EU von der Leyen’s ‘De-risking’ Gambit Running into Reality

Reports in Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post indicate that the EU is tamping down EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s threats of “de-risking,” due to the objections from some EU members, notably France and Germany. Some of the most controversial parts of the proposal, such as a law for screening investments into China by private companies in ten high-tech sectors, have been put off until next year, at the earliest. Instead, Brussels will embark on a series of monitoring exercises, aimed at proposing policies at the end of the year. SCMP reports, “In reality it could become many years before any proposal becomes law.” The EU is eager to place more export control in their own hands rather than individual members, but EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, said that the EU was interested in avoiding a “turf war.”