Böll EU Newsletter 11/2025 - In an unruly world, can Europe still set rules? Published: 27 November 2025 Newsletter Europe once set the standards the world followed. Today, others are pushing back, challenging the EU’s regulatory power and exposing its reluctance to act strategically. Our Böll EU Newsletter 11/2025 examines Europe’s shifting role in global power politics, the rise of the green euro, new debates on security and offensive capabilities, fresh insights on the MFF, and our latest work on citizen participation in the EU energy transition. Roderick Kefferpütz
Four key economic policy issues for the next German government Published: 26 February 2025 Analysis Germany voted and Europe held its breath. Despite the bleak economic performance and outlook of Germany, the promise of ‘economy-centred election campaigns’ never materialized. Yet the list of economic policy homework for the new government is long and urgent. The possibility to form a two-party government of the Christian conservative CDU/CSU and social democratic SPD now needs to be translated into political action – in both Germany and the EU. Phillip Käding, Anton Möller
CAP strategic plans: More money, less liability Published: 3 July 2023 Analysis EU Agriculture is in crisis mode. And so is the CAP. For two years in a row, the CAP crisis reserve has been spent to help farmers deal with the adverse consequences of the invasion of Ukraine and climate change. At the same time, EU Member States are asking for reduced environmental obligations in 2024. What happened during this week’s AgriFish EU Council meeting, CAP-wise? ARC2020's Mathieu Willard guides you through the updates. Mathieu Willard
The tragic consequences of EU funding on the environment in Hungary Published: 5 November 2021 Commentary To avoid further environmental damages due to the use of EU money, the European Commission should suspend funding to the Hungarian government. András Lukács
European Green Deal: Integrate gender and intersectional approach into green budgeting and taxation Published: 16 July 2021 Report chapter Green budgets refer to tools that aim to achieve environmental and climate objectives by analysing the environmental impacts of budgetary and fiscal policy choices. Budgeting can therefore be a tool to mainstream gender equality and environmental objectives at the same time. While taxation can also enhance gender equality and incentivise a green transition, this chapter focuses on the budget side due to the revenue structure of the European Union (EU), in the context of the European Green Deal, the EU Budget 2021-2027 and the Recovery and Resilience Facility. Lisa Tostado, Katy Wiese
A missed opportunity? Gender equality and green spending in the EU’s recovery and resilience plan Published: 25 June 2021 Commentary The European Commission is currently approving the national recovery and resilience plans that EU Member States have submitted to benefit from EU grants and loans to build back after the crisis. Despite the obligation to consider gender impacts and the fact that women have been particularly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, most recovery and resilience plans do not sufficiently do so and fail to link efforts towards a green and gender-just society. The European Green Deal and the EU Digital Agenda are important spending priorities, but the risk of a backlash on gender equality is real if they are pursued in a gender-blind manner. Lisa Tostado
“We need a strong European budget” Published: 22 June 2021 Interview In an interview, Dr. Franziska Brantner MdB comments on the results of the “Actually European!? Citizen expectations of the next German government’s EU policy” study and makes the case for greater German engagement in the fields of climate protection, tax policy and ensuring the rule of law. Dr. Christine Pütz
The European Green Deal and the Multiannual Financial Framework Published: 13 July 2020 Conversation How to meet financial needs that live up to the European Green Deal and support economic recovery? Which mechanisms can bridge new and existing divisions? What should spending priorities be? Lisa Tostado, Niklas Nienaß, Rasmus Andresen, Patrick ten Brink
The High Price of Our ‘Low-Cost’ Monetary Union Published: 18 July 2018 Blog The present critical policy issues, namely the management of migration and common borders, the cooperation with neighbouring countries, the reform of defence structures and doctrine as well as the ongoing endemic flaws of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) could be addressed using resources drawn from a common budget. Viriato Soromenho-Marques, Ricardo Cabral
The EU budget 2014 – 2020 Published: 23 July 2013 In a Europe shaken by austerity measures, budget cuts and economic crises, negotiations over a new European budget proved to be a highly contentious matter.