Böll EU Brief 04/2025 | Northern EU enlargement in sight? Böll EU Brief Northern EU accession is becoming a political possibility that requires attention. Bundling enlargement could help build momentum. A carefully sequenced enlargement round that includes both Nordic and southeastern and eastern candidates could reinvigorate a fatigued debate. However, the EU needs to be careful to only incentivise, rather than push, EU accession. Minna Ålander
Heading: In favour of a multi-speed Europe President's column Today, a united Europe no longer means everyone at the same time. On key issues such as defence, digitalisation, and key technologies, alliances of the willing are needed – both within and beyond the EU. Jan Philipp Albrecht
Trump's budget: Climate losses, welfare cuts, and more deportations Analysis The Trump Administration’s new budget law is a back door to implementing major portions of the MAGA agenda. It could become one of the most destructive, anti-climate, anti-poor, and anti-working class pieces of legislation in US history and risks the country’s long-term economic stability. What's in it for the EU? Teresa Eder, Drew Mitnick, Katharina Obser, Brendan O'Donnell, Carl Roberts, Hannah Winnick
Böll EU Newsletter 6/2025 - Green Deal on the tightrope? Newsletter Our Böll EU Newsletter this month looks at the future of the European Green Deal, the EU 2040 climate target and the different articles and publications we have launched in the past weeks. Roderick Kefferpütz
Despite its plan to cut emissions by 90% in 2040, the EU misses a robust response to the climate crisis Commentary How will the EU contribute to global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions during the 2030s? The EU should have come up with a plan already last year if it had followed its own Climate Law and if was to fulfil its duties as a signing party of the Paris Climate Agreement. Now, after much delay, the European Commission has finally presented its legislative proposal for a new 2040 climate target. But is it enough? Jörg Mühlenhoff
Denmark’s giant heat pump will heat 25,000 homes – with seawater Commentary Most observers think of heat pumps as small-scale heating systems for houses, businesses and apartment buildings. But XXL heat pumps are already in service and doing the same job for whole city districts. Their practice, if successful, will be an important asset in decarbonising societies and economies. Paul Hockenos reports. Paul Hockenos
Clean, competitive and global? The EU’s trade strategy faces a geopolitical test Analysis As the EU rolls out the Clean Industrial Deal, it must consider how its domestic policies may impact its trade relations and global standing. Industrial policy decisions taken in Brussels will have ripple effects, including on partners in the Global South. Addressing potential negative spillovers is not just a question of climate justice and good diplomacy – it is a strategic imperative. Cláudia Azevedo
Actually European!? 2025 | Embracing cooperative leadership in Europe Summary A majority of citizens in Germany have a positive view of the new federal government‘s pledge for a stronger leadership role in the EU, but clearly advocate for doing so in a cooperative manner. These findings come from the latest edition of our long-term study 'Actually European!?' on Germany’s role in the EU. Dr. Maria Skóra, Georg McCutcheon
Europe’s place amid the collapse of three orders Commentary The European Union is not merely facing a series of overlapping crises, but the simultaneous unravelling of the geopolitical, economic, and democratic orders that have long underpinned its stability and global role. This moment of systemic disruption poses a stark question: can Europe move from being an object of global shifts to becoming a subject that actively shapes the emerging world order? Roderick Kefferpütz
Transatlantic relations on the rocks: A conversation with Sergey Lagodinsky Interview Donald Trump is back in the White House and with him, a foreign policy that openly questions the sovereignty of allies, undermines democratic values, challenges European security commitments, and disrupts established trade relations. The European Union now faces a stark reality: The United States, once the guarantor of Europe’s security, prosperity, and democracy, has become its saboteur. How should the EU respond to this shifting landscape? Roderick Kefferpütz interviews Green MEP Sergey Lagodinsky. Roderick Kefferpütz, Sergey Lagodinsky