Notes
Short pieces, with one or two charts, on a specific figure. Each note is told through one lens and links to the theme it belongs to.
- US public debt exceeds 120% of GDP; the EU's, 80%In 2001, the EU owed more than the US. Today the US owes 122.3% of its GDP and the EU 81.6%. Within the EU, 12 of the 27 countries exceed the 60% set in the Treaty.
- The Draghi report, two years on: what it asked for, what has been done and what the data say todayIn 2024 Mario Draghi warned that Europe faced an existential challenge: it grows less, innovates less, pays more for energy and relies on others for its security. Two years on, defence spending has risen sharply, but investment and energy remain far from what he asked for.
- One in six new cars in the EU is now electric, but the pace depends on the countryIn 2025, 17.3% of new cars in the EU were battery electric, up from 1.9% in 2019. In Denmark, 67.8%; in Spain, 8.7%; in Croatia, 1.9%.
- Household electricity costs 31.5% more than in early 2021An average EU household pays 29 cents per kWh. In Ireland, 40; in Hungary, 11. Taxes are 28.9% of the price; in Denmark, almost half.
- How to comply with the AI Act: obligations, costs and the political battle over regulating AIA practical guide to the European AI law after its 2026 reform: what it requires of each company, in what order to act, the problems it is causing, what has already happened in practice and why the UN, Washington and Beijing see it so differently.
- The Draghi report in two charts: Europe grows less and needs to invest much moreSince 2000, the US economy has grown 69% and the EU's 41%. Draghi estimated that closing the gap requires an extra 750 to 800 billion euros of investment a year. Two years on, a quarter of his recommendations have been implemented.
- The AI Act and business: legal uncertainty is now the second barrier to AIEurope chose to be first to regulate artificial intelligence. Among companies that consider using it but do not, 54% now say the legal consequences are unclear, up from 46% in 2023.
- Housing has risen almost twice as much as inflation since 2015In the EU, buying a home costs 62% more than in 2015. In Hungary prices have multiplied by 3.7; in Finland they are slightly lower.