ECB") expressed its intention to expand its EU-wide bond-buying program, with a commitment to buy €1.35 trillion ($1.5 trillion) of bonds.
EU Commission Proposes Economic Recovery Fund

May 29, 2020

EU Commission President Ursula bon der Leyen is proposing a €750 billion coronavirus economic recovery fund, consisting of borrowed money to be repaid over 30 years, which some critics view as a marked step toward the fiscal and political integration of Europe.