Monday, 17 August 2026Europe · Analysis
Independent · Brussels & Berlin
Person
Former President of the European Central Bank, European Central Bank
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz honored the former ECB president and Italian prime minister in Aachen, citing his crisis leadership and the 2024 Draghi Report as a blueprint for European renewal.
Belgian prime minister argues Brussels has stifled innovation while the US builds trillion-dollar tech giants, as leaders prepare for informal castle meeting with Draghi and Letta.
Brussels delays its AI Act and rewrites GDPR to let firms train models on personal data without consent, while Washington moves to block states from regulating the technology at all.
The digital omnibus package would give high-risk AI developers up to 18 months more to comply and allow personal data to train models without explicit consent, drawing accusations of a major rollback from rights groups.
A year after the former ECB president's report, the European Commission has launched numerous initiatives but national governments have blocked the structural changes he argued were essential.
WEF founder says he met ECB president in April to plan leadership transition for early 2027, but Frankfurt insists she will serve her full term ending in October.
The European Commission's new roadmap aims to slash regulatory burden, mobilise €800 billion in annual investment and redirect European savings into venture capital, but climate activists warn it sacrifices green standards for industrial appeasement.
European Commission president unveils Competitiveness Compass promising 25 per cent cut in administrative burdens, but green groups and unions warn against deregulation by stealth.
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