Crooked Bough News Round-up

— The Brief – On stage in Berlin, it’s ‘Waiting for GroKo’

 

at 4/3/25 11:57am

Ongoing German coalition talks have delayed Chancellor Merz's debut, but the preliminary agreements are reason for concern.

— Zaharieva says big research program can be ‘stand-alone’ within Commission’s superfund

 

at 4/3/25 11:51am

Commissioner appears to give up on fully private research and innovation fund

— Europe delays 2040 climate target amid member state pressure

 

at 4/3/25 11:29am

“90% is only feasible, if at all, if negative emissions in the ETS and certificates from third countries are recognised,” said Peter Liese, a German MEP who speaks for the centre-right EPP on climate issues.

— EU outsiders scramble to avoid being caught in US tariff crossfire

 

at 4/3/25 10:56am

To avoid being caught in the EU-US crossfire, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein are scrambling to mend ties with both.

[Category: Donald Trump, EFTA, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, UK, US tariffs]

— EU nuclear power industry and Jørgensen plan high-level meeting

 

at 4/3/25 10:31am

The talks are set to touch on some key European Commission initiatives on the bloc's investment needs, fuel diversification and small modular reactors.

[Category: Clean Industrial Deal, nuclear energy, Small Modular Reactors (SMR)]

— MEPs push for stronger EU action to tackle rare diseases and end treatment disparities

 

at 4/3/25 10:05am

"We need a unified approach to close the gaps and eliminate inequalities," argued Vytenis Andriukaitis (SD, Lithuania).

— Trump tariff list names Taiwan as ‘country’

 

at 4/3/25 9:47am

The move plays directly into Taipei's long-standing desire for international recognition, while subtly signalling that Washington may be less willing to kowtow to Beijing's preferred semantics.

[Category: China, Donald Trump, One China Policy, Republic of China, Taiwan, Taiwan strait, US tariffs]

— Berlin seeks to detach from US as an energy supplier

 

at 4/3/25 9:42am

German politicians of all parties still think setting up 4 LNG terminals mostly supplied by the US was the right decision.

— EPP urges the EU to rethink long-standing international asylum law

 

at 4/3/25 9:04am

The Geneva Convention sets out the key concept of non-refoulement, a cornerstone of international refugee protection.

— MEPs call for clear Commission response to possible US pharma tariffs

 

at 4/3/25 8:31am

For the Greens, Trump's tariffs could ultimately prove to be an "opportunity to attract business and talent to Europe".

— France singles out digital services for EU’s tariff response

 

at 4/3/25 8:11am

"We won't stand idly by, should we be unable to reach a fair deal,” EU trade chief Maroš Šefčovič said.

[Category: digital services, Donald Trump, France, US tariffs]

— Kyiv urges EU to extend food trade benefits until year’s end to prevent pre-war scenario

 

at 4/3/25 6:36am

The European Commission has repeatedly signalled that it does not plan to extend the ATMs again, as the negotiations on the agricultural part were the most difficult.

— US Trade Commissioner and Ribera spar over EU antitrust law at DC event

 

at 4/3/25 6:20am

"DMA is a form of taxing American companies," Ferguson said.

[Category: Andrew Ferguson, big tech, Digital Markets Act (DMA), Teresa Ribera, US Federal Trade Commission]

— Reunited MEP coalition votes in favour of proposed corporate reporting deregulation

 

at 4/3/25 5:16am

The EPP abandoned its pledge to go beyond the Commission proposal after reaching a compromise with the centre-left SD, liberal Renew, and the Greens.

— Rubio dismisses speculation US could leave NATO as ‘hysteria’

 

at 4/3/25 5:13am

Speaking at NATO headquarters, Rubio put on a brave face to calm European anxieties that Washington might scale back its commitment or even consider leaving the alliance. 

[Category: defence spending, Donald Trump, EU defence, Marco Rubio, Nato, NATO Hague Summit]

— EU goes hunting for Central Asia’s mineral riches at Samarkand summit

 

at 4/3/25 4:10am

Central Asia could become something like the El Dorado of European dreams.

— Trump ends duty-free treatment for Shein, Temu

 

at 4/3/25 4:07am

The duty-free de minimis treatment for goods from China and Hong Kong start from 2 May, the Executive Order said.

[Category: de minimis, Donald Trump, e-Commerce, executive order, Shein, Temu]

— Broad centrist coalition in Parliament agrees plan to roll back EU red tape

 

at 4/3/25 3:46am

Europe's greens and conservatives are among those who have struck a deal on rolling back major EU sustainability legislation passed only months ago.

— Hungary announces withdrawal from International Criminal Court 

 

at 4/3/25 3:35am

The withdrawal will make Hungary the only EU country that is not a member of the tribunal.

— Le Pen appeal: What happens next?

 

at 4/2/25 11:23pm

In today’s edition of The Capitals, read about Trump carpet bombing global trade – Irish pharma on borrowed time, Meloni not ruling out tariff response to the US, Greece eyeing Israel for ‘Shield of Achilles’ dome, and so much more.

[Category: The Capitals]

— ‘A major blow’: EU leaders denounce new Trump tariffs but urge dialogue with US

 

at 4/2/25 10:54pm

The EU is prepared to respond to sweeping new US tariffs, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned on Thursday, while urging President Donald Trump to seek dialogue instead.

[Category: Donal Trump, European Union, international trade, Tarrifs, United States]

As of 4/3/25 3:17pm. Last new 4/3/25 12:40pm.