The Franco-German motor needs some gas (and some nuclear)

With the roll-out of the clean industrial deal, new climate targets and ambitious plans to ban Russian fuels, Brussels was just getting started with its new energy roadmap when the US forced its hand, insisting on an exacting trade deal. The European Commission is now likely to spend the next few months trying to get back on track from that Trumpian manoeuvre.

You wait ages for an omnibus, then six come along at once. The European Commission’s omnibus simplification programme is becoming a veritable traffic jam, transforming — if not clogging up — the legislative pipes. And there’s more to come: a 22 July consultation hints at the next phase, a review of EU environmental law. Behind the scenes, frustration is mounting among officials and lawmakers alike, who denounce a top-down process that risks undermining years of work — and shifting the balance of power in Brussels.