Sophie Pornschlegel

@spornschlegel

Apr 27, 2020 • 6 tweets • 3 min read • Read on X

#Merkel spoke about the EU's response to #COVID19 & the priorities of the German Council Presidency this weekend. There were a few surprises. Could this potentially mean shift in German European policy after years of stagnation? Short THREAD bundeskanzlerin.de/bkin-de/mediat…

1/ The focus on European solidarity and cohesion could not be clearer & is a shift from a rather silent Germany beforehand: "Germany cannot be strong if others are not doing well"; "Some countries fear to be weakened from this crisis, while Germany is relatively well-off".

2/ While the German gov has always declared itself pro-EU integration, the clear words "we need more Europe" & "Europe should grow together during this crisis" takes another dimension in the current crisis.

3/ While I wasn't expecting much from the 🇩🇪 Council Presidency, #Merkel announces rather important shifts in policy: Increased #MFF contribution; but also continued focus on #climate, #digital & #strategicautonomy - which could mean a 🇩🇪 comprehensive view on crisis management.

4/ Most surprising: #Merkel mentions potential EU reform in healthcare (more competences for 🇪🇺?); env. #taxes & even financial transaction tax. While it will be difficult to find compromise, it is a rather welcome development to see that 🇩🇪 shows more willingness to act.

*a shift!

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Sophie Pornschlegel

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Jan 23, 2023

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@spornschlegel

Aug 29, 2022

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Sophie Pornschlegel

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Aug 29, 2022

As a think tanker, there is a fine balance between speaking truth to power (and, for instance, criticising the lack of ambition in view of the challenges we face) and understanding the position of decision-makers, including the need for compromises & other limiting factors. /1

Today was a good example: I was happy to read #Scholz's EU speech & finally have an outline of Germany's EU policy. I get that it could be much worse - the German government fully understands the need for a strong EU and that's a very good premise. /2

I'm also happy to have further details on certain policy fields and to understand where the focus of this government lies. It's also useful to see that certain fields - e.g. industrial policy - have been left out, which also helps define where it could get more difficult. /3

Sophie Pornschlegel

@spornschlegel

Jun 1, 2022

📖 New publication 📖
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epc.eu/en/Publication…

The last #EUCO summit was a wonderful example of how in the EU unity prevails over ambition. After weeks of blockage, we finally have an oil embargo, but only for 75% of Russian oil, and with a temporary exemption for pipeline oil./2

https://twitter.com/eucopresident/status/1531391899218608133

We start on a positive note: Both the COVID-19 pandemic & the Russian invasion revealed that the EU institutions & leaders are capable of managing crises swiftly and decisively. The EU could use this moment of change to increase its ambition & move European integration forward./3

Sophie Pornschlegel

@spornschlegel

Apr 11, 2022

After yesterday’s 1st round in the 🇫🇷 election, some takeaways on the campaign, results & what to expect next. A relatively long 🧵, as there is a lot to unpack. /1

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Sophie Pornschlegel

@spornschlegel

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