A new book, Europe Day and what to expect from the digital euro?

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In this edition:

• Happy Europe day! Our new book Who’s watching Brussels is out this week
• Interview with the ECB: what to expect from the digital euro
• Trouble in the ID group

Happy Europe day! Our new book Who’s watching Brussels is out this week

Ok, we admit it: it’s pure coincidence. At a certain point one of us very smartly remarked that the publication date of our new book Who’s watching Brussels is actually the same day as Europe day: the festive day where (at least some) European citizens turn to the streets to celebrate the achievements of the European Union!

With great power comes great responsibility. Not least: ensuring proper checks and balances are set in place to make sure the European politicians and decision-makers can be held to account. In an essay to be published tomorrow – on Europe Day – I’ll explain why this isn’t a subject to be neglected now more than ever.

And on Friday, as a part of our ‘Facing Europe’s Disruptors series’, we’ll put the spotlight on Italy’s prime minister: Giorgia Meloni. Who is this woman who might become the dealmaker between the Christian Democrats and far right parties in the European Parliament? How did she come to power? It’s the third story in this series. Earlier, we published about the Hungarian leader Viktor Orban and the Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico.

Lise Witteman

Interview with the ECB: what to expect from the digital euro

The European Central Bank has been working on introducing a new form of money: the digital euro. The launch of the digital euro could give every European a free, universal payment account. But, as we’ve written earlier, this grand vision is at risk of being curtailed by a well-coordinated lobbying campaign of the banking industry.

Plus, not everyone is convinced regarding the benefits: Opponents of the digital euro claim the currency is being introduced to monitor where people spend their money or ultimately even to ban payments for unhealthy or polluting products. To better understand what’s at stake, we’ve interviewed Evelien Witlox, who leads the ECB project on the matter. What can the public and businesses expect, and what is this all good for? Read it here.

Thomas Bollen

Trouble in the ID group?

In our recent investigation into transparency rules and the new EU Ethics Body, we described how the Christian Democrats and the right-wing conservative parties are trying to block a more transparent EU.?

Last week, it became clear that another political family in the European Parliament joined the blocking camp: the Identity and Democracy (ID) group. None of the ID-members voted in favour of setting up a new ethics watchdog. (You can read more about the body in this interview with governance expert Maaike Geuens.)?

The ID group includes political parties such as far-right parties such as Vlaams Belang and Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). Speaking of ethics, the AfD has been in the news a lot recently since one of its European staff members was arrested on suspicion of spying for China. In light of this case, AfD leader Maximillian Krah’s office in the European Parliament was searched by police just yesterday.

At the European list leaders' debate in Maastricht last week, the bad track record of the ID politicians didn’t go unmentioned. Bas Eickhout, leader of the European Greens, told Danish ID leader Anders Vistisen that his party should clean up its own mess before criticising others.?

Alistair Keepe?