European Union - Fire of Europe

EU intervention in Hungary is justified, but perhaps not for the reason you think

By Midas van Dijk April 26, 2022European Commission, Hungary1 Comment

Early this month prime minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary was reelected by a large margin, winning 54% of the popular vote. Two days after the election European Commission president Ursula…

Spain and the Netherlands propose new fiscal framework

By Midas van Dijk April 11, 2022Eurozone, Netherlands, SpainNo Comments

Last Monday Spain and the Netherlands surprised friend and foe by presenting a joint discussion paper on the EU's fiscal framework. When it comes to the Eurozone, the Netherlands are…

ECB intervenes in Cyprus

By Midas van Dijk April 4, 2022Cyprus, ECB, Energy Policy1 Comment

On the 24th of March the European Central Bank (ECB) intervened to restrict all business of RCB Bank and oversee the transfer of its assets to the competing Hellenic Bank.…

Can we eat the new European Chips Act?

By Midas van Dijk February 9, 2022Business, European Commission, European Union2 Comments

The short answer is no: the chips that are referred to are not the delicious slices of fried potato, but minuscule silicon parts known as semiconductors. Over the last years…

Polish standoff should end in compromise

By Midas van Dijk October 31, 2021European Commission, European Court of Justice, Poland3 Comments

On the 7th of October the Polish supreme court issued a ruling stating that elements of the European Union treaty were incompatible with the Polish constitution. Although the relevance of…

The Dangerous Hubris of Christine Lagarde

By Midas van Dijk October 22, 2021ECBNo Comments

Last week, on the 16th of October, European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde gave a speech for her former organization, the International Monetary Fund. The topic was the future of…

The Dutch are at it again

By Midas van Dijk September 15, 2021Business, European Court of Justice, NetherlandsNo Comments

Heroic Dutch coffee traders fend off attack by jealous Eurocrats Starbucks has just posted its 2020 annual report, shrewd journalists have ground it up and filtered it into the most…

Europe is unable to deal with illegal immigration

By Midas van Dijk September 15, 2021European Court of Auditors, European Union, Migration1 Comment

This week saw the publication of a troubling report from the European Court of Auditors. This group of grumpy naysayers is based in Luxembourg. The court stands in a long…

ECB policy shift skillfully executed

By Midas van Dijk September 10, 2021ECBNo Comments

Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank Followers of monetary policy will know that the recent expansion of the money supply in the Eurozone and elsewhere is unprecedented. To…

EU publishes 2021 Strategic Foresight Report

By Midas van Dijk September 10, 2021European Union1 Comment

Last Wednesday the European commission unveiled its 2021 annual Strategic Foresight Report. In this report the Commission analyzes the strategic situation the EU has to deal with and provides possible…