On 9 September 2024, Mario Draghi (who needs no introduction) presented his report ‘The future of European competitiveness’. According to the report, the tasks ahead are'huge‘, and so are the financial requirements. To cover these, one of his proposals was the'issue of a common secure asset’. (The term EU bonds is not mentioned at this point). (1) This would also serve, according to Draghi, as a central building block for the development of an investment and savings union. And that is what the following is about.
Europeans' scientific and technical achievements are often monetised elsewhere. This not only leaves taxpayers and employees at a disadvantage – Europe's autonomy is also threatened. This must change as a matter of urgency, according to the European start-up associations and European stock exchanges, which are sounding the alarm in a joint statement.
"The choice comes down to whether we will be shaped by events and the world around us or whether we will come together and build our future for ourselves." (1) So said Ursula von der Leyen at the beginning of her speech on 18 July 2024, in which she applied for a second term as President of the European Commission. Taking the future into their own hands - this is exactly what a number of European banks and savings banks are doing with their European Payments Initiative (EPI). In offering the digital wallet wero, they want to provide a standardised solution for all payment transactions across Europe.
The European elections have left me somewhat perplexed. I have been thinking about this since 9 June. There are many reasons for the electoral success of populist-authoritarian parties. The following reflections - with a view to Germany - are about the responsibility of the parties and the individual in a democracy.
Sometimes the most interesting things happen right under our noses and we don't realise it. Or do you remember the Conference on the Future of the EU? It ended almost exactly two years ago, on 9 May 2022, and thousands of citizens were involved. What were the results, were they realised - and what can we learn from it?