Koen Verhelst

Koen Verhelst

@koenverhelst.bsky.social

Trade Reporter, POLITICO | Brussels 🇪🇺 via Rīga 🇱🇻 and Bonn 🇩🇪 | Grew up in an exclave 🇳🇱 | ✉️ kverhelst@politico.eu

3,068 Followers 412 Following 11 Posts Joined Oct 2023
1 week ago

French nukes: It's hard to overstate how much of a sea change it is that countries such as the Netherlands, Poland, Belgium, Germany are open to talking with France about nuclear deterrence. We have been getting used to it — but it's a major, major shift.

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4 months ago
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Trump’s COP30 snub thrusts Europe into a role it’s not ready for Without the US, the EU will bear the brunt of demands leveled at rich countries during the talks.

For decades, the European Union has relied on the United States to act as shock absorber and chief powerbroker at global climate talks. No longer.

www.politico.eu/article/dona...

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8 months ago
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5 procent naar defensie is niet genoeg om ons veilig te houden

Oh ironie van de geschiedenis: de architect van de publieke afbraak moet ons nu verdedigen

www.volkskrant.nl/columns-van-...

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8 months ago
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G7 embraces ‘realpolitik’ to work around disruptive Trump Trump’s G7 allies couldn’t get him on board with stronger measures against Russia — but at least they “live to fight another day.”

G7 embraces ‘realpolitik’ to work around disruptive Trump

...definitive summit wrap from @koenverhelst.bsky.social, Giorgio Leali and Nick Taylor-Vaisey

www.politico.eu/article/g7-e...

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8 months ago
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EU denies it will yield to Trump’s 10 percent base tariff Reports the bloc might accept the U.S. 10 percent global baseline tariff are “speculative and do not reflect the current state of discussions,” an EU spokesperson said.

The EU is not giving in to the US on a 10 percent base tariff, the bloc told me today at the G7 in Canada:

www.politico.eu/article/eu-d...

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9 months ago
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EU countries sideline experts in dash to slash green rules Diplomats warn that leaving experts out of policy discussions on simplifying green regulations will do more harm than good.

When it comes to simplifying the EU's green rules, experts just get in the way.

So countries thought it best to sideline them.

Read our latest deep dive behind the scenes of the EU's mission to cut red tape:
www.politico.eu/article/eu-c...

w/ @l-guillot.bsky.social & @koenverhelst.bsky.social

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9 months ago

This latest one is very reminiscent of the 200% wine and spirits threat from a few months back. A lot of chatter, zero policy

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9 months ago
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Zwarte Cross, Awakenings en nog tientallen festivals stiekem gekocht door Amerikaanse roofkapitalist Wat hebben Europese festivals als Sziget, Sónar, Wacken Open Air en Awakenings gemeen? Ze zijn sinds kort eigendom van de roemruchte durfinvesteerder KKR, dat 1,3 miljard euro voor tachtig festivals n...

Private equity heeft de festivalwereld ontdekt. Vrees voor duurdere tickets en afzeggende artiesten op tientallen festivals. Verhaal van @henkwillem.bsky.social voor @ftm.nl

www.ftm.nl/artikelen/ro...

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10 months ago
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Brussels unveils Trump trade retaliation tactics to EU countries EU executive is planning a two-track approach of incentives and retaliatory measures to convince the White House to strike a deal.

The European Commission presented to EU countries today a list of the concessions it is willing to make to the Donald Trump administration as well as a new list of goods it is going to slap with tariffs if negotiations fail, an EU official and an EU diplomat told POLITICO.

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11 months ago
POLITICO Pro

Here's the piece

pro.politico.eu/news/196962

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11 months ago

🚨 EU countries approve the €20+ bln retaliation package against Trump just now. Only Hungary voted against.

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11 months ago
Job Opportunities

My old job with the stellar Sustainability team at POLITICO in Brussels is up for grabs!

You'll get the chance to work with great colleagues @mariannegros.bsky.social, Leonie Cater and James Fernyhough.

Apply here: jobs.mpleo.net/en/politico/...

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11 months ago

De markten zijn net acht procent op en neer gestuiterd omdat Hassett onderbroken werd en toen 'yeah' zei - duidelijk niet in antwoord op de vraag.

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11 months ago
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EU offers Trump removal of all industrial tariffs “Europe is always ready for a good deal,” says Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

If all is hostile, turn friendly: EU offers Donald Trump to slash all tariffs on industrial goods.

www.politico.eu/article/eu-o...

w/ fresh reporting from Luxembourg by @camgijs.bsky.social @jakobweizman.bsky.social and data via @gi-coi.bsky.social

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11 months ago
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No industry, no tanks: EU bets on more clean steel to secure its future Saving and greening European steel mills is now a key part of the EU’s defence strategy.

🛡️ POLITICO hot take: Europe's plan to save the steel industry — but also, make it green — is really all about defence.

The action plan is a blueprint for manufacturing low-carbon deterrence against an expansionist Russia.

w/ @koenverhelst.bsky.social
www.politico.eu/article/indu...

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11 months ago
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Noord-Koreaanse dwangarbeiders ploeteren om geld te verdienen voor het regime. ‘We kregen één dag per jaar vrij’ Noord-Koreaanse dwangarbeider: Zo’n honderdduizend Noord-Koreanen werken onder dwang in het buitenland om geld te verdienen voor het regime. Zoals Kim Haneul, die ontsnapte van een bouwplaats in Mosko...

Voor @nrcnl.bsky.social sprak ik met Kim Haneul, een Noord-Koreaan die jaren als dwangarbeider in Rusland werkte en recent wist te vluchten naar Zuid-Korea. "We kregen maar één dag per jaar vrij"

www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/...

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1 year ago
POLITICO Pro

NEW: The EU won't propose a ban on bloc-wide purchases of Russian LNG in its 16th sanctions package, two EU diplomats said.

That comes despite the EU importing record volumes of the supercooled fuel from Moscow this month. w/
@koenverhelst.bsky.social pro.politico.eu/news/192991

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1 year ago
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Kijk, @mobiliteit.brussels, I fixed it for you.

Betere fietsinfrastructuur en openbaar vervoer leidt tot minder noodzaak om de auto te nemen. Klinkt wellicht paradoxaal, maar is keer op keer wetenschappelijk bewezen.

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1 year ago
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What the world can learn from Copenhagen’s cycling revolution Close to two-thirds of the city’s residents commute by bike to school or work every day.

“According to the finance ministry’s calculations, the cost to society of trips by car is close to one euro/km. On the other hand, every km travelled by bike yields societal gains of 60 euro cents thanks to the health benefits of cycling, transport efficiency gains, & lower infrastructure spending.”

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1 year ago
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Meloni’s Albanian migrant detention centers are now ghost towns The much-touted solution to Europe’s migration crisis houses only Italian police — who have taken to adopting stray dogs and sunbathing.

Giorgia Meloni pitched her Albania refugee camp as a near-miraculous solution. A few months in, the camps host more Italian staff than they ever did refugees as Meloni struggles to dodge European refugee repatriation laws. By @elenagiordano.bsky.social and moi: www.politico.eu/article/gior...

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1 year ago
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‘Future is Europe’ mural is a thing of the past It may or may not be resurrected.

If you work in the European Quarter, you’ve seen the mural on Rue de la Loi, a wash of color in an otherwise grey, traffic-choked street.

It was torn down today to make room for new European Commission offices. But it could be revived!

A very Brussels bubble scoop 👇 www.politico.eu/article/brus...

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1 year ago
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How the West convinced Russia’s diamond competitors to join it Involving Africa’s diamond producing nations proves crucial for a shot at workable G7 sanctions against Russian stones.

So for all us joining the X-odus, here's a nice piece that gives one hope for the future of Western sanctions against Russia 🛃

💎Diamond tracing will get real, as Botswana will certify its exports soon. And Angola just kicked out Alrosa. More here:

www.politico.eu/article/west...

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1 year ago

Waking up under a Blue Sky with 1.9k followers after months of radio silence on my part - the pressure is on! 😅

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2 years ago

Let's announce also here: I've joined Politico's trade team this week! 🌴🍌🚗🏭💱🌍🚨

My phone number stays the same, so let's grab a coffee or lunch soon. ☕

Main thing on the agenda will be the daily Morning Trade newsletter with @zimmerfrau.bsky.social, @camgijs.bsky.social and @busvine.bsky.social. 🗞️

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2 years ago

One more issue is Free, Prior and Informed Consent principle, which was added in plenary. A Swedish member of European Parliament feared it could become "a rolling veto."

There appears to be a solution, but how this will work in practice is still unclear.

#crma #criticalrawmaterials

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2 years ago

As the Brussels bubble is fully immersed the Raw Materials Week, it wakes up to the news of a political agreement on the EU's Critical Raw Materials Act.

Key changes:
- aluminium is in
- recycling benchmark by 2030 from 15% to 25%

#crma #criticalrawmaterials

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2 years ago
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EU-Übung: Wie die Europäische Union Militärmacht werden will An Spaniens Küste trainiert erstmals die geplante militärische Eingreiftruppe der Europäischen Union. Die könnte sie jetzt schon gut gebrauchen.

Eine historische Premiere: In Rota, Spanien, trainiert die EU diese Woche zum ersten Mal überhaupt gemeinsam ihre geplante militärische Eingreiftruppe.

Wir sind dabei. Hier unser Bericht, nachzusehen und nachzulesen:

Wie die EU zur Militärmacht werden will:
www.zdf.de/nachrichten/...

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