Good Friday afternoon, and welcome to the penultimate GBU before Euractiv newsletters have a two-week summer break. Many dear readers will have already swapped desks for deck chairs; others might be en route, joining the throngs on Europe's busiest traffic weekend of the year.
The month of mass transit gives many of us a chance to test the limits of free movement – whether impeded by border checks or infrastructure in need of upgrades. Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas warned this week that billions of euros must be spent to ensure the bloc's roads and rail are fit for defence forces.
And whether for leisure or strategic purposes, the continent's grand rail vision is losing momentum, held up by a patchwork of regulatory standards, poor cross-border connections, and the high cost of laying new tracks.
On top of which, passengers are lured away from the green transport mode by flights that are often much cheaper, and do away with the complicated business of changing between national networks.
But for all the convenience it brings, boarding a plane weighs increasingly on our consciences, as our travel choices are one of the main contributors to personal carbon emissions. Those flying within the EU, however, needn't let the burden of climate guilt spoil their vacation: in fact the bloc's Emissions Trading System means that the CO2 cost is already factored into tickets, Niko Kurmayer explains.
The system isn't perfect – other pollutants than CO2 are not yet covered – but it goes some way in accounting for a notoriously un-eco travel option.
Deal or no deal?
The hotly anticipated EU-US trade "deal" that President Trump and President von der Leyen agreed in Scotland last Sunday generated enormous commentary throughout the week.
Panned by most EU pundits as capitulation of the highest order, the general revulsion at von der Leyen's bootlicking was widely seen as the abdication of European values, international trade laws, and an outrageous disregard for national sovereignty in matters of defence.
Then again, others have pointed to the imperative of avoiding the crushing 30% tariffs that Trump was poised to launch. It could have been worse, they note, and many sectors let out a tentative sigh of relief. If ostentatious obeisance is what it takes to avoid a ruinous trade war, so be it.
But the devil's in the lack of detail, and as Thomas Moller-Nielsen writes, it's hard to judge the "biggest trade deal ever” when so many aspects of the agreement remain unknown. Despite Trump's crowing celebrations as if all was done and dusted, this is really just the start of negotiations. And the stakes are high, with key sectors – such as steel and digital markets – the focus of hard-nosed bargaining.
With so much still tba, Trump delayed the new tariffs by a week (now due 7 August, rather than today). Let's see where we are next week.
Pendulum swings on Gaza
Europe's attitude towards Israel grew notably cooler this week, as the blockade on aid deliveries has led to severe starvation in Gaza.
Having been extremely hesitant to take action against Israel, the dial is now moving as European leaders face public outcry and more countries announce plans to recognise the Palestinian state.
Within the Commission's ranks, executive vice-president Teresa Ribera has been most outspoken as she denounced the EU leadership's inaction over the "catastrophic humanitarian situation" in the Gaza Strip.
Former foreign policy chief Josep Borrell went further on Friday, accusing EU leaders of being complicit in the "genocide of Palestinians".
But despite expressing “great concern over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza,” Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz has so far resisted pressure to suspend EU research ties with Israel.
Meanwhile, France, Germany and Spain have started airlifting aid into Gaza – though this is far less effective than opening up secure land deliveries.
European defence procurement
18 countries have applied for funds under the EU's SAFE programme, which aims to mobilise €150 billion in loans for defence procurement.
After initial hesitation (partly because defence spending is a national competence that has historically been beyond the Commission's remit), a total of €127 billion was claimed – a figure that will likely rise once the United Kingdom and others are accounted for.
Countries have until November to submit their proposals to Brussels, with breakdowns of what exactly they will do with the loans. |
