The Data Act is coming
Dear friends, readers and Volters, Today, the European Parliament will vote on the Data Act, a law that we have worked very hard on. Why is it so important? The Data Act is a game changer for all products connected to the internet. It applies to a fridge, a car, a windmill and even an airplane. […]
History is in the Making
“Fix the EU” was Volt’s first promise during the 2019 elections. Back then many said that opening the treaties would be impossible – Well, yesterday we proved them wrong. We voted on proposals to amend the treaties on committee level – to forward them to the plenary in November. Then the European Council has to take a vote […]
A special newsletter on Ukraine
Hi everyone! I hope you all had a chance to take some time off over the summer. I recharged hiking in the alps and chilling on a beach. I needed that, because the coming months will be crazy and full-steam ahead until the EU elections in June. This newsletter is a special edition […]
Working through troubled times
Dear friends, readers, and Volters, A lot has happened over the last weeks. That’s why I will share a couple of updates over the coming days – the first one today being about my work for Ukraine. But before going into that, I just wanted to take a second with you to breathe and acknowledge […]
What is the EU’s plan to make freedom of movement easier for non-EU residents?
Members of the European Parliament are trying to reduce the time required for non-UE citizens living in EU countries to get long-term resident status and move more easily across the bloc. But will it happen? The European Parliament said this week the period of legal residence to obtain such status should be cut from […]
Powering Europe’s energy transition: EU bets on ‘clean’ hydrogen
Hydrogen accounts for less than two percent of the EU’s energy production. It’s been used in various industries for some time, but those processes have relied on natural gas, leading to CO2 emissions. The EU’s ambition is to turn hydrogen from a polluting niche market to a clean mass market. Renewable hydrogen is seen as […]
Fending off the subsidy race: Europe’s plan against the USA threatens to backfire
The EU is increasingly nervous about responding quickly to the multi-billion dollar US subsidy package. Sie plant, die Regeln zu lockern, nach denen sie Zuschüsse und Kredite an Firmen in den Mitgliedsstaaten vergibt. In doing so, it risks jeopardising the internal market. The spectre on the other side of the Atlantic keeps Europeans on tenterhooks. […]
Metsola’s transparency proposals are not enough!
Since we joined the European Parliament, we have been pushing to change the EU and the European Parliament. The recent corruption scandal should now give impetus for others to push for change too. Yet, apart from papers and statements, nothing fundamental has changed! Maybe, just maybe it is due to the obscure decision-making bodies that […]
The Data Act is a breaker of (competitive) chains
Today’s proposal for a draft Data Act delivers a long overdue fundamental reallocation of economic interests in the data economy. If adopted, it would change the paradigm through the introduction of clear and unequivocal economic rights for users of connected products over the data they create. By doing so, the Data Act proposal addresses a fundamental shortcoming […]
How to (not) win back trust
As many of you know, still in February we are grappling with the fact that Eva Kaili, a former VP of Parliament, allegedly took bags of cash to work for Qatar. For me, the vote on a new Vice-President was no ordinary vote. This could have been a strong signal that we understand how serious […]
