Search results

The new European Commission has completed its first 100 days amid turmoil in transatlantic relations. The implementation of Trump’s agenda (and the accompanying drama) is accelerating the change in political priorities that was already foreseen for von der Leyen’s second term. The urgent need to build a more competitive EU now seems indivisible from the goal of maintaining the security and integrity of its borders. The next 2028-2034 budget cycle should reflect the bloc’s ambition in relation to these medium-term challenges, but between now and when that budget will be defined, there are tough negotiations to be had on how to finance it and critical questions to be answered on matters such as the future of Ukraine and climate commitments.

With the announcement of Libra, Facebook have put the debate about cryptocurrencies and the operation of existing payment systems back on the agenda. After the fall in the value of Bitcoin and doubts about its ability to function as money, many see stablecoins as an alternative with greater potential for adoption.

To date, Spain has already complied with 70% of the reforms set out in the Plan, but only with 15% of the investments, partly because of the Plan’s very nature, which places more emphasis on the reforms in the first few years, and partly due to some initial delays in the implementation.

Spain included 28.4 billion euros from the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism, NGEU’s main instrument, in the 2022 General Government Budget. Have expectations been met? Are the investments and reforms being implemented as planned?

Between the end of September and the end of February, the US dollar depreciated by 6% in effective nominal terms and by 10% against the euro, trading at close to 1.07, a level not seen for almost a year. We explore what lies behind this change of trend and whether it is likely to continue.