Abolishment of the UK rebate Through the abolishment of the UK rebate and “the rebates on the rebate” alone (without considering any extra payments to close the budget gap left behind by the UK), the contributions of Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Austria to the EU budget could together increaseRead More →
Defence up on the political agenda Usually rather an anathema in German electoral campaigns, defence policy and the question of defence spending have moved into the light of public attention ahead of September parliamentary elections. The debate is fuelled by the experience of the refugee crisis, US criticism of Europe’sRead More →
Spend ‘better’ rather than ‘more’ Spend ‘better’ rather than ‘more’ – European synergies in the focus. Emphasizing national budget constraints, European initiatives for deeper defence integration pushed by France and Germany focus on better use of resources, interoperability and reduction of duplicity in military expenditures. But expected effciency gains willRead More →
Current medium-term budget planning Current medium-term budget planning not towards 2% NATO objective. The German government initiated a “turnaround in the financing of the Bundeswehr” to meet alliance commitments and adjust to a changing security environment. To reach NATO’s 2% of GDP target by 2024, defence expenditures would have toRead More →
Abolishment of the UK rebate But the shortfall of the UK’s contribution will not only leave a substantial gap in EU revenues – it could also have a significant distributional effect regarding the cost sharing among the remaining EU27 members. With the UK leaving, the payment share of all remainingRead More →
Energy and environmental policy promoting cutting-edge technology Germany’s preoccupation with environment sustainability issues – in forestry, to name just one example – stretches back more than 300 years. The country is a world leader when it comes to addressing important questions about our future with regard to climate, energy andRead More →
German defence policy Defence up on the political agenda. Usually rather an anathema in German electoral campaigns, defence policy and the question of defence spending have moved into the light of public attention ahead of September parliamentary elections. The debate is fuelled by the experience of the refugee crisis, USRead More →
Economic framework conditions Economic framework conditions will reduce negative impact from stricter regulation While German carmakers are currently suffering from damage to their reputation and credibility, they are nevertheless in good financial shape and generate high profits. This will make it easier for them to bear higher expenses in theRead More →
UK is expected to fully meet its obligations 2014-2020 The UK is expected to fully meet its obligations within the current 2014-2020 MFF, including a post-Brexit transitory period foreseen between March 2019 and end-2020. After that, there are pending long-term commitments still to be settled as part of the “divorceRead More →
Participants did not introduce state subsidies One positive outcome of the diesel summit is that the participants did not introduce state subsidies for the purchase of modern diesel cars. Car purchases should not be subsidised on environmental grounds anyway, regardless of the fuel type. Subsidies are not a very effectiveRead More →
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