Jorge Valero
EU leaders fail to agree on first post-Brexit budget as divisions grow
EU countries failed to narrow deep differences over the bloc's next seven-year budget as a group of net contributors refused to approve bigger spending and instead pushed for big cuts for farmers and poorer regions, in a bid to fill a €75 billion hole left by Brexit.
Summit fails to narrow differences over EU’s seven-year budget
EU leaders broke off in the early hours of Friday (21 February) after failing to make significant progress on the bloc's expenditure for the next seven years. They will reconvene at 10 am this morning to try and make a breakthrough.
EU eyes single space for European bank cards
The European Commission will present this autumn a strategy on an integrated EU payments market, to facilitate the use of national payment services across Europe and reduce the dependency from international card operators such as Visa or Mastercard.
Parliament ready to flex its muscles over EU budget in wake of Brexit
Ahead of an EU27 summit on Thursday, the European Parliament is mounting pressure on the member states to agree on an ambitious budget for the bloc, demanding a bigger say in decision-making in the aftermath of Brexit and threatening to reject the bloc's key financial instrument.
Pressure mounts on EU leaders to reach MFF deal within days
The tight calendar, the urgent priorities awaiting the EU and the risk of post-Brexit talks affecting the negotiations are adding pressure on EU leaders to reach an agreement within days on the bloc’s long-term budget. Otherwise, a senior EU official warned, Europe risks facing a “horror scenario” in January next year.
Vestager: Facial recognition tech breaches EU data protection rules
The European Commission will take some time before deciding on how to legislate facial recognition remotely, but will not prevent national initiatives from moving ahead on their own, Commission vice-president Margrethe Vestager has said.
LEAK: Commission outlines plan to create single EU data space by 2030
The EU wants to create by the end of the decade a genuine single market for data that corresponds to its economic power, prioritising nine "strategic sectors" including health, climate, agriculture and energy, and dedicating up to €6 billion to investment in data centres, according to the Commission’s data strategy seen by EURACTIV.com.
‘Too early to assess’ the economic impact of coronavirus, Commission says
The European Commission won't consider the effects of the coronavirus outbreak in its updated growth forecast, expected on Thursday (13 February), saying it is "too early" to estimate the impact of the virus on the region’s output, EU sources told EURACTIV.
Commission warns of Green Deal failure if Transition Fund not well financed
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned on Wednesday (12 February) that the European Green Deal would fail if member states declined to provide the necessary funds to workers and regions affected by the climate transition.
Parliament to approve EU-Vietnam trade deal despite human rights ‘concerns’
The European Parliament is set to approve on Wednesday (12 February) a trade agreement with Vietnam, despite some MEPs and NGOs called for postponing their consent until the human rights situation improves in the country.
Member states ‘in the dark’ over Commission’s talks with the US
A group of EU member states are unhappy about the lack of information from the European Commission on the trade talks with the US and have expressed their “nervousness” about what could be in the deal, various diplomats and European officials told EURACTIV.
Xiaomi president: ‘We invest substantial amounts to be fully compliant with GDPR’
Amid security concerns surrounding Chinese tech giant Huawei, its smaller telecoms rival Xiaomi has been attempting to distinguish itself by focusing on consumer products and non-critical infrastructure.
This is how Europe is opening the floodgates to ‘green’ money
The European Commission launched on Wednesday (6 February) a consultation with member states, the European Parliament and other stakeholders to review the EU's fiscal rules, the Stability and Growth Pact.
Coronavirus threatens EU-China agreement in 2020
Concluding an EU-China investment deal this year would be a “real challenge”, even more as the coronavirus will force both sides to cancel negotiation rounds, warned the EU Chamber of Commerce in China.
Trade MEP chief says national parliaments not needed for post-Brexit ratification
The chair of the European Parliament’s trade committee voiced hope on Tuesday (4 February) that an agreement with the UK could be achieved by November and said national parliaments would not be needed to ratify the deal as it would be an EU-only association agreement.
Gibraltar faces hard border if no special deal by 1 January
Gibraltar’s border with Spain will be reintroduced on 1 January 2021 unless an additional deal is reached between the UK and the European Commission and approved by Spain.
Europe braces for negotiation storm in 2020
The EU's negotiating skills and unity will be put to a series of tests this year as the bloc seeks to thrash out a deal with the UK and minimise the impact of Brexit, conclude a trade agreement with the US, and finalise its long-term budget for 2021-2027.
The Brief – Who will be the next Eurogroup president?
The race for the Eurogroup presidency is (unofficially) on and it is still unclear if the current holder, Portuguese Finance Minister Mario Centeno, will stay in the job. But the names of possible candidates to chair eurozone meetings during a critical period for the common currency are already doing the rounds.
Wuhan team escapes coronavirus to train in Málaga
Wuhan Zall, the football team of the Chinese city at the epicentre of the coronavirus, will arrive in Malága this Wednesday (29 January) for its preseason training.
OECD chief: ‘Sánchez government is a response to Spain’s political reality’
OECD Secretary-General Ángel Gurría is one of the most-wanted men in the corridors of the World Economic Forum, held this week in Davos (Switzerland). On Wednesday (22 January) he introduced Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in the forum as “one of the great champions of multilateralism”.
Europe to assess whether US-China deal is WTO compatible
The EU will assess whether a US-China deal to roll back some bilateral tariffs in exchange for increased US imports to China is compatible with World Trade Organisation rules, said Trade commissioner Phil Hogan on Thursday (16 January).
‘Green’ alert: environmental risks top Davos report
For the first time in the 15-year history of the Davos risk report, the top five global risks are all environmental, according to the latest survey published on Wednesday (15 January) ahead of the World Economic Forum next week.
Spain pushes for prioritising services in EU-UK deal
Spain on Monday (13 January) called for the inclusion of services in the first phase of EU-UK negotiations on the future relationship, adding more complexity to trade talks that must be concluded before the transition period ends on 31 December.