Sophie Pornschlegel

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Aug 29 • 9 tweets • 6 min read

After today's meeting marathon, interviews on the Scholz speech & email galore, I guess it's back to business in Brussels!
This GIF shows how it feels to work on EU politics at the moment, but I'm looking forward to working on a bunch of great projects in the coming months. 👇/1

Very much looking forward to welcoming @ThinkTank_Lab in Brussels next week - besides giving a short input on "how to EU policy analysis", my colleague @FilipeALampe is organising an event on #diversity in EU policymaking with @CnctingEurope that I think is hugely important. /2

The @epc_eu also partnered up for the 'European Think Tank Conference' in October in Berlin to promote the exchange between European think tankers and discuss sector-specific issues. Stay tuned for a great programme! @dgapev dgap.org/en/events/save… /3

In September, there will be two events in Brussels with @reconstitutEU fellows on the #RuleOfLaw report - you know, the one that was published mid-July and most of you probably forgot already. We got great speakers confirmed thanks to @ClaraCramer1007's work. /4

On the same topic, we will cooperate with @MercatorDE for an exchange between partner organisations in the field & to strengthen the national debate on this issue. Looking forward to getting this topic the attention it deserves outside Brussels!/5

Last but not least, the @CnctingEurope team will organise a workshop on #EU #Advocacy for a bunch of CSOs so they can improve their visibility & influence in the EU. @mitost_org /6

Expect some written stuff as well from yours truly - a short publication on 🇩🇪🇫🇷 relations now that election cycle is over, a piece on a new EU approach for #RoL, and finally a paper on why European think tanks need to get better at working together. /7

Also take your (digital) pens ready and put the 01.12. in your calendars for the @epc_eu Annual Conference on the topic of European power, happening in Brussels & online. Stay tuned for the programme! /8

All in all, the autumn & winter will be challenging politically and surely also personally (hello inflation & crazy energy bills) but cracking on with a great team at @CnctingEurope & @epc_eu will make it far more bearable. /9

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More from @spornschlegel

Sophie Pornschlegel

Aug 29

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

Jun 1

📖 New publication 📖
It's been almost 100 days since Russia invaded 🇺🇦. In this new paper, @IlkeToygur & I look back at the EU's "modus operandi". We advocate for a more ambitious EU, rather than one that will put unity above everything else./1
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

Apr 11

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

First, on the results: 1st round shows Macron as frontrunner. But do not interpret this as a safe win for him in the 2nd round. 33% voted for far-right candidates, 26% for far-left, which brings “extreme” vote in France to over 50% in total. This is worrying. (@lemondefr) /2

2nd round will take place on 24.04. Polls vary between 45:55 & 49:51 for Macron, but it very much depends on Mélenchon voters (22% in 1st round). Several candidates (Pécresse, Hidalgo, Jadot) called for a Macron vote - except Eric Zemmour, who endorsed Le Pen. (@franceinfo) /3

Sophie Pornschlegel

Mar 25

Amid all the hustle and bustle, it's hard to keep track of what actually happened yesterday in Brussels. Here are some takeaways from the diplomatic showdown (NATO, G7, EUCO) including @POTUS attendance & @ZelenskyyUa speeches. A 🧵 /1

First, HR news: @CharlesMichel was re-elected EUCO President for another 2,5 years; @jensstoltenberg's mandate was extended by a year as NATO Secretary-General. /2 politico.eu/article/charle…

Second, NATO news: NATO agreed on 4 new battlegroups on its "Eastern flank". In total, 40,000 soldiers stationed next to the border. More resources will be spent to prevent cyberattacks & to prepare for potential biological & chemical attacks./3 nato.int/cps/en/natohq/…

Sophie Pornschlegel

Sep 30, 2020

My two cents on the latest EU RoL. I expected to write about the report's content, but ended up doing a political analysis of where we stand - bc in the end, the report can be a brilliant analysis, beautifully written and very thorough, the question is what we do with it. /1

First, let me emphasise that this is a positive development. The European Commission recognises the relevance of Rule of Law, analysing the situation in all EU27. Glass half full, but it could have been different. It is a first step in the right direction. /2

The annual report creates the evidence needed to assess the RoL situation. We already had ample information on some EU MS (heads up to the EP & CoE), but not on all - this EU27 report allows to say “we looked at everyone the same way”. Evidence is always good start for PM. /3

Sophie Pornschlegel

Sep 29, 2020

There's been quite a few new development when it comes to Rule of Law in the EU lately. Here's an overview in no particular chronological order.

1) Leading academics are putting pressure on @vonderleyen to let her words in #SOTEU speech turn into action: verfassungsblog.de/before-its-too…

2) Orbán wants @VeraJourova to resign because she "insulted" Hungary in a @derspiegel interview (aka said there were some real issues with rule of law in Hungary). politico.eu/article/hungar…

3) @EU2020DE is negotiating an "anti-corruption clause" for the recovery fund, trying to get around Hungary and Poland's rejection of a RoL mechanism that would sanction countries breaching EU values more broadly. I hope this won't be watered down any further. @MiRo_SPD

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