| Liberal Renew Europe, which performed poorly in the EU elections, is adapting to the EU's now-conservative legislature, signalling its willingness to cooperate with some members of the hard-right European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, writes Euractiv’ Nicholas Wallace. Meanwhile, after the EU House approved her college of commissioners, von der Leyen sent an email to all Commission staffers. “As this mandate draws to a close, I want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude to each of you,” she wrote in an email seen by Théo Bourgery-Gonse. The note sent to the ‘EC LIST EVERYBODY’ distribution channel – likely including some 32,000 people – was in her name with a headshot of her on the Outlook layout on Wednesday at 12:42 p.m. – just minutes after the vote actually took place. She outlines key wins of her first term, including the pandemic, the Green Deal, and immigration, and celebrates that “trust in the [EU] and the European Commission has reached 51% - its highest level in 17 years.” But this is not exactly overwhelming support either, as anti-EU, populist sentiment gains across the bloc, a nuance she did not draw on. And she closed on a note of seriousness: “The first 100 days of our new mandate will demand focus and energy.” In the energy field, the European Commission's energy department may issue a White Paper in 2025, which would lay the ground for further electricity market reforms, according to an internal document seen by Euractiv’s Nikolaus Kurmayer.
Last but not least, European industry ministers could not agree on a unanimous statement on the bloc’s economic competitiveness, amid a disagreement over whether EU funds should go towards financing nuclear power. Read more. | 