János Allenbach-Ammann
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janosallamm.bsky.social
János Allenbach-Ammann
@janosallamm.bsky.social
Brussels-based EU economic policy journalist for @table.media. Ab und zu ein Bericht mit Schweiz-Bezug im Hauptstadt-Bericht.

Formerly: Economy editor @ EURACTIV.
Reposted by János Allenbach-Ammann
Today's migration stats illustrate the migration doom loop in action...

(from my presentation at the IMF last week)
November 27, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Reposted by János Allenbach-Ammann
If I haven’t lost count entirely, this was the fourth time Europe was fooled.

So yes it’s about time to finally figure out our own strategy instead of putting all energy into humouring Trump.
Yes, but it is also a fact now that there is a pattern to it.

As the saying goes, fool me once, shame on you, fool my twice, shame on me. The Europeans should no longer dellude themselves that a Trump/Vance US can be a reliable ally.
The Trump cycle on Russia-Ukraine. Some pro-Russian plan emerges. Instant commentariat renew their "Trump as Russian plant" stories. Plan is amended under EU (and US) pressure. Putin rejects it. Instant commentariat is puzzled. Rinse and repeat. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/u...
November 25, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Reposted by János Allenbach-Ammann
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.

They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
November 25, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Lutnick was quite explicit today in Brussels: kill your digital rules, then we can talk about steel tariffs.

The EU would be quite shortsighted to give in to this extortion, but given past performance, we should probably consider this as the most likely outcome.
November 24, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Reposted by János Allenbach-Ammann
(Once again) this is a Brexit reflection. ‘Global’ Britain was meant to mitigate losses from Brexit and surpass EU membership. That ‘vision’ was based on trade deals and liberalised ‘fair’ immigration. The latter is now being dismantled and the former relies on no defunct liberal multilateralism.
Trade folk (including myself) are unconvinced there is much of a growth dividend for Rachel Reeves from agreements with India, EU, and US. Just as there's no evidence of positive impact from independent UK trade policy since 2021. www.politico.eu/article/rach...
Rachel Reeves hopes trade deals can save Britain’s budget. Economists aren’t convinced.
With a difficult budget looming, the chancellor has increasingly turned her gaze overseas.
www.politico.eu
November 24, 2025 at 8:18 AM
Interesting post. Again, what Europe needs is not super radical, but the timidity of the EU Commission and the stubbornness of member states will make these proposals for tax reform look outlandish.
November 24, 2025 at 6:13 AM
Reposted by János Allenbach-Ammann
Wonderful write-up by @erikfossingnielsen.bsky.social on a fascinating fiery debate at CERs annual economics conference this weekend (so fast Erik!)

Should Europe use incentives to pull some of our capital exports back home rather than fund Americas deficits?

independenteconomics.substack.com
Sunday Wrap by Erik F. Nielsen | IndependentEconomics | Substack
I write about economics, policies and markets - trying to connect the dots. Click to read Sunday Wrap by Erik F. Nielsen, a Substack publication with thousands of subscribers.
independenteconomics.substack.com
November 23, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Reposted by János Allenbach-Ammann
November 21, 2025 at 8:41 AM
Reposted by János Allenbach-Ammann
Important - in a global order in which international rules are losing importance, one part of the emerging replacement is this neo-royalist approach involving interlinked states and companies. Once again, put away the deglobalisation simplisms.
1/This week has seen a blitz of what looks like corruption sandals: Saudi development deals for US military tech, Pakistani payments to Trump insiders for tariff relief, Swiss gold bars for a trade deal. Far from a payoff, this is a reordering of internat'l system.
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/mxthh...
www.dropbox.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Was die Schweizer Sozialdemokraten gegenüber vielen europäischen Schwesterparteien auszeichnet, ist m.E., dass sie nicht so verliebt in den Status quo ist und nicht so eingeschüchtert wirkt von potenziellen politischen und wirtschaftlichen Turbulenzen.
US-Zoll-Deal: So nicht, Herr Parmelin!

Nur wenn der Bundesrat spürt, dass die Schweizer Bevölkerung volle Transparenz verlangt, können wir verhindern, dass die Schweiz in einen schädlichen Deal gedrängt wird.

Trump-Deal jetzt stoppen: www.sp-ps.ch/kampagne/tru...
Jetzt Appell unterzeichnen – es bleiben uns 48 Stunden
Wir haben weniger als 48 Stunden Zeit. Immer deutlicher wird, dass SVP-Bundesrat Parmelin beim Trump-Deal entscheidende Punkte verschweigt. Am Mittwoch tagt der Bundesrat erneut. Bis dahin müssen wir ...
www.sp-ps.ch
November 19, 2025 at 3:23 PM
The good thing about the slowness of the EU and its savings and investments union project is that significant amounts of savings will probably only start flowing into capital markets after the AI bubble bursts (if ever).
November 18, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Reposted by János Allenbach-Ammann
At the same time, this means that I will be available for new projects.

So if you have an exciting idea that requires the expertise of someone specialising in supranational democracy, EU institutional reform, and the why and wherefore of European integration in general: please get in touch!
November 17, 2025 at 7:08 AM
Reposted by János Allenbach-Ammann
The problem from their point of view is that rapid decarbonization requires public, collective decisions about the organization of production, in a way that threaten capital-owners' authority over both the production process and the political system.
November 10, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Reposted by János Allenbach-Ammann
This is also one of MY favorite things that’s ever happened on the internet!
November 7, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Reposted by János Allenbach-Ammann
“Bill Gates and his pals were never going to be anything but fair-weather-friends to the climate movement, because they lack the political vision to imagine that the problems of global climate change are also problems of the global social hierarchy that they sit comfortably atop.”
Bill Gates's climate memo showed a stunning lack of political vision.

The climate fight was always going to require technologies AND markets AND a social movement to make inconvenient demands upon the powerful.

What did he think he was signing up for?

open.substack.com/pub/davekarp...
Bill Gates's stunted political vision
Bill Gates went full Llomborg. Never go full Llomborg.
open.substack.com
November 4, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Reposted by János Allenbach-Ammann
On my morning commute, I’ve started noticing these small black lockboxes mounted beside doorbells or hanging from fences. They’re easy to miss, but once you spot one, you start seeing them everywhere.
November 4, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Reposted by János Allenbach-Ammann
If a man is not a socialist by the time he is 20 he has no heart. If he is not an idiosyncratic mix of borrowed principles mostly based on disagreeing with whoever has annoyed him recently by the time he is 35 he has no head.
November 3, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Reposted by János Allenbach-Ammann
Metsola seems to suggest that, because the European Council has said so, Parliament will have no choice but to push through the omnibus with votes from the far right after Wednesday’s failed vote. This is a worrying stance and a puzzling view of the EP’s relationship with EU leaders
October 24, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Reposted by János Allenbach-Ammann
The car crisis tops today’s EU summit but leaders keep staring at the wrong problem

The issue isn’t the 2035 engine ban - it’s demand falling off a cliff today

With @sandertordoir.bsky.social and @lucasguttenberg.bsky.social, we show why flipping regs won’t help - and what the EU can do instead.
October 23, 2025 at 8:04 AM
Reposted by János Allenbach-Ammann
High time to get rid of the 'bazooka' framing. The ACI is not a magic weapon. It's a new procedural way of threatening retaliation and then imposing it. The effect really depends on the threats the EU is willing to make. Currently we're mainly deterring ourselves with the military analogies.
At the moment it is seen as the nuclear option, but officials want to get rid of that reputation. It's just one tool in the armoury - I know they don't like the references to "trade bazooka" because it makes member states nervous about using ACI.
October 22, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Reposted by János Allenbach-Ammann
It is depressing to see the centre right and left ignore decades of political science only to walk into the trap of the far right. Again and again.
October 21, 2025 at 10:12 AM
Reposted by János Allenbach-Ammann
“Digital dreamstate” is pretty good
a tyrant is ignoring the constitution, firing live artillery at americans, invading our cities, and tearing down the white house to build himself a palace

our institutions won't react because they're lost in a digital dreamstate, unable to decide what is true because of social media poisoning
October 21, 2025 at 2:01 AM