Christian Odendahl
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codendahl.bsky.social
Christian Odendahl
@codendahl.bsky.social

European economics editor @TheEconomist. London via Berlin, Stockholm and Cologne. Have no plans to write a book.

Economics 55%
Political science 39%

Fair. But Germany is quite keen on collaboration across Europe, not least to assuage fears of a massively armed Germany. But the technicalities are beyond my expertise, I defer to @sophiabesch.bsky.social and others on that.

Fair. Though it is not new, it has been a common position in many parts of Europe for a while.

Net zero dad content. I love it.

That is one way to look at it. The other is that France wants to build some leverage to make sure the next ECB head is not a teutonic hawk.

Can we do this without the insults?

I think the irony in that is indeed that France was right, and Germany now has the means to implement it.

All good!

A serious-looking German economist making jokes is confusing.

Sorry, yes, it was a joke.

As much as I dislike the word homework in this context and his public lecturing of another country, the German foreign minister just said out loud what many in Berlin are thinking.

“Anyone who talks about independence from the USA today must first do their homework at home. … Unfortunately, efforts in the French Republic have also been insufficient to achieve this so far.”

www.welt.de/politik/ausl...
Nato: „Erst einmal Hausaufgaben machen“ – Wadephul attackiert Frankreich für „unzureichende Anstrengungen“ - WELT
Mit Verweis auf die Verpflichtung der Nato-Mitgliedstaaten mahnt Bundesaußenminister Johann Wadephul: „Wir müssen die fünf Prozent auch umsetzen“ – und meint damit besonders Frankreich. Deren Ausgaben...
www.welt.de

Reposted by Christian Odendahl

Again, on FCAS, deux salles deux ambiances as we say in French
🇫🇷 Macron in Munich: « I believe in FCAS »
🇩🇪 Merz: « There are others in Europe, the Spanish anyway, but also other countries interested in talking with us »
www.politico.eu/article/frie...
Franco-German fighter jet project in turmoil as Merz raises doubts
“This isn’t a political quarrel. We have a real problem in the requirement profile. And if we can’t solve that, then we can’t maintain the project,” says German chancellor.
www.politico.eu

Reposted by Christian Odendahl

I'm sure there were people who hated turning this car park into a park. But you can't imagine tarmacking over jubilee gardens so that people can park there.

Change is hard, but once it happens no one will ever want to go back.

Reposted by Christian Odendahl

Apparently the pushback was from DGs DGT, SG, RTD, SJ, JRC and HR who all thought IAA had an unfair allotment of vowels.

There are 9 DGs?
Industrial accelerator act delayed…until March. Rejected by 9 DGs and von der Leyen

Reposted by Christian Odendahl

Industrial accelerator act delayed…until March. Rejected by 9 DGs and von der Leyen

Reposted by Christian Odendahl

Guys guys guys my book is on sale!!!

No not *that* kind of sale... if you preorder it from Waterstones between now and midnight Friday you get 25% off. #WPreorder

www.waterstones.com/book/how-to-...

And the third one on #Putin in Düsseldorf. As if the parade officials wanted to compensate for the absence in both Cologne and Mainz.

Speaking of drones, Düsseldorf had another one featuring Putin as a drone pilot (and the AfD's leader Alice Weidel as the drone).

In no uncertain terms, it says "The country's traitors" on the side.

It did have one on the #Bundeswehr and drones, so somewhat related. Fair to say, Colognians are not impressed by the drone wall.

Bit disappointed that my home town, #Cologne, did not have one on Putin or Ukraine, and the justification for the absence was largely unconvincing.

Anyway.

The Karneval parade in #Düsseldorf is the only major one with a satirical float on Putin this year. The chief designer of the floats is under investigation in Russia.

"You cannot kill satire," is his response.

True. I also think the Netherlands may soon be replacing Italian supplies, so we should be ok.

Meloni is still polling strongly, if she holds on to power for too long, the EU may run out of former Italian prime ministers to write landmark reports.
“We’d like to build this”

Europe: “Right let me check that against the rules”

Anglo: “K everyone go away and prepare your arguments”

Reposted by Christian Odendahl

I think… I think I may have done something really bad

Reposted by Christian Odendahl

Thus European rhetoric is pointing toward taking back control of defense. But that is not materializing in a revolution in military affairs. Europe is spending more (yay!). But it can't spend its way to military coherence. More here: www.foreignaffairs.com/europe/europ...
Europe Needs an Army
Only collective defense can protect the continent.
www.foreignaffairs.com
[NEW] The good divorce, or: why I was (unfashionably) encouraged by this year's Munich Security Conference.

My take on #MSC2026 for @agendapublica.es ⬇️

agendapublica.es/noticia/2069...
The good divorce: An optimistic account of Munich Security Conference 2026
Jeremy Cliffe, Top Columnist at 'Agenda Pública' and editorial director at the European Council on Foreign Relations, reports from the 2026 Munich Security Conference on a "good" transatlantic divorce...
agendapublica.es

Reposted by Christian Odendahl

Something incredible is happening in Spain
Welcome to Count Deregula's castle