The debate on formats overlooks a central fact: no coalition will work if one of the EU’s big players is not willing.
No one can seriously believe that a CoW without France, Germany, Italy or any other large EU economy would succeed or even happen.
Reaching alignment on objectives is the priority.

🚗 The EU just softened its 2035 combustion engine ban

A new EPC Flash Analysis by @ericmaurice.bsky.social explains why this was inevitable — and what it reveals about the EU’s failure to balance climate ambition, competitiveness & public buy-in.

Read more 👇
www.epc.eu/publication/...

On the left, today's Politico Brussels Playbook. On the right what I wrote in my recent Paper on the Commission's political overstretch and risk of failure.
That is why I argued that the von der Leyen Commission needs a change of leadership style and political agenda.
My paper here: lnkd.in/eZYcBHy5

One year of von der Leyen II: the risk of political overstretc Ursula von der Leyen began her second term as president of the European Commission on 1 December 2024 as one of the strongest presidents in the institution’s history. She was re-elected by the European Parliament as a member of the EU’s most powerful party, the European Popular Party (EPP), asserted her authority over the College of Commissioners and moved quickly on the EU’s top priorities: defence and competitiveness. But a year on, her leadership style has increased the risk that the Commission fails to deliver on its objectives and promises.

My (critical) assessment of the first year of Ursula von der Leyen's second term: more interested in geopolitics and party politics than in designing future-oriented policies, too active on too many issues but not the right ones, increased risk of not delivering.
epc.eu/publication/...

And Janez Jansa in Slovenia, I believe.

The French canary in the European mine The fall of the François Bayrou-led French government, following a failed motion of confidence on 8 September, has plunged France into a new period of instability and uncertainty and should serve as a warning for the whole of the European Union.

My not-so-optimistic take on the fall of the Bayrou government.
The situation is not going to improve and Europeans should take note.

epc.eu/publication/...

This piece is the last of my 'VDL summer trilogy'.

Previous episodes :
The unravelling of the EU coalition that never was epc.eu/publication/...

The Spitzenkandidat: Time to rethink a failing democratic experiment
epc.eu/publication/...

Ahead of von der Leyen's #SOTEU speech tomorrow, here is how her priorities look like so far. Competitiveness and defence overshadow all other issues in both the narrative and the concrete proposals.
Read my analysis with the data research by Eulytix's Levente Kocsis: epc.eu/publication/...

Today, Von der Leyen survived a censure motion in the European Parliament.

But what is the deeper story behind it and how the ‘pro-European coalition’ might be affected?

Find out in our latest Flash Analysis by @ericmaurice.bsky.social 👇
www.epc.eu/publication/...

#NoConfidenceVote #VdL #EU

Le Pen's sentence will lead to greater polarisation in France Le Pen's sentence will lead to greater polarisation in France

⚡️FLASH ANALYSIS: Le Pen's sentence will lead to greater polarisation in France

Marine Le Pen's sentence may stop her becoming president - but it could also add to the country's political instability & uncertainty, writes Eric Maurice @ericmaurice.bsky.social

Read here ⬇️
www.epc.eu/en/Publicati...

Well, it's online. They just don't know where to look...

I'm glad to present this collective work on the impact for Europe of the second Trump presidency, "a fundamental challenge for the EU".

Congratulations, Elena! All best wishes to my indirect successor and the team.

Arriving here from the other place. Will be testing before posting.