Western sanctions against Russia haven’t worked and both Moscow and the West would benefit from lifting them. Restrictions are harmful for everyone. Lifting sanctions would answer common interests. Indeed, both Russia and the EU would benefit from resuming full-scale cooperation.

President elect Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine will take office on May 28, 2019. While President Putin has said that he’s open to one-on-one peace talks with Zelensky who is also open to such a meeting, he has made his negotiating positions clear by saying the Donbas and Crimea are territories “temporarily” occupied by Russia, and he expects to bring them both back under Kyiv’s control.

The 'Spitzenkandidaten process' is a procedure whereby European political parties, ahead of European elections, appoint lead candidates for the role of Commission President, with the presidency of the Commission then going to the candidate of the political party capable of marshalling sufficient parliamentary support. The Parliament remains firmly committed to the process in 2019  

Source: EU Transparency Register, Lobbyfacts.eu (April 2019)

1. Google: $ 6.69m-6.96m
2. Microsoft: $ 5.57m-5.85m
3. Shell Oil: $ 5.01m-$ 5.29m
4. Facebook: $ 3.90m-$ 4.18m
5. Siemens: $ 3.92m
6. ExxonMobil: $3.62m-$ 3.90m
7. Bayer: $ 3.69m
8. BASF: $3.68m
9. Deutsche Bank: $ 3.67m
10. Dow: $ 3.06m-$3.34m

Whoever is appointed as the next HR/VP in 2019 needs to enjoy the backing of all EU leaders, including the leader of his/her home member state.

1. Taxer le carbone des produits importés en Europe et appliquer plus strictement le principe «pollueur-payeur» au sein de l’UE.
2. Fermer toutes les centrales fonctionnant aux énergies fossiles et sortir de tous les hydrocarbures d’ici 2050.
3. Garantir un air pur en taxant le transport aérien et en rendant accessibles les transports propres. Développer les batteries électriques, l’hydrogène, le biogaz et les bornes de recharge et arrêter la vente de voitures essence et diesel d’ici 2040

Source : Fondation Robert Schuman

Proposition 0 : Le président de la Commission doit être le leader d'une majorité parlementaire et le représentant (désigné à l'avance) du groupe politique ayant obtenu le plus grand nombre de sièges au Parlement européen lors des élections européennes.  

Source : Fondation Robert Schuman

The following scenarios are constructed using as parameters the criteria that guided the design of the EU sanctions package, specified in a joint letter by the President of the European Council and the European Commission. These include: “effectiveness, cost/benefit, balance across sectors and Member States, international coordination, reversibility/scalability, legal defensibility/ease of enforcement”. The following scenarios are designed as possible options, and conceived in a neutral fashion. Each scenario includes an assessment of the likelihood that each will materialise.