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EU’s automotive industry is in serious trouble. And by extension the EU industry.

Volkswagen is going to lay off 100.000 employees: EU’s automotive industry is in serious trouble

In his weekly column, N. Peter Kramer, writes about the alarming decline of the largest industrial employer in the EU, Volkswagen. EU leaders and the entire automotive sector did not seem to know how to handle China.

Against the backdrop of numerous challenges, EU citizens want the European Union to step up its game: 68% of Europeans believe that the EU’s role in protecting citizens against global crises and security risks should become more important. Large majorities want EU member states to be more united in the current context and say the EU should promote the respect for international law by all countries (both 90%). In addition, 73% want it to have more means to face global challenges.

Majority think EU is a "place of stability in a troubled world"

While economic concerns grow, EU citizens value the peaceful, protective and cooperative nature of the EU.

Brussels has never mastered its image challenges. The Commission has always had a ‘good news’ approach to media relations, putting a positive gloss on detailed dossiers. Yet it is the wider sweep of the EU’s problems that would demonstrate its raison d’être and rebut the ‘unelected bureaucracy’ slur.

How the EU could shape a ’new global order’

Giles Merritt argues that Donald Trump’s destruction of global trust in the US is opening the way for the EU to fashion new international rules

After years building his reputation as Mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham has returned to Westminster and appears poised to become Prime Minister following Keir Starmer’s announcement on 22 June that he will step down.

Andy Burnham Isn’t Labour’s Messiah

Britain’s next prime minister may have the political touch which Keir Starmer lacked, but no leader can escape the UK’s structural crises that have already brought down six occupants of Downing Street in little more than a decade.

Some diplomats fear an RN victory in France would represent a far sharper break than a mere matter of narratives.

Can France’s far right copy-paste the Meloni method?

Bardella is interested but her strategy might not work outside Italian politics

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Mr Burnham will commit to a 10-year mission to raise living standards through reindustrialisation, better housing and infrastructure, and what his team calls the “reform of essential utilities”, understood to mean greater state control over the likes of water and energy companies.

World

Burnham: Give me 10 years to transform Britain

Monday, June 29, 2026

Incoming prime minister sets out his plan to boost the economy through devolution

more on World

New defense is thus as much a question of Europe’s technological base and sovereignty as one of a new order of battle for the future of warfare. This is where the new security strategy will be tested.

Europe

EU Needs a Strategy for its Turn to New Defense Tech

Tuesday, June 23, 2026

Defense tech innovations will be at the heart of Europe’s new security strategy. But so far, Brussels has been making moves without a broader plan, undermining readiness and credibility.

more on Europe

An official party timetable is yet to be announced, but in his resignation speech Sir Keir said contenders to replace him would have between 9 and 16 July to garner the necessary support to stand.

Analyses

Why did Keir Starmer resign and what could happen next?

Tuesday, June 23, 2026

Sir Keir Starmer has announced his resignation as Labour leader, heralding the end of his time in 10 Downing Street. He has said he will stay on as UK prime minister until his successor is in place.

more on Analyses

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Hegseth’s announcement of a review follows a US decision to scale back its commitments to a high readiness force within the alliance known as the Nato Force Model (NFM).

World

Hegseth renews Nato criticism and says US will review presence in Europe

Friday, June 19, 2026

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has severely criticised some of America’s Nato allies, while announcing a six-month review of the presence of US forces in Europe.

Not everything is broken between Berlin and Paris. Despite heightened tensions, they established a nuclear steering group in March, 2026, to engage in doctrinal dialogue on conventional, missile defense, and French nuclear capabilities—a move which had long been anathema to Germany. The two countries have also been increasingly cooperating in the fields of AI and quantum computing, among other tech areas.

Europe

France and Germany Need Their Own Situation Room

Wednesday, June 17, 2026

The Franco-German relationship is on the rocks again. But unlike previous moments of tension, the epochal changes on the world stage require that both step up investment in their bilateral ties.

Frustrated by Israel’s continuing military operations in southern Lebanon, Trump reportedly accused the Israeli leader of acting irresponsibly and undermining efforts to secure a broader regional settlement with Iran.

World

Has Netanyahu Become a Liability for Trump?

Wednesday, June 17, 2026

The Bibi-Trump bromance may not be over, but after the US-Iran peace deal and Trump’s unusually public criticism of Israel at the G7, the relationship is showing new cracks.

Europe is heading straight into the proverbial brick wall, with the prospect of severe bruising during the 2030s and serious injury by the 2040s. By mid-century, the EU risks becoming a socio-economic basket case, a far cry from its late 20th-century heyday.

Analyses

Smouldering migrant issues key to make-or-break 2027 elections

Tuesday, June 16, 2026

Giles Merritt says populists must be challenged to detail their policies for tackling the EU’s rapidly deteriorating demographic outlook.

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These are times to think creatively and promote a narrative that convinces both European populations and outside partners that the EU is profoundly changing. The priority must be to issue a clear political statement about what Europe intends to do at a time when many of its partners have lost confidence in its political agency.

Europe

European Security Strategy: In Search of a New Ambition

Monday, June 15, 2026

The EU is putting together a new security strategy to meet today’s myriad challenges. But for any proposal to be effective, the union needs to grapple with its identity and ambitions.

more on Europe

Over the past two decades, the US has become one of the world’s largest oil and gas producers, while businesses have steadily reduced their reliance on petroleum.

Business

Why the US economy keeps defying the odds

Monday, June 15, 2026

In Dresden, in east Germany late last year, the final car rolled off the assembly line at Volkswagen’s "Transparent Factory", built to showcase the pinnacle of European industrial power. Thousands of miles away in Spartanburg, South Carolina, a different German giant, BMW, is running its biggest plant in the world.

more on Business

At the same time, the YES Forum’s awareness, education, mentoring, and career networking initiatives engage students from the first grade of primary school through to university graduates. Through the book Towards the Sea, which serves as a key educational tool within the Maritime Studies curriculum, thousands of children across Greece have been introduced to the nation’s maritime heritage and the modern career opportunities offered by the shipping industry,

World

From First Grade to the First Job: 10 Years of Youth Day at Posidonia

Friday, June 12, 2026

With more than 1,000 participants, the 10th Youth Day at Posidonia took place on Friday, June 5, 2026, as part of the YES to Shipping Forum 2026

more on World

The CPMR says it will further its analysis of the published documents “and continue to push for coherent, well-funded and place-based European policies that ensure islands and coastal communities can fully contribute to Europe’s sustainable and competitive future.”

Europe

CPMR welcomes EU’s ambitious new islands strategy

Thursday, June 11, 2026

The EU’s newly announced islands strategy has been hailed as a “welcome and historic step.”

more on Europe

The EU’s Pact on Migration and Asylum arrives at a consequential moment, yet reveals a framework built for the political pressures of 2015, not the climate realities of today. Not only does the pact repackage migration policies that have led to human rights abuses and suffering, but it is also not entirely fit for purpose.

Analyses

The Climate Blind Spot in Europe’s New Migration Pact

Tuesday, June 9, 2026

The EU’s new migration policy is not suited to today’s realities. With climate change increasingly becoming a driver of global refugee flows, Europe needs to rethink its deterrence-focused approach.

more on Analyses

EU Actually

Volkswagen is going to lay off 100.000 employees: EU’s automotive industry is in serious trouble

N. Peter KramerBy: N. Peter Kramer

In his weekly column, N. Peter Kramer, writes about the alarming decline of the largest industrial employer in the EU, Volkswagen. EU leaders and the entire automotive sector did not seem to know how to handle China.

Europe

Majority think EU is a "place of stability in a troubled world"

Majority think EU is a "place of stability in a troubled world"

While economic concerns grow, EU citizens value the peaceful, protective and cooperative nature of the EU.

Business

How Much Pressure Can European CEOs Take?

How Much Pressure Can European CEOs Take?

There was a time when the job of the CEO was difficult but relatively clear: grow the business, beat the competition, manage costs, satisfy shareholders, inspire employees and avoid major reputational mistakes. That world has disappeared.

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