Andrew Watt
andrewwatteu.bsky.social
Andrew Watt
@andrewwatteu.bsky.social

General Director, European Trade Union Institute
@etui.bsky.social

Formerly www.imk-boeckler.de

EU economic governance, comparative political economy, European integration, socio-ecological transition, wage bargaining
Deutschland-Versteher
Vietnam .. more

Economics 58%
Political science 32%

Jaw-dropping. The Trump administration is weaponising the Department of Justice to intimidate the Fed chair through the threat of criminal proceedings.
Hard to imagine markets simply shrugging off such a blatant attack on central bank independence.

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Stephen M. Walt, Kori Schake , and 88 more

Video message from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KckG...
www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...
Statement by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell
YouTube video by Federal Reserve
www.youtube.com

Don't worry. Be hyggelig.

Reposted by Guillaume Allègre

NYT: are there any limits on your ability to use American military might?
Trump. Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.

Regrets about referring to Trump as a Mad King I have none.

messaging-custom-newsletters.nytimes.com/dynamic/rend...
The World: An interview with Donald Trump
messaging-custom-newsletters.nytimes.com

Well, a higher MW means more money in (MW) workers' pockets, unless employment falls. (Which most studies mostly suggest holds.) Higher prices mean less "money", i.e. spending power, for all workers. Which is bigger we don't know. But normally there is a productivity effect, which is a net gain.

We are seeking an experienced database administrator to coordinate all the data-related activities at the Institute.
Deadline for applications is 16th January!
🚨 #JobAlert reminder

💻 Don’t miss this opportunity! The ETUI is looking for a Database Administrator to play a key role in the Institute’s #data-driven activities.

🌐 In this role, you will manage, secure & optimise the ETUI’s core data assets.

🔗 etui.org/4Z5
@andrewwatteu.bsky.social

Reposted by Andrew Watt

🚨 #JobAlert reminder

💻 Don’t miss this opportunity! The ETUI is looking for a Database Administrator to play a key role in the Institute’s #data-driven activities.

🌐 In this role, you will manage, secure & optimise the ETUI’s core data assets.

🔗 etui.org/4Z5
@andrewwatteu.bsky.social

"Can you tell me when the stock market is going to crash?"

Correction
Leopold II (not I).

Indeed, thanks for pointing out!

Update
The weak and exculpatory response by Europe to the breach of international law in Venezuela looks ever more wrong-headed.Not the dictator 's arrest, but rather the "running the country" from Washington is central. This is personalised extractive colonialism reminiscent of Leopold I.

One in five cars sold in Germany last year was battery-electric. Sounds good, but it is much too low to shift the stock of automobiles on the road running on fossil fuels (just 4%).
4 in 5 new sales still have a petrol/diesel engine.
(1 in 8 of these is a plug-in hybrid, on which views differ).
1/ 🔌🚗 New data published today for 2025 shows strong growth for electric cars in Germany! Or does it?

Here are the facts, based on the recently updated #OpenEnergyTracker:
▶️ Purely battery-electric vehicles accounted for 22.2% of all new passenger cars registered in December.
1/ 🔌🚗 New data published today for 2025 shows strong growth for electric cars in Germany! Or does it?

Here are the facts, based on the recently updated #OpenEnergyTracker:
▶️ Purely battery-electric vehicles accounted for 22.2% of all new passenger cars registered in December.

Reposted by Helmut Reisen

Dear followers, I wish you all a good 2026!

I am (re)starting a blog on Substack. I will cover similar themes to the posts here, but without the character limits, allowing a more in-depth analysis and commentary. Do consider signing up for the (free) email alerts:
open.substack.com/pub/andrewwa...
Back to the blog
Europe needs vision
open.substack.com

Not sexy. Only longer-run pay-off. So doesn't count. Sad.

Interesting piece on the history of US exploitation of Venezuelan oil by @gabrielzucman.bsky.social
open.substack.com/pub/gzucman/...
(I'd be cautious about the Saudi Arabia comparison at the end.)

Oil certainly drives Trump. But whether Big Oil wants in under current conditions is uncertain.
Understanding U.S. Intervention in Venezuela
You cannot make sense of Nicolás Maduro’s removal without grasping the enormous financial interests involved with regime change in Caracas.
open.substack.com

Update
Not for the first time (cf. Gaza), it is Spain under Sanchez that is saving Europe's foreign policy blushes. Here in concertation with Venezuela's neighbours.
www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...
Why didn't Kallas think of reaching out to these countries before speaking out?
‘Extremely dangerous precedent’ set by Trump’s attack on Venezuela, six countries warn – live
Spain, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Uruguay say US actions ‘constitute an extremely dangerous precedent for peace and regional security’
www.theguardian.com

No tears need be shed for Maduro. But by failing to stand up for the most basic principles of international law and human rights and criticising Trump at least as clearly as his domestic opponents have, Europe's leaders are failing in their duty to stand up for Europeans' long-term interests.
5/5

When Trump himself has underlined the dangers and costs of misguided nation-building, these have negatively affected Europe in the past and seem all too likely to do so in this case. And, finally, when Trump has clearly violated US laws and is seeking to deflect attention from his domestic woes.
4/5

When he trumpets an enhanced Monroe doctrine incompatible with international law. When the drugs trafficking case against Maduro - for all that he is clearly an illegitimate ruler - is weak and rendered ludicrous by Trump's recent pardoning of the former president of Honduras.
3/5

The same leaders have tried and largely failed to rally global opinion behind Ukraine and against the aggressor, Russia. They warn China against imposing its will on Taiwan. Yet they equivocate when Trump openly talks about running Venezuela & giving US companies access to its huge oil reserves.
2/5

The mealy-mouthed response to the US attack on Venezuela and abduction of its president by EU (Kallas, vd Leyen) & national (Macron, Starmer) leaders is wrong-headed. Calling for respect of international law without calling out its blatant violation will only deepen global cynicism about Europe.
1/5

You too, Tom! Will be in touch shortly re trade policy.

especially of immigrants, go hand in hand.
Moreover, unwittingly or not, it also provides justification ex post to Putin wrt Ukraine and ex ante to China wrt Taiwan. The holder of the FIFA peace prize and declared opponent of forever wars makes international armed conflict all the more likely.
2/2

The biggest geopolitical concern is 2026 is that, faced with a hammering in the November midterms, Trump will double down on his already authoritarian policies. Bombing Venezuela at the very start of the year is a very worrying sign of his intentions. War and domestic repression ...
1/2

Our history is murky but we hold it in the palm of our hand. We are not condemned to repeat all our past mistakes.
Wishing all bluesky folllowers a happy and healthy 2026.

The charts clearly show that the world simply cannot afford another three years of this utter madness. (No lesser word will do.)

Excellent reporting @financialtimes.com. pls give the world a Christmas 🎁 by un-paywalling it!

2/2

giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
Of all the changes wrought by the Trump administration, the single most damaging in the longer term is almost certainly his attack on the green transition and his fossil-boosterism. Partly because of the copycat effect it has had in the EU.
1/2
Climate policy suffers blistering setbacks in 2025 despite clean energy boom
US retreat much worse and faster than expected in second Trump administration
giftarticle.ft.com

Update
If you missed Special Purpose Vehicles, securitisation, & lack of transparency about who ultimately carries the can 👆, I can help you: giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
SPVs are not inherently dangerous, and volumes are still small. But for tech giants to pay a premium to shift risk is 🚨!
Tech groups shift $120bn of AI data centre debt off balance sheets
Creative financing helps insulate Big Tech while binding Wall Street to a future boom or bust
giftarticle.ft.com

of bonds held by banks and insurance companies will decline. These are investment grade bonds, currently considered (& priced as) almost as safe as US treasuries. Until they aren't.
Sound familiar?
AI does have an upside potential that real estate lacks, but if it is not realised soon, 😱 beckons
2)2