September 30, 2025
The European Commission’s new Action Plan for Affordable Energy is a mix of contradictory policies could result in higher costs, greater market uncertainty, and slower progress toward a genuine energy union.
- All
- Agriculture Publications
- Blog
- Briefings
- Digital Briefings
- Digital Publications
- Energy & Environment Briefings
- Energy & Environment Publications
- Finance Briefings
- Finance Publications
- Fiscal & Taxation Briefings
- Fiscal & Taxation Publications
- Foreign Policy Briefings
- Foreign Policy Publications
- Health & Lifestyle Briefings
- Health & Lifestyle Publications
- Media
- Publications
- Regulation Briefings
- Regulation Publications
- Rule of Law Briefings
- Rule of Law Publications
- Trade Briefings
- Trade Publications
September 23, 2025
As the EU prepares to fully implement its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) in January 2026, concerns are mounting that this flagship climate policy could backfire, increasing costs for European businesses and consumers while sparking international trade disputes.
August 28, 2025
The European Union has committed to reaching climate neutrality by 2050, with a proposed 90% emissions reduction target for 2040. A Linear Route to Net Zero, assesses the economic and political feasibility of this goal.
August 25, 2025
The European Commission’s Simplification Agenda aims to boost competitiveness by cutting reporting requirements by 25% and reducing regulatory costs for businesses by up to €40 billion, as outlined in the 2025 Competitiveness Compass.
August 19, 2025
The EU–US trade deal was reached under the shadow of Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs and growing fears of a transatlantic trade war.
July 31, 2025
The European Commission’s SME Relief Package is a response to the growing challenges faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the EU, including excessive red tape, regulatory fragmentation, and weak cross-border scalability.
July 16, 2025
High tobacco taxes are often seen as a public health tool, but excessive duties are now driving the growth of Europe’s black market.
July 9, 2025
Europe’s ambition to lead in emerging technologies is being held back by a fragmented and risk-averse regulatory culture. Despite repeated promises to reduce red tape, EU institutions continue to introduce overlapping digital laws that place a heavy compliance burden on startups, reinforce incumbent advantages, and discourage innovation.
June 25, 2025
Effective regulation should serve as a catalyst – not a constraint – for innovation and long-term competitiveness. In digital markets, where business models evolve rapidly, fixed regulatory benchmarks – such as market share or price levels – can unintentionally stifle the dynamism that drives progress. The European Union’s (EU’s) Digital Markets Act (DMA), though ambitious in its objective of curbing the dominance of Big Tech gatekeepers, risks locking digital markets into rigid structures by imposing one-size-fits-all obligations that are ill-suited to the iterative and experimental nature of innovation.
