Jorge Valero
Juncker: If we accept the Italian budget, ‘countries would insult us’
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told Italian media on Tuesday (16 October) that he could not accept the extra spending budgeted by the Italian government because other member states would “insult” the institution.
Eurozone faces critical budget issue as Italy defies the rules
For the first time since post-crisis rules entered into force, all eurozone countries are to submit their draft budget plans to the European Commission, but the Commission could also make an unprecedented move itself: sending one of budgets back to where it came from, most likely, Rome.
EU authorities defend Popular’s resolution despite thousands of complaints
Banco Popular intervention was a success story although more than 12,000 of the Spanish bank's shareholders requested to be heard in the complaint process, the European Commission and the Single Resolution Board (SRB) said on Monday (15 October).
Private sector ‘hasn’t done enough’ to stop extreme parties, says business leader
Businesses in Europe did not stand up to defend the system against the attacks of extreme parties and populist forces, says the president of Spain's Chamber of Commerce, José Luis Bonet.
Ambassador Zhang: China will do more to strengthen IP protection
China and the EU are “in the same boat” when it comes to preserving multilateralism, China's ambassador to the EU, Zhang Ming, stressed in an exclusive, wide-ranging interview with EURACTIV.com, which also addressed next week's ASEM summit and China's relations with its Asian neighbours.
A silver lining in ‘illiberal’ Hungary
The looming decision on whether to close the prestigious Central European University (CEU), a symbol of the resistance in Hungary, is bringing together the opposition to forge an innovative plan to end the ‘Orbánian’ state, EURACTIV.com reports from Budapest.
EU Fiscal Board blames Commission for ineffective recommendations
The European Fiscal Board complained on Wednesday (10 October) that member states had failed to use strong economic growth to reduce their public debt, and called for a major change of EU fiscal rules to ensure better enforcement by the European Commission.
EU Commission prepares to reject Italy’s budget
The European Commission will take the unprecedented step of rejecting a national budget later this month if the Italian government does not improve its announced deficit figures, EU officials told EURACTIV.
Navracsics: I am ‘deeply interested’ in keeping the CEU in Hungary
Viktor Orbán's offensive against the Central European University is at the core of the worsening relationship between Hungary and the EU institutions. But his man at the European Commission, Tibor Navracsics, insists that he is “deeply interested” in keeping the university in Budapest.
Auditors warn of risk of over-promising and under-delivering with EU funds
In order to regain citizens’ trust ahead of the EU elections in May 2018, the European Court of Auditors recommended matching expectations with results when using the EU budget, as less than 15% of funds available were spent last year.
Ministers support giving more powers to EU watchdog to fight money launderers
The Ecofin Council “broadly” supported on Tuesday (2 October) the European Commission’s proposal to transfer more powers to the European Banking Authority to investigate alleged cases of money laundering in the EU.
Member states approve reduced tax for e-books and digital press
EU finance ministers reached an agreement on Tuesday (2 October) to allow willing member states to apply reduced VAT rates or even scrap taxes on electronic books and digital press.
Ministers press Italy to respect common rules in budgetary spat
Eurozone finance ministers and the European Commission called on the Italian government on Monday (1 October) to respect the EU’s fiscal rules, saying the “non-compliant” budgetary plan announced by the third largest eurozone economy could destabilise the region.
New controversy hits Spanish PM Sánchez’s bumpy start
Beloved in Brussels, on the ropes in Madrid, the Spanish socialist government faced this week one more scandal after it was reported that star minister and former astronaut Pedro Duque used a legal entity to pay lower his tax bill.
Dijsselbloem: ‘Come back to politics? Maybe in my next life’
Former Eurogroup president and Dutch Finance minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem has ruled out a return to politics as a member of the progressive platform set up by French President Emmanuel Macron, although he supports the movement.
Medical devices emerge as low-hanging fruit in EU-US trade talks
Medical devices came up as one of the first issues EU and US representatives discussed as part of fresh talks to improve the trade relations, European Commission Vice-President Jyrki Katainen told EURACTIV.
McDonald’s tax deal with Luxembourg ‘not illegal’, Commission says
The European Commission concluded on Wednesday (19 September) that Luxembourg’s tax deal with McDonald’s was not illegal state aid as it did not give the company an unfair advantage, but instead was due to the “mismatch” of US and Luxembourgish tax laws.
EESC president: MFF proposal is ‘not ambitious enough’
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) will discuss on Wednesday (19 September) the next multi-annual financial framework (MFF) with budget commissioner Günter Oettinger. EESC President Luca Jahier told EURACTIV.com that the long-term budget for 2021-2027 should be increased to 1.3% of EU’s GDP.
EU proposes to sanction countries breaching WTO rules
The European Commission on Tuesday (18 September) proposed sanctions on countries that commit “willful and repeated” obfuscation of their trade policies, as part of an effort to modernise the World Trade Organisation.
The unfinished work to avoid another Lehman Brothers
In the ten years that have passed since the fall of Lehman Brothers, Europe has improved its banking regulation but the financial system remains vulnerable. Europe commemorates the tenth anniversary with a solid growth. But experts consulted by EURACTIV.com warn...
Ross cancels meeting with member states due to hurricane Florence
US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross cancelled a meeting with member states’ permanent representatives on Thursday (13 September) to discuss EU-US trade talks as he returned back to the US due to hurricane Florence.
Juncker to propose breaking dollar’s dominance in global markets
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is expected to propose today (12 September) a bigger role for the euro in international markets and more efficient decision-making in EU foreign policy in his state of the union speech, European diplomats said.
Tsipras urges ‘progressives’ to join forces against neoliberalism and populism
Greek Prime minister Alexis Tsipras told progressive and pro-European parties on Tuesday (11 September) to join forces against “extreme” neoliberalism and far-right populism, whose discourse has become dominant within conservative forces.