Publication Archive
This archive contains all documents published by cep over the last few years:
cepAdhoc: Incisive comment on current EU policy issues
cepPolicyBrief: Concise reviews of EU proposals (Regulations, Directives, Green Papers, White Papers, Communications) – including an executive summary
cepInput: Impulse to current challenges of EU policies
cepStudy: Comprehensive examination of EU policy proposals affecting the economy
2023
Smartphones, laptops, fridges: especially electrical appliances should be easier to repair for the sake of the environment. The EU Commission therefore wants to introduce a so-called right to repair with a new directive promoting the repair of goods. According to the Centre for European Policy (cep), the Commission’s proposal overshoots the mark to some extent.
2023
Access to rare metals is crucial for the success of the energy transition. Recycling of these metals represents the missing link in the European Green Deal - environmentally friendly and free of resource limitations. The Center for European Policy (cep) has examined the recycling potential of permanent magnets used in wind power and e-mobility. The result: obstacles still outweigh the benefits.
2023
Poland and Hungary are increasingly abusing the EU's unanimity principle to block decisions and enforce their own benefits. With attacks on the rule of law, they undermine European values and ultimately the sovereignty of the EU. There are hardly any remedies in sight. Ejection from the EU is just as difficult to implement as an "EU 2.0", as a study by the Centre for European Policy (cep) shows.
2023
The European Commission wants to give small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) better access to the capital markets, in part by reducing bureaucracy. The Centre for European Policy (cep) has assessed the proposal on the so-called Listing Act as largely positive.
2023
Cobalt, lithium, rare earths: When it comes to critical raw materials, Europe wants to reduce its dependence on supplier countries like China. The Centre for European Policy (cep) praises the Commission for wanting to improve security of supply. However, its current proposal is too bureaucratic and anti-business.
2023
European family businesses suffer because of the consequences of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It causes unnecessary costs and creates confusion because the same rules do not apply everywhere in the EU. This is the result of an empirical study conducted by the Centres for European Policy Network (cep) and Prognos AG on behalf of the Stiftung Familienunternehmen.
2023
Diagnosis, therapy, prevention: virtual worlds, known as metaverse, will revolutionise healthcare. The Commission plans to present an EU metaverse strategy in July. The Centre for European Policy (cep) sees huge opportunities for the health sector but insists on a binding seal of quality to protect personal data.
2023
Google, Apple, Meta: The US, Asia and the EU are seeing an increase in so-called multiple-vote shares. These are supposed to make it more appealing for small family businesses, start-ups and founders to go public, and to protect them from the dangers of hostile takeovers. The EU wants to permit multiple-vote shares on a uniform basis, subject to certain conditions. The Centrum für Europäische Politik (cep) sees more advantages than disadvantages in this plan.
2023
Revolution with risks: Rapidly decoupling Europe's energy-intensive economy from fossil resources without sacrificing industrial value added is technologically and regulatory tricky. The Centrum für Europäische Politik (cep) suggests Carbon Contracts for Differences (CCfDs) and green lead markets as appropriate regulatory tools. According to cep calculations, the costs of decarbonizing steel production via CCfDs alone amount to up to 12 billion euros per year across the EU.
2023
In a year from now, Europe will go to the polls. But how legitimate and democratic is an election in which turnout is low, no uniform binding rules apply and Spitzenkandidaten (the party nominees for President) play only a minor role? The Centres for European Policy Network (cep) calls for uniform procedures, issues and campaigns to strengthen the Parliament, and for a lowering of the voting age to 16 across the EU.
2023
Various crises increasingly lead to shortages in the supply of relevant goods and services. The Commission wants to counteract this with the so-called Single Market Emergency Instrument (SMEI). In future, state intervention is to ensure availability even in tense situations. The Centrum für Europäische Politik (cep) criticises the EU plan as being legally contestable in large parts.
2023
The Commission wants to reduce emissions of traffic-related air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and ozone still further. To this end, Brussels is counting on the introduction of so-called Euro 7 standards. The Center for European Policy (cep) sees the stricter requirements as a premature end to combustion engines through the back door. The current standards suffice to drastically reduce traffic-related pollutants.
2023
Cost-effective and within seconds: The Commission plans to make real-time transfers, so-called instant payments, available for EU consumers by default. The Centrum für Europäische Politik (cep) welcomes the approach to minimise fraud risks but rejects the draft law in general as too massive and unrealistic.
2023
Europe is to become climate neutral. However, massive economic efforts are needed to achieve this technology transfer. The Centres for European Policy Network (cep) has studied a sample of 105 start-ups in the field of clean technologies. The result: a lack of venture capital and excessive bureaucracy stand in the way of green transformation in Germany, France and Italy.
2023
With a new packaging regulation the Commission wants to strengthen environmental protection and market opportunities for recycled material. The Centrum für Europäische Politik (cep) sees great potential in an EU-wide circular economy. However, Brussels is only halfway there. Member states may continue to impair the single market with too many national regulations.