Brussels Briefing

Europe’s fiscal future depends on raising productivity in the workforce, which can rise if men start pulling their weight at home.

Paris and Berlin are sidelined as voters seek change and security at the same time. Brussels will have to step in.

The EU needs more than rules to forge a successful technological future. Its digital policy will serve the bloc better if it stays open and consciously linked to the rest of the world.

The EU’s consensus-driven stumble toward choosing institutional leaders is more democratic than the alternatives.

The European Union says it sees China as a partner, a competitor, and a systemic rival. Europe’s priority now should be ensuring that Beijing does not become an enemy.

The EU’s banking union needs to keep growing for Europe’s economy to thrive.

A battle of egos between Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel is putting the European Union’s post-pandemic solidarity at risk. The EU’s standard-bearers should do a better job of putting policy goals ahead of personal ambition.

A central bank-backed digital currency would put the EU in the global vanguard when it comes to taking cash payments online. But missteps could put the entire banking systems at risk if the project streamlines finance too much at home or abroad.

Since taking office, Ursula von der Leyen has frequently brought the continent together in the face of unprecedented challenges. The current energy crisis may well decide her legacy as European Commission president.