Here we go.

#TeamEurope

Dear 🇩🇪 government, it *is* in your job description to shield us from future energy crises. Not only a French thing.

But 👏 to 🇫🇷

Interesting and very fast analysis on the economics of a possible toll paid to Iran 👇🏼

Opinion | JD Vance Stars in Our Man in Budapest The Veep meddles in a Hungarian election to help himself in 2028.

WSJ editorial board: "What a spectacle: America’s second-in-command campaigning on behalf of a Prime Minister who may lose, in a small central European country, while America is prosecuting a war in Iran"

www.wsj.com/opinion/jd-v...

Could a Hormuz toll solve the oil crisis? I show that 80-95% of the toll would be paid by the Gulf states, meaning that the rest of the world is largely indifferent to a toll as long as oil supply is restored. (it's a simple tax incidence analysis) www.bruegel.org/analysis/cou...

Europe’s dependence on US foreign military sales: evidence for policy makers from a new database Public concerns about Europe’s dependence on the United States military industrial base have increased with the worsening security situation in Europe and the deterioration of the transatlantic rel...

New article with @juanmejinoecon.bsky.social : Europe’s dependence on US foreign military sales: evidence for policy makers from a new database (first 50 downloads without paywall) www.tandfonline.com/eprint/JV94K...

Starmer is asked directly by @jessicaelgot.bsky.social whether the UK will rejoin the Single Market.

He does not rule it out.

Europe’s dependence on US foreign military sales: evidence for policy makers from a new database Public concerns about Europe’s dependence on the United States military industrial base have increased with the worsening security situation in Europe and the deterioration of the transatlantic rel...

NEW: "Europe’s dependence on US foreign military sales: evidence for policy makers from a new database. " Our latest academic article with @juanmejinoecon.bsky.social www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

The costs and failures of air defence in the Iran conflict and what they mean for Europe Shoring up Europe’s defensive capabilities needs to focus on cheap interceptors and offensive capability to target military industries

New: Alex Burilkov&I analyse the financial asymmetry of asymmetric warfare and argue that Europe, like the Gulf, needs to learn two important lessons from Ukraine:
- invest in cheap air defence
- build strike capabilities to disrupt military production .
www.bruegel.org/first-glance...

(S+) Bundesregierung: Mehrwertsteuer rauf, Ehegattensplitting weg? Das sind die Reformideen Union und SPD wollen rasch einen Plan vorlegen, um die Wirtschaft anzukurbeln und den Sozialstaat zu entlasten. Doch über Maßnahmen und Finanzierung wird heftig gestritten. Diese Optionen liegen auf d...

Das wird bestimmt viel Freude und neue Wähler bringen. Wie kann man nach den Wahldebakeln auf solche Ideen kommen?

www.spiegel.de/politik/deut...

looking forward to the debate tomorrow. Please join!

Kremlin backs covert campaign to keep Viktor Orbán in power Vladimir Putin endorses plan drawn up by Russian consultancy that is under western sanctions

"Vladimir Putin’s administration has endorsed a plan by the Social Design Agency, a Kremlin-linked media consultancy under western sanctions, to bolster Orbán’s Fidesz party by flooding social media with messages designed in Russia and posted by influential Hungarians."

www.ft.com/content/34df...

Soon we can forget discussing the closure of Strait closure. Quatar LNG exports are down for many years

Trio of European states set up new fund to boost defence spending UK, Netherlands and Finland join forces to reduce procurement costs through economies of scale

“Deeper defence co-operation across European countries is necessary to reduce costs for taxpayers and ensure technology is developed and controlled in Europe. This new initiative is a right step and I hope more countries will eventually join,” Wolff told the FT.
www.ft.com/content/3dcd...

Reforming European defence procurement to boost military innovation and startups European defence procurement practices must evolve to embrace innovative startups and small firms, in order to meet modern battlefield needs

🇪🇺 Reforming European defence procurement to boost military innovation and startups
By Ethan Kapstein, Javier Ospital and @guntramwolff.bsky.social – @bruegel.org
www.bruegel.org/policy-brief...

Reforming European defence procurement to boost military innovation and startups European defence procurement practices must evolve to embrace innovative startups and small firms, in order to meet modern battlefield needs

🪖Reforming European defence procurement to boost military innovation and startups

European defence procurement practices must evolve to embrace innovative startups and small firms, in order to meet modern battlefield needs.

🖋️Ethan Kapstein, Javier Ospital @guntramwolff.bsky.social #EconSky

German gov't making a big strategic mistake. Instead of diversifying away from gas and oil, this will keep the country trapped in geopolitical dependencies.

new podcast - listen in

Sehr schade, dass sie anscheinend den SVR verlassen wird

Spain to ban social media access for under-16s Move follows Australia’s decision to introduce age-based restrictions over child safety concerns

Well done Spain. This should be EU-wide. A first (but hopefully not last) signal to the tech bros that their dystopian vision has no place in Europe

giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

Warum in Deutschland Ungleichheit bei Bildung und Gesundheit besteht Je mehr der Staat organisiert, umso besser für die Armen: So heißt es oft. Doch Bildung und Gesundheit zeigen: Staatliche Angebote sind oft dort, wo es den Leuten sowieso gut geht.

Die Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Claudia Bothe und Alexander Wulfers, hat die belgische Studie mit deutschen Zahlen repliziert. Sehr beeindruckende Ergebnisse und Karten. Must read.

www.faz.net/aktuell/wirt...

, denn diese werden eher in der Nähe von Reichen Vierteln anstatt von Armen Vierteln zur Verfügung gestellt. Im Endeffekt erleichtert das den Zugang für eher Wohlhabende - und Arbeiterkinder haben höhere Barrieren, um z.B. in ein Gymnasium zu gehen.

Eine sehr interessante Studie meiner @ulbruxelles.bsky.social Kollegen Micael Castanheira, Giovanni Paolo Mariani und Clemence Tricaud. Sie zeigen, dass bei der Bereitstellung vieler öffentlicher Güter wie zB guter Schulen und Krankenhäuser die Ungleichheit eher erhöht wird

First investigate and negotiate to give time for a climb down. But if needed, focus it on sectors where you can quickly substitute with domestic production. And design a strategy to help sectors exporting to the US that will be hit by trade war escalation.

But if history teaches us one thing, it is that you should not give in to coercion and agression. Appeasement does not secure freedom and democracy. Activating the Anti-Coercion Instrument is the right step. How to apply it?

The EU cannot accept being coerced into selling Greenland. As the narcisist power grab of President Trump expands, it is important to say no. US lawmakers are being more vocal and so are European lawmakers and countries. Will Europe have to pay a price? - yes.

Nog niet zo lang geleden werd een Europees leger smalend afgedaan als luchtfietserij. Vandaag is een meerderheid van de Europeanen vóór. Alleen nationale politici stribbelen tegen. Defensie expert @guntramwolff.bsky.social in @nrc.nl “burgers zijn verder dan nationale politici”. Must-read artikel!

‘We moeten af van onze militaire afhankelijkheid van de Amerikanen’ Guntram Wolff | economisch defensie-expert: Europese leiders zijn bang om voor Europese defensie te kiezen en minder met de Amerikanen te doen. Maar er is weinig keus, zegt defensie-expert Guntram Wol...

“De Amerikanen hebben weinig goeds met ons voor. Veel burgers snappen wat er op het spel staat, dat we voor een Europese defensie moeten gaan. Zij zijn verder dan de meeste Europese leiders.”
Interview @guntramwolff.bsky.social

www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2026/...

Greenland PM Jens-Frederik Nielsen:

"If we have to choose between the US & Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark. We choose NATO. We choose the Kingdom of Denmark. We choose the EU."

"Greenland does not want to be owned by the US. Greenland does not want to be governed by the US" he later added.

Estimates for number killed in the Tiananmen Square massacre are greatly debated more than 30 years later. Experts say likely between 1,000-3,500. If CBS News warnings are true for Iran's 12,000-20,000 — we are looking at something 5x to 15x greater. A historic horror.