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Intel

European economy 17th March 2022

Intel to invest up to €80 billion over the next decade to manufacture chips in the EU

U.S. chip giant Intel has announced an initial investment of more than 33 billion euros, rising to 80 billion over the decade, to boost microprocessor production in the European Union, including setting up a mega-factory in Germany, as well as doubling the capacity of its facilities in Ireland, along with other projects in Italy, France, Poland and Spain. This first phase includes the construction of two semiconductor factories in the…

overfishing

European economy 19th December 2021

On Environmental Protection, The EU Has A Mixed Record

It’s usually China, Japan and the US that come to mind first when the issue of overfishing is brought up, but what’s often overlooked is the fact that the EU has to take a big part of the blame as well. Brussels may not be sending fishing fleets across the oceans, but many of the bloc’s environmental policies have serious unintended effects in the world’s far-flung regions.

Ursula von der Leyen 768x432 1

World economy 16th October 2021

With Its “Global Gateway”, The EU Is Upping The Pressure On China’s BRI

European Views | A foreign policy instrument explicitly designed to counter the BRI, the GG diametrically opposed to China’s investment approach by seeking to “create links and not dependencies”, in the words of European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. The GG’s launch comes at a time when the EU is feeling the adverse effects of BRI-induced encroachment within its own borders and wider neighbourhood. Several EU countries, such as Italy, Greece and Bulgaria, have controversially signed up to the project.

A renewed German embrace of realpolitik would allow the EU as a whole to tackle the big questions facing it clear-eyed

European economy 10th October 2021

The EU After The German Elections: More Realpolitik?

European Views | The way the EU appears on the world stage, where it all too often seems weak, uncoordinated and overly moralising in its approach to world affairs. Germany’s long-time chancellor Merkel has played a key role in this. Throughout 16 years, Berlin has helped transform the EU into an ineffective paper tiger that styles itself as a superpower, yet that is frequently proving unable to deal effectively with hard geopolitical questions – from securing its borders to dealing with China. What is really needed is a new approach to EU foreign policy, especially at a time when German voters’ interest in foreign policy and EU affairs is at its lowest in years.

Europe to sanction to Polish government

In Europe 29th December 2017

Europe Applies Its Own “Article 155” For Poland

Almost at the same time as the Catalan separatists tried to get the European Union on the side of its cause, the European authorities have had to deal with insurgency in Poland. The latter’s judicial reform put at the risk the division of powers and the judicial independence of a country in the region. While Spain had to implement article 155 of its Constitution in order to contain the crisis of authority which the secessionist attempt implied, the EU has had to press its own “nuclear button”, article 7 of the Treaty, to restrain Polish government.