The digital transformation has the potential to make our lives smarter, more productive and more comfortable. To name just a few examples: citizens can save time by using digital public services, save costs by using smart devices at home and by having access a greater...
Brueguel
Increasing the global supply of essential medical supplies: Time for Europe to step up its global leadership
Versions of this piece were originally published in Caixin, Capital and El País. The COVID-19 pandemic is nowhere near its end at a global level. What is worse, new pandemics are likely to endanger global health in the coming decades, with severe consequences for...
The European Union’s carbon border mechanism and the WTO
According to the World Bank’s Carbon Pricing Dashboard, as of April 2021, 45 countries had in place national or supra-national carbon pricing schemes, in the form of either an emission trading system (ETS) or a carbon tax. Although existing schemes still only cover...
Making sure green household investment pays off
The first stage of decarbonisation in Europe was characterised by incremental improvements in energy efficiency and by replacing fossil fuels in electricity generation. To meet the EU’s ambitious 2030 targets, which will involve a reduction in annual greenhouse-gas...
A fitting plan for the European Green Deal?
On 14 July, the European Commission finally announced a large package of measures that will make the EU the first mover in the race limit global warming, with measures targeting all sectors in a deepening and broadening of the European decarbonisation process. In this...
Building the Road to Greener Pastures
We owe our gratitude to Suman Bery, Nicola Bilotta, Maria Demertzis, Alberto Franco Pozzolo, Simone Tagliapietra, Guntram Wolff, and Georg Zachmann for their input and comments, as well as Alma Kurtovic for her excellent management of this project. We would also like...
A new direction for the European Union’s half-hearted semiconductor strategy
The authors thank Sybrand Brekelmans, Viktor Krozer, Guntram Wolff and Georg Zachmann for their comments. A basic component in electronic devices, semiconductors are essential to the production of many products, from smartphones to cars. Securing reliable supplies of...
‘Fit-for-55’ package: Squaring the circle
Read the piece published by Euractiv.
Could the RMB dislodge the dollar as a reserve currency?
Read the piece published by Brink News.
Fit for 55 marks Europe’s climate moment of truth
The author is grateful to Maria Demertzis, Guntram B. Wolff and Georg Zachmann for their comments on previous drafts. The European Commission’s long-awaited ‘Fit for 55’ package, intended to facilitate a European Union greenhouse gas emissions cut of 55% by 2030...
What should public spending look like?
Here’s what’s clear: public spending is on the rise. Public expenditure ratios have quadrupled since 1870, and increased even more in the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Is that good or bad? What does responsible public spending look like? How should governments institute...
Fair vaccine access is a goal Europe cannot afford to miss – July update
This is an update to the blog published in March 2021. In a March 2021 blog post, we looked at those countries that were ahead in the COVID-19 vaccination campaign. We observed that income inequality and the digital divide led to varying vaccination rates. Poorer...