Philipp Grüll Archives

Germany is modernising its competition law to stand up to digital corporations. In the future, the Cartel Office will be able to act faster and tougher when companies dominate the market. Europe can learn from this. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Europe's local politicians want a bigger role in establishing the future relationship between the EU and the UK. This was the overwhelming feeling among members of the Committee of the Regions (CoR) at Monday's meeting of the CoR-UK contact group. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Most European leaders condemned last week's storming of the US Capitol by pro-Trump activists. Meanwhile, Europe's far-right leaders, which so far have sympathised with Trump, are balancing between condemnation and self-protection.

The Bavarian-governing party, the Christian Social Union is adopting its digital strategy this week. Among other things, it calls for a digitally sovereign Europe, but some of the plans smack of national unilateralism. EURACTIV Germany reports. 

The turn of the year marks the end of the German presidency of the EU Council. When Angela Merkel's government took over in July, it was already clear that all previous plans had gone up in smoke and there was only one priority left: dealing with the pandemic. EURACTIV Germany reports.

The European Medicine’s Agency is expected to approve Pfizer’s vaccine at an extraordinary meeting on 21 December and then, within three days, the European Commission is set to give its final green light. As for the vaccination process, in practice, everything depends on the readiness of EU countries, especially when it comes to logistics.

European regional policy has a special role to play in overcoming the coronavirus crisis, with one of the main new instruments being REACT-EU, a fund which represents an increase of €47.5 billion in structural funds. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Germany's Federal Competition Authority has opened additional proceedings against Facebook. This time it involves the virtual reality glasses of the Oculus brand, as it is planned that only Facebook users will be allowed to use these glasses in future. EURACTIV Germany reports.

The German government's coronavirus stimulus package from July benefits men more than women, according to a recent study by the University of Kassel. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Germany needs to invest more in infrastructure, digital policy, climate protection after years of government frugality, a study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) recommends. EURACTIV Germany reports.

In an exclusive interview with EURACTIV Germany, the new German Ambassador in France, Hans-Dieter Lucas, spoke about today's especially dynamic phase of Franco-German relations and the need for a new strategic culture in European defence policy.

After a tough struggle, the three-way negotiations on EU structural funding rules have been concluded and white smoke rose from the co-legislators. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Christa Schweng has served as the President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) since October. She has a vision, but first Europe must get through the coronavirus crisis, protecting both jobs and people.

The Union for the Mediterranean, founded 25 years ago, brings together 42 countries, including the entire EU, to cooperate on economic, social and climate issues. In an interview with EURACTIV Germany, General Secretary Nasser Kamel explains how the Union is taking action against the COVID crisis.

Germany's upcoming IT security law is intended to protect the country's 5G network, among other things. When it comes to Huawei, the Foreign Office fought for a right of veto. The result: now it can have a say but not singlehandedly block a supplier. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Following an agreement between the social democrats (SPÖ) and liberals (NEOS), the Austrian capital has a new governing coalition. The partnership may seem unnatural but both sides have something to gain, while more difficult times are dawning for the ousted Greens. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Austria's Supreme Court of Justice of Justice has decided that Facebook will have to delete 'hate postings' against former Green party leader Eva Glawischnig, not only in Austria but also worldwide. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Several key EU leaders, including France and Germany, promised at a mini-summit on Tuesday (10 November) to renew efforts to fight Islamist terrorism, calling for a reform of the Schengen area and measures against foreign fighters.

EU member states want more competences to be able to look into messages with end-to-end encryption, according to the draft Council decisions which has been made available to EURACTIV Germany.

The European Commission is not responsible for the highway toll debacle, Martin Selmayr, the head of the European Commission Representation in Austria, said on Thursday (5 November). EURACTIV Germany reports.

Germany and France want the EU to cooperate more closely in the fight against terrorism, particularly when it comes to a more open exchange of intelligence information. However, member states distrust each other. EURACTIV Germany reports.

A report from the EU financial watchdog says German authorities are partly to blame for the Wirecard scandal that rocked the country this year. Nonetheless, it shields one German agency (BaFin) from much of the blame. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Martin Selmayr's latest career move may seem strange at first glance: from Secretary General of the Commission to its representative in a small EU country. Having held the post for a year, he plans to take a more political approach than his predecessors. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Austria's government will impose a second "partial lockdown" for November, forcing restaurants to close but allowing the retail and services sector to remain open. A night curfew from 8pm will also be implemented. EURACTIV Germany reports.