European Union

Leszek Jażdżewski talks to Wolfgang Münchau about his latest book, “Kaput: The End Of The German Miracle,” translated into Polish by the Prześwity publishing house.

By a narrow vote, the European Parliament has effectively blocked the entry into force of the partnership agreement with Mercosur. This is yet another failure by the EU to improve its prospects for prosperity and economic transformation. The agreement that was signed is a step in the right direction, but delaying it means accumulating lost benefits—at a time when growth in the core of the euro area is dangerously close to zero.

“War,” Hillman writes, “contains within it, in the broader sense, the word peace: peace as victory. This fusion of peace with military triumph reveals itself fully in prayers for peace, where—quietly and between the lines—one is really praying for victory in war.” Every war eventually comes to an end; more or less fortunately, more or less satisfactorily for the warring sides and their allies.

Competitiveness is a strange beast—always measured against outsiders, yet forged internally. In her annual address, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reminded us of a hard truth, one that “after Draghi and Trump” can no longer be ignored: competitiveness is not a game; it is a matter of survival.

When the United States struggled with a recession in the early 1990s, James Carville, who was an adviser to Bill Clinton during the presidential campaign, coined a slogan that for decades became a hallmark of neoliberal thinking (or even a neoliberal worldview). The economy, stupid! was quoted in virtually every language, tailored to the circumstances of a given country, company, or even private matters.

Priorities. Practically every ministry, every coalition, even every group sitting at a table in a pub has a whole list of them. But so as not to sound too self-deprecating, this is not just a problem in the Czech Republic. For three and a half years, we have been hearing that defense is our European priority. I would very much like to agree with that.

As Europe stands at a crossroads, Central and Eastern Europe’s role remains too undervalued in policy discussions. Young liberals bring valuable perspectives and solutions, and want to be included in shaping the response to the current challenges affecting this strategic region.

Poland stands at a critical juncture in its energy transformation. While the country has made significant strides in promoting renewable energy adoption through EU-funded subsidy programs, a recent policy analysis reveals that deep-rooted barriers continue to prevent many Polish households from going green.

Ukraine has been part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) since 2017, when the European Union officially extended it to Eastern Partnership countries. For the first time, Ukrainian roads were included in the TEN-T map as part of a network ensuring strategic connections with EU member states. This became the foundation for integrating Ukrainian infrastructure into the unified European transport space.

EU antitrust regulations hinder innovation, which is the most effective way of fighting monopolies and strengthening the EU as a global power. That is ironic since the nominal purpose of those antitrust rules is to fight monopolies, not to empower them. The European Union needs to pivot its approach to businesses to be competitive globally, maybe even to fill the growing void left by the U.S.