The sleeping policeman at the heart of Europe
Enforcement of EU law has become an afterthought
For a continent with a masochistic penchant for regulation, Europe is oddly not very good at crafting it. Over 2,500 new legal acts come out of the European Union machinery in any given year, or roughly one every hour of every working day (the summer offers some respite, but not much). A belated realisation that this regulatory fire-hose may have dampened growth has resulted in a slew of recently adopted EU rules being sunk before they have even been set afloat—to the delight of companies dreading being submerged in yet more red tape.
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This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “The sleeping policeman at the heart of Europe”
Europe
July 5th 2025- In Putin’s Moscow, a summer of death and distraction
- A pragmatic amnesty for separatists benefits Catalonia
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- Germany’s Bundestag bars AfD MPs from its football team
- The sleeping policeman at the heart of Europe
From the July 5th 2025 edition
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Ukraine’s political infighting gets nasty
As Trump starves it of arms, there is turmoil inside the government
Turkey’s strongman is becoming Donald Trump’s point man
But renewed war with Iran would put the honeymoon with Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the test
Germany’s Bundestag bars AfD MPs from its football team
Could the sporting ban precede a political one?
An infestation of ticks menaces Istanbul
And mosquitos are a growing problem too
A pragmatic amnesty for separatists benefits Catalonia
But it carries costs for the rule of law
America’s ominous new halt on weapons to Ukraine
It may reflect dwindling stocks but Ukraine thinks it is being pushed to make political concessions