Think Tank

European Works Councils (EWCs) are bodies that should guarantee employees the right to be consulted on important issues in large multinational companies active in multiple EU countries. However, EWCs have been criticised for being ineffective, on account of unclear definitions, non-dissuasive sanctions and ineffective access to justice. In February 2023, the European Parliament called for legislative action to address the shortcomings identified and strengthen the functioning of EWCs. In response ...

On 20 January 2025, President Trump halted all US foreign aid pending a review. By 10 March, 83 % of USAID programmes had been terminated, creating a US$60 billion funding gap that neither Team Europe – the EU and its Member States collectively – nor other donors can fill, amid declining global official development assistance (ODA). This infographic uses OECD Development Assistant Committee (DAC) data on 2023 ODA commitments and disbursements. Commitments are pledged funds reflecting donor priorities ...

In 1947, drawing on the lessons learnt from the global economic damage caused by trade protectionism and tariff wars prior to World War II, 23 countries, including the United States, initiated the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) as a platform for multilateral negotiations aimed at liberalising and boosting global trade. To this end, GATT members - and since 1995 the members of the then newly created World Trade Organization (WTO) - gradually reduced their import tariffs and tariff quotas ...

Latvia is set to receive non-repayable financial support (grants) worth €1 969 million to implement its national recovery and resilience plan (NRRP), including for the REPowerEU chapter. These resources represent 0.3 % of the RRF, equal to 6.4 % of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019. Under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the original plan had an initial value of €1 826 million. In June 2022, Latvia's grant allocation was increased by €9 million. In September 2023, Latvia ...

In this paper, we propose and analyse four scenarios of a second Trump administration’s economic policy and its impact on Europe, ranging all the way from moderate tariffs to full trade war, a full multilateral breakdown with the US leaving the IMF down to a more cooperative exchange rate realignment agreement. We assess two trade scenarios quantitatively and outline broader policy shocks and their economic consequences. Our findings highlight significant challenges for the ECB, requiring responses ...