Think Tank

The impact assessment (IA) clearly identifies the initiative's central trade-off: the more flexibility manufacturers are granted, the lower their compliance costs – but the higher the running costs for vehicle users and society, because more non-zero-emission vehicles remain in the fleet. The IA assesses many options with different degrees of flexibility for car manufactures. It is based on a relatively rich methodology. It quantifies impacts for manufacturers, consumers, society and the environment ...

To preserve visa-free travel under new United States (US) requirements, the European Commission is negotiating a framework agreement with the US for the Enhanced Border Security Partnership that would grant access to information stored in national databases, including biometric databases. This would have to be approved by both the European Parliament and the Council. With the exception of Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania, all EU countries' citizens currently enjoy visa-free travel to the US by participating ...

Global imbalances have been a major topic in international economic policymaking since at least the 1970s. Although they decreased after the global financial crisis (GFC) of 2008, they have begun to widen again in recent years. As the 2008 crisis demonstrated, the sudden unwinding of current account surpluses and deficits ('disorderly adjustment') can have major consequences not only for the countries directly involved but also for many third countries through spillover effects, particularly in financial ...

This document is a briefing that examines the budgetary and control aspects of the National and Regional Partnership Plan (NRPP) proposal, which forms part of the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework package. It outlines the main concerns raised about the proposal, including weak impact assessment evidence, overlaps between the new horizontal conditions and existing regulations, the limited role of Parliament in the governance of the EU Facility, and accountability risks linked to the use of ...