Light and shadow for 2018
2017 ended fairly conciliatory for the EU. There were good figures from the Eurobarometer, namely the majority of EU citizens’ support for the Euro, and a positive view of the state of the European economy. At the same time, there is a continuing debate with Poland about respecting the rule of law and there are many signs that these tensions will remain in 2018. The Brexit negotiations will see to that, but also the upcoming election campaign for the new European Parliament from the end of the year. This is likely to put a brake on the EU Commission's ambition to initiate major projects this year - not least because it will undoubtedly have to wait some time for active support from Berlin. Alas, a positive outlook for 2018 looks different. |
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| Free Flow of Non-Personal Data |
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By way of a Regulation, the EU-Commission wants to facilitate the free flow of non-personal data and improve competition between cloud providers and other data-processing services in the EU.
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| Framework for screening of foreign direct investments |
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| Against the backdrop of increased Chinese foreign direct investments in the EU, the Commission wants to create a legal "framework" for screening foreign direct investments (FDI). The Regulation does provide clarity about the screening procedure to be used by Member States. Vague terms however carry a protectionist risk.
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"This is not just about Poland, it's about the whole European Union."
Frans Timmermans, First Vice-President of the European Commission, on launching the EU procedure against Poland |
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"The EU's programme against youth unemployment is a damp squib."
Prof. Lüder Gerken, President of cep |
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"To ask London for promises and decisions of great financial importance without knowing what the return in the form of the future commercial contract will look like is very much in demand."
Dr. Bert Van Roosebeke, Head of Division of cep |
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Facts
Two billion people worldwide regularly feed on mealworms, termites, grasshoppers or cockroaches. Since 1 January 2018, an EU regulation on novel foods has been in force, allowing insects to be processed into food and sold as food in the EU. |
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