Álvaro Villarroel - Corresponsal en Bruselas

Keys to understanding how the merger reform turns out (and why Europe now wants giants… but with rules)

The European Commission opens an ambitious review of competition rules for public consultation to adapt merger control to a more demanding global environment, where Brussels seeks to allow companies to gain scale and compete with the United States and China without jeopardizing innovation, market balance, or long-term consumer protection.

Brussels opens the door to mega-mergers: more European muscle, less competition

The European Commission is entering delicate territory: allowing companies to grow in size to compete in a hostile world, even if it means stretching the limits of competition. The new framework does not change the rules, but it does change the way they are interpreted, introducing resilience as a key argument in the midst of geopolitical uncertainty.

The Commission opens the door for governments to assume 70% of the energy shock due to the war in Iran

Brussels will allow Member States to cover up to 70% of the increase in energy costs for key companies, especially in agriculture, transport, and industry, by relaxing state aid rules amid the escalating conflict with Iran, although without providing direct funding and leaving the burden of expenditure to national budgets.

The EU accuses Meta of opening the door to minors under thirteen on Instagram and Facebook

The European Commission concludes that the company does not apply effective measures to prevent access by minors under 13 years of age, questions its age verification systems, and warns of possible sanctions of up to 6% of its global turnover if it does not correct the detected deficiencies.

Europe wants to change, once and for all, its way of legislating

The European Commission is driving an offensive to simplify the legislative process, reduce regulatory fragmentation, and strengthen legal certainty, with the aim of improving the competitiveness of the single market, limiting over-regulation by Member States, and ensuring that laws are clearer, more accessible, and more effective from their design to their final application.

Spain wants moderation in minimum tobacco taxes ahead of the directive Brussels is negotiating

Madrid requests a balanced adjustment of the directive that protects the stability of the domestic market against the Commission's proposal to double the minimum rates, while also demanding more precise tools in Article 32 to distinguish personal use from covert commercial flows of new tobacco products.

The European Parliament approves its position on the Financial Framework: more spending, new own resources and rejection of the Commission's centralized model

The Eurochamber backs a maximum strategy that raises the budgetary ceiling to 1.27% of GNI, calls for the creation of a basket of new own resources to finance priorities and the debt of Next Generation EU, and distances itself from the "single plan" model proposed by the European Commission by defending greater participation of the regions and less centralized management of community funds.

The European Parliament lifts immunity from Alvise for the case of harassment of the hate prosecutor in Valencia

Strasbourg upholds the Supreme Court's request by not seeing a link between the investigated facts and his activity as a Member of the European Parliament, in the case that analyzes the alleged harassment of prosecutor Susana Gisbert after the dissemination of messages on her Telegram channel that triggered the massive sending of comments, many of them insulting

"Instruction Manual for the Single Market", Von der Leyen version

Brussels gives the green light to its most ambitious roadmap to culminate economic integration before 2027, with reforms in regulation, digitalization, energy, and foreign trade, in an attempt to strengthen the bloc's global competitiveness and reduce its strategic dependencies on powers like the United States and China.

Cyprus brings together a Europe that wants to influence the Middle East without specifying how

The Twenty-Seven back the extension of the ceasefire between the United States and Iran and call for guaranteeing freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, while opening the door to reinforcing their political and energy role in the region. However, a "kick forward" on key decisions regarding the European budget.

Sánchez redoubles pressure for the EU to tax energy companies and finance the response to the crisis

The Government proposes to reorient the community strategy towards greater fiscal intervention and energy coordination, in a context marked by the rising cost of fuels and divergences among Member States on how to share the costs of the crisis.

“Cyprus second round” or how to reactivate the European industry amid discussions on common defense

The Twenty-Seven face in Cyprus the second day of a summit marked by tension in the Middle East and the need to strengthen common European security, while they try to keep alive an economic agenda focused on the competitiveness and industrial reactivation of the bloc.

Brussels under pressure to redesign the banking sector and adapt regulation to small banks

The European Commission is evaluating a reform of the prudential framework to reduce regulatory complexity, introduce proportional schemes for less systemic entities, and strengthen the weight of metrics such as leverage, in a context of pressure from interest groups demanding to limit internal models, eliminate overlaps in capital requirements, and ensure that any easing preserves the resilience of the financial system without repeating pre-crisis distortions.

Europe stands at the gates of Lebanon in search of a new direction beyond Iran

The leaders of the European Union meet in Nicosia to redefine their strategy in the face of the war in the Middle East, contain the impact of the energy crisis, and gain political weight in a region where their influence remains in question as debates on financing and decision-making resurface.

The Twenty-Seven clear the path for the ninety-billion loan for Ukraine, after Orbán's fall

The ambassadors give the green light to the reparations loan and the twentieth package of sanctions against the Kremlin, a breakthrough that comes after the repair of the Druzhba pipeline and the decision by member states to resort to issuing Eurobonds to guarantee Kyiv's stability until 2027 without depending on the budget of Hungary or Slovakia.

Brussels will coordinate gas purchases, activate aid and cut electricity costs: this is the plan that Ribera presents today

The European Commission is working on a reform of the state aid framework that could have a direct impact on consumers' electricity bills, the main group it aims to protect against the escalation of prices due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz

Spain does not manage on the first try to suspend relations with Israel: "There is no support in the room"

The initiative promoted by Albares to suspend the association agreement between the European Union and Israel crashes against the lack of consensus among the main member states, which reject activating the break clause despite the increase in tension in the Middle East and Madrid's appeals for the defense of human rights.

Albares maintains pressure to suspend association with Israel: "What else has to happen?"

The Minister of Foreign Affairs intensifies his diplomatic offensive in Brussels and calls on the European Union for a firm response to the escalation of violence in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, despite the lack of consensus among member states and doubts about the viability of the measure.

How to understand the EU's blockade of Sánchez's proposal to break the agreement with Israel

The requirement of unanimity among the Twenty-Seven, the reticence of key countries, and the alternative of the commercial route explain why Sánchez's initiative to suspend the association agreement with Israel clashes with Brussels' internal balances and, for now, is far from prospering.

Susana del Río: "The strengthening of European Defense is the key to our common Security"

The European Union faces a decisive moment in which it must "return to the center" to redefine its strategy: between global geopolitical pressure, the need to reinforce its strategic autonomy, and the challenge of balancing competitiveness and regulation, Susana del Río analyzes in Demócrata how Brussels seeks to transform its reactive capacity into proactive leadership while playing its role as a key player in the new international order.

Ayuso asks the EU to reinforce controls on imported agri-food products to protect its farmers and ranchers

The Community of Madrid proposes that products arriving in the EU be subjected to the same requirements and demands, in terms of health control, animal welfare, respect for the environment, and traceability or use of pesticides.

Brussels gives air to companies to share technological innovation under a new surveillance

The European Commission updates after fourteen years the rules on licenses to facilitate the circulation of technology and provide legal certainty to agreements, while maintaining strict limits to avoid restrictive agreements, market sharing, and abuses that distort competition

The Parliament takes the lead in the war for the two European trillions

The negotiator of the Popular Party, Isabel Benjumea, and of the Socialist Group, Sandra Gómez, explain in Demócrata the changes that the European Parliament has introduced in the European Commission's proposal upon leaving the vote on a provisional report that aims to be an "ambitious framework" on which to begin discussions

The European Union asks to tighten the belt: teleworking and saving to dodge the energy shock

The European Commission is preparing a package of urgent measures that combines recommendations for **consumption reduction**, promotion of **teleworking and public transport** and the possible **flexibilization of state aid**, while the Twenty-Seven debate how to contain the impact of rising energy prices after the crisis unleashed by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Goodbye to lying about age on the internet: Europe activates its definitive solution

The European Union finalizes the launch of an age verification application that will allow users to access digital services without revealing personal data, in an attempt to curb the access of minors to dangerous content and reinforce the responsibility of big technology platforms.

European companies are driving a hydrogen backbone network to connect industrial supply and demand

The industry demands from Brussels to accelerate investment and simplify the regulatory framework to overcome regulatory fragmentation, reduce costs —especially electrical ones— and guarantee the viability of a key value chain for European competitiveness and energy sovereignty

European Justice puts in doubt the Spanish system to stop the abuse of interim staff in the public sector

The EU Court of Justice considers that the current measures —such as the figure of the non-fixed permanent or compensation— do not guarantee an effective sanction nor correct the precariousness derived from the abuse of temporary staff

Who makes a move in the European Parliament: manual to understand the key vote of the European budget

More than a thousand amendments, a financial framework of two trillion euros and a multi-party negotiation between political groups and Member States: the keys the strategies of the political groups and their repercussions to understand how the distribution of European Union funds is decided before the first vote this Wednesday

Brussels plans to respond to the energy crisis with new urgent state aid

The European Commission is preparing a package of extraordinary measures that would allow Member States to deploy more flexible and rapid public support to contain the impact of the rise in energy prices on households and industry, in a context of volatility in international markets and growing political pressure to avoid an economic deterioration in the Union.

The digital brain of Von der Leyen takes control of Competition in the European Commission

The architect of European digital regulation, a key figure in the struggle with Big Tech, now assumes command of Competition with the challenge of piloting the reform of the mergers model and redefining the market balance in the EU

Hungary halts the European "illiberal" turn and lets fall the "submarine of Russia", sixteen years later

Europe's thermometer is measured in Hungary: keys to understanding a decisive electoral pulse

The Hungarian elections become a test for Viktor Orbán's political model, with a questioned electoral system, a reconfigured opposition around Péter Magyar, and a result that could alter Hungary's position within the European Union

Interconnections, brake on ETS2 and tax cuts: the European PP's recipe in the face of the energy crisis

The political family of Ursula von der Leyen asks the European Commission for a structural approach when designing its energy plan due to the Iran crisis, with special attention to boosting interconnections and relief in the costs of citizens' bills through a tax reduction.

Ribera and the labyrinth of mergers: critical weeks to decide how much power large companies will have

The executive vice-president is preparing for a new showdown within the community executive, which is finalizing the details on the review of the mergers model in the face of pressures that ask to make controls more flexible given the instability of the geopolitical context.

Brussels raises the pressure on Israel after the offensive in Lebanon and leaves the association agreement in the air

The European Commission calls the escalation “very serious”, while it studies reactivating the suspension of the agreement with Israel as it did during the Gaza war and increasing diplomatic pressure to reopen navigation in the Strait of Hormuz

Viktor Orbán, the mirror in which Ábascal looks at himself to wage the cultural battle against the European consensus

After fourteen years of hegemony in Hungary, the leader of Fidesz has become the ideological beacon of the Spanish radical right. His strategy, based on the iron control of justice, the constant challenge to Brussels' migratory quotas and a pragmatic relationship with the Kremlin, serves today as a roadmap for a Santiago Abascal who aspires to replicate his model in Spain.

The ceasefire relieves the pressure and gives margin to Brussels to recalibrate its energy strategy

The temporary relief in oil prices offers the European Commission the opportunity to adjust its energy roadmap, analyze fiscal impacts, and coordinate measures that mitigate the effect of the crisis on consumers and industry, without losing sight of market sustainability.

Orbán heats up the polls with a veto blow: this is how he has strained the EU before the Hungarian elections

Budapest arrives at the elections after months using the veto as a political tool in Brussels, blocking aid to Ukraine, sanctions packages against Russia and key decisions of the European Council, in what diplomats define as a strategy that combines institutional pressure and electoral calculation

Jorge Martín Frías (Vox): "We share diagnosis with Trump on reality and the threats"

The president of the Disenso Foundation defends in Demócrata his party's coincidence with the White House agenda against what he considers an increasingly distant European Union, criticizing the European Commission, according to his criterion, for decisions far from national interests and the influence of NGOs financed by Russia in climate policies

The new defense investment pattern strengthens the Government's positioning in NATO's technological architecture

The increase in defense spending not only allows Spain to reach the objectives of the Alliance, but also to drive a strategic shift towards technological modernization, with a growing weight of innovation and the acquisition of equipment compared to traditional spending on personnel.

The European right pressures to stop the wastewater directive: “The reduction of generics will affect patients”

The European People's Party intensifies its offensive against the community regulation by warning of an increase in costs for the pharmaceutical industry, questioning Brussels' calculations and demanding a pause in its application given the risk of shortages

Spain shoots up its Defense spending by 117% in the last decade, according to NATO

The annual report of the the alliance confirms the Spanish investment effort with an increase of 117.09% in real terms which places spending at 33,589 million euros and consolidates the fulfillment of the 2% GDP target, justified in large part by military modernization

Brussels investigates Snapchat for allowing access to pedophiles and drug use to minors

The European Commission opens a formal procedure on suspicion that the platform does not adequately protect minors against grooming, recruitment for criminal purposes, and exposure to content about drugs and restricted products, in possible non-compliance with the Digital Services Act

The “zero tariffs” to the United States pass the European Parliament's filter and Trump's threats with new safeguards

The MEPs have taken advantage of the delay in processing, due to the continuous crises with the Republican Administration, to include in the agreement signed in July of the previous year strengthened conditions that protect Europeans against new trade challenges.

Cyprus submits to the Twenty-Seven a draft on tobacco tax directive “that takes into account the concerns”

The Council presidency intensifies the fiscal negotiations in the EU with a compromise text among the Member States, with the aim of unblocking the differences on the taxation of tobacco and its derivatives and moving towards a consensus agreement before the end of its presidency

Quick guide to not miss the elections in Denmark and its impossible balances

The Danes go to the polls in a scenario marked by international geopolitical pressure, with the European debate eclipsed by the consequences of the war in Iran and the recent crisis over the sovereignty of Greenland

What does Spain gain with the EU-Australia agreement? Keys to the end of tariffs on engines and Manchego Cheese

Europe shields its agri-food sector and the electric motor in a pact that abolishes 99% of tariffs: a market of 17.7 billion that protects Manchego Cheese, boosts Sherry and opens the doors of the Pacific to 3,000 engineers and scientists

The EU activates the agreement with Mercosur: provisional application from May 1

Brussels gives green light to the treaty despite legal doubts and accelerates its entry into force to eliminate tariffs and strengthen bilateral trade

How the European competitiveness calendar stands after EUCO: key proposals, dates and deadlines

The Twenty-Seven set an ambitious horizon —although full of ambiguities— to relaunch the single market: regulatory simplification, a boost to financial integration, and new industrial initiatives with dates extending until 2027, while the Commission gains time to concretize measures in a context of geopolitical pressure and doubts about the actual execution

Europe parks its competitiveness while it convinces itself of the de-escalation in Iran

The leaders of the European Union try to de-escalate tension in the Middle East with a call for restraint, while postponing key decisions to strengthen the single market and competitiveness, limiting themselves to outlining energy measures and postponing structural reforms in a context of economic uncertainty