Jorge Valero
The Brief, powered by BP – Searching for a Spanish statesman
On 10 November, Spain will hold its fourth general election since 2015. The vote is the result of the lack of statesmanship among the party leaders in a critical period, especially of Socialist chief Pedro Sánchez.
New investment clause fails to win EU member state support
EU member states remain split over a possible relaxation of the bloc’s fiscal rules meant to facilitate investment in the bloc, despite calls from the European Central Bank and some governments to increase public spending and mitigate the risk of recession.
Europe launches last-ditch effort to avoid US tariffs
The European Commission has dangled the prospect of limiting its public subsidies to the US administration in an attempt to avoid further tariffs from Washington that could come as early as next month in the context of the Airbus-Boeing dispute.
Growing pressure on eurozone economies to launch stimulus
The European Commission and some member states including France followed the ECB in pressing Germany and other countries with fiscal space to invest more to counter the risk of recession.
The Brief – Von der Leyen needs to prove she won’t be Barroso III
Ursula von der Leyen will have to work hard to demonstrate that her Commission won’t be the member states’ secretariat. The Conference on the Future of Europe should not be window dressing if she wants to prove we've not gone back to Jose Manuel Barroso’s era.
Draghi urges Germany, Netherlands to invest against risk of recession
The European Central Bank said on Thursday (12 September) it will reactivate its bond-buying programme, stepping up the monetary stimulus to maintain economic growth, but its president Mario Draghi told Germany and the Netherlands the time has come to spend more in order to avoid the risk of a downturn.
The seven-point recipe to improve EU’s messy fiscal rules
The European Fiscal Board has recommended major reform of the Stability and Growth Pact in order to simplify the EU’s spending rules and favour productive investment in the era of low-interest rates.
A new team to defend Europe’s economic sovereignty
Achieving a “more assertive” Europe that can improve its competitiveness and sovereignty in an increasingly hostile world. These are the main guidelines of President-elect Ursula von der Leyen to the new College of Commissioners, unveiled on Tuesday (10 September).
Lagarde pledges to continue with Draghi’s loose monetary stance
Christine Lagarde promised on Wednesday (4 September) to respond with “agility” to the looming financial and economic turbulences once she becomes the president of the European Central Bank in November, while confirming that the current loose monetary stance will continue for a “long period of time.”
EU member states to look into Facebook’s controversial Libra
The Economic and Financial Committee (EFC), which brings together the EU’s member states, has requested an analysis note from the European Commission to further look into the risks posed by Facebook’s controversial digital currency Libra and the ways to regulate it.
Leak: Capitals seek to reform EU summits to cope with Trump era
EU countries are working on a review of their summits to improve their efficiency amid the challenges posed by Donald Trump, China and other foreign actors, according to official notes seen by EURACTIV.com.
Europe splits over IMF leadership
Divisions between the EU's geographical blocs are complicating the process of picking a European candidate to lead the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as the EU wants to agree on a nominee as soon as possible to retain the Fund’s chair.
König: I don’t believe in gender quotas
For many, the banking union represents the most ambitious step in EU integration since the creation of the euro. As the chairwoman of the new authority to resolve European systemic banks, Elke König, has been in the driving seat of the process.
Spain obstructs agreement on ‘Tobin tax’
Revenue sharing among member states appears as the main outstanding issue to reach an agreement on the financial transaction tax (FTT), as Spain is still opposing the mutualisation of the resources, European officials told EURACTIV.
Five things to know about the new pot to support EU economies
The European Commission will play a key role in deciding what reforms and investments are supported by a new financial instrument expected to be in place in 2021, whose amount is yet to be decided by the member states as part of the negotiations on the EU's long-term budget (MFF).
G7 says Facebook’s Libra poses ‘serious risks’
The G7 listed on Thursday (18 July) the requirements Facebook’s new ‘coin' Libra should meet, as regulators are increasingly wary of the “serious risks” posed by this digital currency.
Le Maire: ‘Capitalism is in a dead end, must reinvent itself’
French finance minister Bruno Le Maire is determined to chair an “efficient” meeting with his colleagues of the G7 countries on Wednesday and Thursday. His goal is no less than to refound capitalism. As a first step, he wants to reach an agreement on the main features of digital tax, to pave the way for an international compromise by early next year.
Von der Leyen likely to be confirmed as she wins majority of Socialists
A large majority of Socialist MEPs were ready to support Ursula von der Leyen to become the next president of European Commission, paving the way for her confirmation during the vote scheduled for Tuesday evening (16 July).
EU postpones announcement on Turkey sanctions to ‘de-escalate’ tensions
The EU accepted on Monday (15 July) to postpone few hours the announcement of the sanctions against Turkey over the drilling in waters off Cyprus, following a request by Ankara not to interfere with the third anniversary the failed coup, EU officials and diplomats told euractiv.com.
Von der Leyen spells out concessions to Parliament ahead of crunch vote
Putting carbon neutrality into law during first 100 days, a new “Just Transition Fund” or the nomination of two executive vice-presidents are some of the concessions listed by European Commission President nominee Ursula von der Leyen, according to the letters seen by Euractiv.
Emission-busting aviation taxes gain ground, despite airline pushback
Ryanair in April became the first airline to be included among Europe’s top ten polluters, with some calling the airline company ‘the new coal’ industry. Large economies like France and Germany have begun seeking impact-reducing alternatives to air travel by imposing new taxes.
German ambassador to the EU: ‘China is changing us’
Europe should increase its economic assertiveness abroad and put forward a new strategy to face China’s rivalry, as the challenges posed by Beijing are already affecting the way European countries are preparing to compete with global powers, experts and diplomats agreed on Thursday (12 July).
Commission’s forecast paves the way for new ECB stimulus
The European Commission kept its growth forecast unchanged at 1.2% on Wednesday (10 July) but revised downwards inflation to 1.3% for this year and the next, strengthening the case for further monetary stimulus as global economic risks worsen.