Insights

At this point - with Joe Biden likely to win the presidency - the UK government has probably started to build and strengthen relationships with individuals in Biden’s team who are set to lead the transition process. However, given that President Trump still has a slim chance of successfully contesting the outcome in key states and remaining in office, any such outreach to…

Tom White, Director, Ana Martinez, Practice Lead for EU Policy and Denzil Davidson, Practice Lead for Financial Services and EU Institutions examine the EU’s policy of open strategic autonomy, what it means in practice and how it is likely to evolve.

After the difficult negotiations of the longest ever EU summit, EU leaders agreed last week on a €750 billion recovery fund and at least one new EU tax. Some called it a “Hamiltonian moment” for the European Union. Practice Lead Denzil Davidson and Senior Associate Ana Martínez examine what was agreed, the politics that got us here, the disputes that still haven’t been…

Global Counsel Director, Tom White, Energy Practice Lead, Ermenegilda Boccabella and Senior Associate Ana Martínez discuss the first 100 days of the von der Leyen Commission, and what the outbreak of covid-19 might mean for the future.

Following an afternoon event, Senior Associate Ana Martínez is joined by Charles Powell, director of think tank Real Instituto Elcano, and Laura Bardone, country head for Spain in the European Commission's DG ECFIN, to discuss the outcomes of the recent Spanish elections and potential policies of a left-wing government and what it means for Spain’s ambitions in the EU.

Ursula von der Leyen is a President already in some ways defined by compromise and balance. When member states were unable to agree on the principle of nominating one of the European Parliament’s Spitzenkandidaten, she was chosen to fill the role. Margrethe Vestager and Frans Timmermans hold the highest positions in her team in order to broadly balance the interests of…

The political guidelines for the 2019-2024 European Commission, and its priorities for the first 100 days, are wide-ranging and open to different interpretations. This is in contrast with its predecessor which (at the outset) could set as its over-riding priority the restoration of economic growth in Europe.

Ursula von der Leyen’s narrow win on Tuesday - just nine seats above the required majority – has widely been interpreted as a sign of trouble ahead for her commission and its ability to push through legislation. But is this right? There are some reasons to think it might not be.

During the Eurogroup meeting on February 11th, the European Commission is expected to present a detailed account of its decision to halt the Excessive Deficit Procedure (EDP) against Italy. The back and forth between Brussels and Rome at the end of last year kept some of us at the edge of our seat. But the EDP was not only an existential crisis for Rome and the euro zone…

I have just spent an interesting week in Madrid talking with people from every part of the political spectrum. There was a lot of talk of Spain flexing its muscles more in Europe. In the background to these conversations, Spain was pushing hard for – and got – concessions from the UK over Gibraltar that prompted Pedro Sánchez to trail the prospect of co-sovereignty for…

In Sweden’s general election this weekend, the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats (SD) are projected to win approximately 20% of votes. This will make them the second largest party in the country – the result of a swift rise that will dramatically impact Sweden’s political landscape. It echoes a similar surge from anti-establishment and Eurosceptic parties seen in the…

This is an excerpt from Global Counsel's latest publication Europe in the Global Economy, which can be downloaded in full here.