EURACTIV.com Archives

The European Commission aims to make Copernicus, the EU’s earth observation programme, a “top tool” in fighting climate change in the future, which will simultaneously be more involved in policies related to water management, a high-ranking EU official said. “One of …

Short food supply chains have a multidimensional role to play. They can help revitalise European farms by encouraging young people to work the land, but they also provide cheap and healthy food to consumers and attract tourists, campaigner Geneviève Savigny told EURACTIV.com in an interview.

The level of terrorist threat remains "pretty serious" in several EU countries, Gilles de Kerchove, the EU's counter-terrorism coordinator, told EURACTIV.com in an interview hours before the latest attack in Strasbourg on Tuesday night (12 December).

Europe's chemical management rules, REACH, are over a decade old and the man seen as the architect of the legislation still thinks it is the most modern of its kind in the world. But the former boss of the European Chemicals Agency says the EU could do with going back to the drawing board.

Azerbaijan, a supporter of multilateralism and international cooperation, will chair the Non-Aligned Movement in 2019-2022, with international peace and security as the top priority issues, a senior official from the country told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.

The Greek pharmaceutical industry has reached its limits due to a number of “unreasonable” burdens imposed by the government during the crisis, Greek pharma chief Olympios Papadimitriou told EURACTIV.com in an interview. The sustainability of pharma companies is at stake, threatening 86,000 jobs, he said.

The EU continues to lead the world in balancing ethics with science, although the gap with other regions is "significantly" narrowing, Charles Laroche, industry co-chair of the European Partnership for Alternative Approaches to Animal Testing.

In an exclusive interview, the long-serving Russian ambassador to the EU Vladimir Chizhov provided insight on his country’s position on the Azov Sea situation, which led to the cancelling of a meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Argentina.

Vienna’s energy and infrastructure utilities say the Commission’s long-term strategy unveiled this week is in line with own their forecasts and goals.

In a long-ranging interview, the former Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk discussed the Azov Sea tensions and the upcoming elections in Ukraine. He reveals that he will probably run next time, giving a chance to Petro Poroshenko to be …

Talks between the European Parliament, Commission and Council about a mandatory transparency register - an attempt to regulate lobbying - have unfolded slowly. Parliament Vice-President Sylvie Guillaume explains her institution's position, after the Commission accused it of dragging its feet.

Member states share Spain's concerns over the future relationship with Gibraltar after Brexit, Vice-President of the European Commission for Jobs, Growth, Investment & Competitiveness Jyrki Katainen told EURACTIV.com in a long interview where he addressed all the pressing challenges the EU is currently facing.

Francis Mvemba tells EURACTIV why he hopes to defeat Congo's political class in December's presidential elections.

Europeans have to be “very vigilant” that today’s dependency on imported oil and gas is not replaced by dependency on lithium, cobalt, copper and other raw materials that industries need for the green transition, Maroš Šefčovič told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.

Collecting and recycling waste is more important than ever, since EU targets ask more and more from member states. But national capitals face a dilemma about how best to recycle more, as two distinct schemes offer two very different solutions.

Whether it’s for heating their swimming pools or to power their air conditioning systems and home appliances, regulated electricity prices “give the greatest potential benefit to richer households” who consume the largest amounts of energy, says Klaus-Dieter Borchard.

With growing shares of renewable energies added to the system, the dynamic pricing of electricity becomes even more important in order to provide flexibility on the demand side, says Pierre Tardieu. This is why regulated energy prices can only slow the pace of the energy transition, he argues.

As excitement builds about the opportunities of the new green economy, concerns are growing as well. The economic transition will require new grid infrastructure, new distribution models and, perhaps most importantly, more raw materials, says Kornelis Blok.

The digitisation of the agricultural sector will be at the heart of Greece’s growth following the exit from austerity-driven bailouts, Greek minister Nikos Pappas told EURACTIV.com in a recent interview.

Artificially low energy prices in France are one of the reasons why former state monopoly EDF loses money, says Thomas Pellerin-Carlin. Moreover, regulated prices are useless to protect vulnerable consumers from energy poverty and “almost never leads to low energy bills,” he argues.

Spain and China celebrate this year the 45th anniversary of their bilateral relations. In order to continue strengthening this bond, Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to Madrid in the coming weeks. “We are already seeing that China is opening its markets,”  Spain’s Trade chief Xiana Margarida Méndez told EURACTIV.com.

Europe has to tackle the root causes of migration and better manage population flows by investing in people rather than walls, Udo Bullmann told EURACTIV.com in an interview.

Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans should keep away from the strained rule of law dialogue between Brussels and Warsaw, as long as he is running for a seat in the new Commission, says expert Sławomir Dębski. He spoke to EURACTIV.com about Poland's place in Europe, its relations with neighbours and security.

Private investors need to come clean and commit to science-based targets on climate change, says Paul Simpson. Unfortunately, “there is still money out there for the dirty investments in the short term,” he laments, calling on regulators to take action against opaque finance.