Heather Grabbe

3 weeks ago | bruegel.org | Rebecca Christie |Conall Heussaff |Georg Zachmann |Heather Grabbe

The European Union Nature Restoration Law (NRL) entered into force in 2024. The NRL sets quantitative restoration targets aimed at improving natural habitats that are currently in poor condition, with substantial leeway for countries to choose implementation pathways that fit their priorities. This Working Paper examines three pathways: (1) evenly spreading restoration efforts across all ecosystems; (2) prioritising cost-efficiency; and (3) maximising carbon sequestration.

1 month ago | bruegel.org | Rebecca Christie |Ignacio Garcia Bercero |Heather Grabbe

The outcome of the 19 May European Union-United Kingdom summit took the form primarily of declarations of intent that will need to be followed with substantive negotiations. Nevertheless, the summit was a major step towards the EU and UK working together more closely. The most ambitious part of the EU-UK reset is on security and defence. This makes sense because the EU cannot achieve strategic autonomy without working with the UK to build effective defences and deter Russian aggression.

1 month ago | bruegel.org | Rebecca Christie |Heather Grabbe |Guntram B. Wolff |Alicia Garcia-Herrero

In the 1930s and 1940s, half a million European scientists and intellectuals fled fascism, finding refuge in universities and industry in the United States. Many did ground-breaking research during and after the Second World War – not least Albert Einstein. Europe now has a chance to return the favour. Many excellent researchers are under threat from the Trump administration’s attack on US science.

Mar 12, 2025 | bruegel.org | Rebecca Christie |Heather Grabbe |Guntram B. Wolff |Jeromin Zettelmeyer

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, Rebecca Christie is joined by Jeromin Zettelmeyer and Peter Praet to discuss the economic outlook for Europe and the United States, the impact of prospective tariffs, and the role of monetary and fiscal policies. The conversation touches on the impact of geopolitical uncertainties, structural reforms, and the ongoing debate around defence spending in Europe.

Mar 11, 2025 | bruegel.org | Rebecca Christie |Heather Grabbe |Guntram B. Wolff |Alexandr Burilkov

Executive summaryEuropean NATO members must raise defence spending by enough to deter through strength an irredentist Russia. This must be done possibly without the United States and when ageing populations demand higher social spending. Raising defence spending to sufficient levels could result in a doubling of current primary deficits to just over 3 percent of GDP on average. This seems likely to be a fiscally unattainable goal for this group of countries.