Piotr Arak, “The Rift”: Mid-December EU leaders have reached an agreement on achieving climate-neutrality by 2050 but with Poland opting-out of the target. It doesn’t mean that Poland takes an opposite attitude towards common ambition of achieving climate neutrality.

Piotr Arak: In her stirring speech to the European Parliament last week the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, presented the European Green Deal. She confirmed the earlier announcements about substantial upscaling of the EU climate targets for 2030 and 2050.

Piotr Arak: The far-right Alternative for Germany party celebrated another strong showing in the former Communist East in local elections.

Piotr Arak: The European economy is one of the biggest in the world. We tend to forget that we have more than 500 million consumers and an economy worth 15.9 trillion euros, meaning more than China and almost as much as the US.

Piotr Arak: The Green Deal for Europe has the chance to become a hallmark of Ursula von der Leyen’s European Commission. Transition to a climate neutral economy means an ambitious, costly and far-reaching transformation, impacting the living standards of all social groups.

Piotr Arak: The European Union’s cohesion policy risks a major reduction of funds under the next Multiannual Financial Framework, despite its palpable effects on economic growth and competitiveness.

Piotr Arak: The United States has its liberalism, and Europe has its welfare state, which is so attractive that a few years ago the Union was flooded with a wave of immigrants from the Middle East and Africa.

Piotr Arak: The 27 European Union countries have still not agreed on the multiannual financial framework for 2021-2027. Without a clear UK decision on Brexit, the construction of the next EU budget is impossible.

Piotr Arak: Since the 1980s, inequality has been growing everywhere on Earth, except in Western Europe but otherwise in Russia. The communists became oligarchs and the oligarchs became state employees of the Putin’s government.

Piotr Arak: The process of increasing international trade in Africa and decreasing barriers that can foster growth resembles the goals and policies introduced successfully in Europe. This year Africa will take a big step towards tackling entrenched economic problems including a dearth of intra-regional trade as the new continental free trade agreement comes into force.