Interviews
MEP: EU needs common standards for digital transport, data management
Europe will have to work hard against competitors in China and the US to be a global leader in digital solutions for transport, an MEP involved in the issue told EURACTIV.com in an interview. Legislation must ensure common standards across the EU for transport to flow freely, she stressed.
Niinistö: What is a union that cannot provide security for its citizens?
Finland's President Sauli Niinistö does not rule out a common foreign policy, which would make the European Union a global player. In an interview with EURACTIV’s media partner Gazeta Wyborcza, he speaks about security threats on the eastern border and his support for deeper integration in security and defence policy.
Estonian minister: ‘Nobody is objecting’ to CO2 limit on power plant subsidies
The European Commission’s proposal for a CO2 limit on power plant subsidies is supported by the Council of Ministers, insists Ando Leppiman. But now the issue is more how it can be managed, he told EURACTIV.sk.
Food & drink industry boss: Do not confuse ‘quality’ with ‘recipe’ in food debate
What has been mixed in the current dual quality food conversation is ‘quality versus recipe’, as consumers have different preferences on sweetness and saltiness and we just have to accept it, FoodDrinkEurope leader told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
Airbus exec.: EU ‘bonus’ for aviation biofuels may be too little
The European Commission’s proposal to incentivise the production of biofuels for aircraft with a 20% “multiplier” goes in the right direction, says Thierry Nowaczyk from Airbus. The question is whether this is enough to fill the price gap with fossil-based kerosene, he told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
Analyst: ‘Energy efficiency targets help, but they don’t go all the way’
When EU ministers discuss new energy savings objectives for 2030, they should also consider the actual policies needed to achieve them, because targets alone won’t deliver, says Phil Summerton.
Zurich boss: ‘We need to look at protection, savings and retirement together’
Amid growing social inequalities and the digital transformation of the economy, Zurich’s Gary Shaughnessy believes public officials, employers and insurers should all cooperate to provide protection to the most vulnerable groups.
City leader: Europe must simplify rules to help cities become more resilient
Europe is moving in the right direction in helping its cities become more resilient and sustainable, but the EU must streamline its myriad regulations and requirements to move the process along, the leader of an international NGO pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation told EURACTIV.com. Michael Berkowitz, the president of 100 Resilient Cities, also said …
Vaccines boss: Clear privacy rules are needed for electronic immunisation record system
An electronic immunisation record system, which aims to better monitor vaccination among populations, will need clear privacy rules and individuals should be the owners of their own data, Patricia Massetti told EURACTIV.com in an interview. Patricia Massetti is an associate vice-president and European Vaccines Lead at MSD. She is also a Board member at Vaccines Europe, …
Czech MEP: ‘We cannot blame Brussels for our own failures’
We have to stop the “us” and “them” rhetoric in which we blame the European institutions, says Martina Dlabajová, a Czech liberal MEP and member of the ANO movement which is heading for victory in the upcoming Czech parliamentary elections.
Peter Liese MEP: ‘Intelligent lighting has biggest saving potential’
The EU's ban on incandescent light bulbs was the low-hanging fruit for energy savings in lighting, believes German MEP Peter Liese. Much more can be achieved now with modern lighting technology, he told EURACTIV in an interview.
Departing ECHA boss: ‘I don’t see myself joining a big lobby group’
Geert Dancet, the executive director of the Helsinki-based European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), will retire at the end of the year. In a wide-ranging interview with EURACTIV, he comes back over the EU’s sometimes excruciating efforts to bring the powerful European chemical industry into line.
UK shadow minister: Britain needs a real food policy after Brexit
After Brexit, the UK should develop a real food policy focused on consumer health and self-sufficiency, while ensuring public money gets to the farmers who need it, David Drew told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
Pharma boss: Targeting drugs won’t make healthcare systems more sustainable
“Salami-slicing” the cost of medicines, which represent almost one-fifth of health system budgets and are subject to rigorous value assessments, won’t make healthcare systems more sustainable in the future, Nathalie Moll told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
Catalonia’s chief communicator: We will be independent and an EU member
EXCLUSIVE / The EU may be reluctant now but it will inevitably accept to mediate in the separation of Catalonia from Spain and the presence of the new Catalan state within the EU, Joan Maria Piqué told EURACTIV in an interview.
European Parliament VP: ‘We must use the window of opportunity’ to deepen EU integration
Current conditions are ideal to push the EU towards becoming a European federal state, according to one of the vice-presidents of the European Parliament, Rainer Wieland. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Gastein boss: Drugs access is ‘sensitive’ and cannot be viewed in isolation
Accessibility of medicines is a sensitive issue that must not be examined in isolation. Policymakers, academics, business and patients must be part of the discussion as well as “innovation” because access would not get the focus it needs without it, according to Dorli Kahr-Gottlieb.
EU power utility boss: ‘Coal is finished, the hard question now is gas’
Apart from Poland, there are no plans to build new coal-fired power plants in Europe, says Francesco Starace. The hard question today is instead who will build a new gas power plant. “And many companies are not doing that either,” he told EURACTIV in an interview.
Pilar del Castillo: With changed rules, EU telecoms bill ‘can really boost investment’
Pilar del Castillo, the Spanish centre-right MEP leading negotiations on the EU's new telecoms bill, defends in an interview the European Parliament’s agreement on telecoms competition.
Rajeev Kher: ‘A social business does not remain a social business forever’
Social businesses are supposed to address social and environmental issues. But when the social issue is resolved, the social business becomes a business like any other, according to Indian social entrepreneur Rajeev Kher.
Jourova: EU rules on company seat transfers means savings for business
European firms could save millions in start-up and merger costs if they could use EU rules on cross-border transfer of registered office, says Věra Jourová, adding the saved money would be better invested in jobs, innovation and growth.
Food expert: There is a link between poverty and unhealthy diets
Working class people are being harmed as companies abandon free lunch programs, according to food and health policy expert Dr Martin Caraher.
Green MEP: Sustainability criteria will distinguish ‘good’ and ‘bad’ biofuels
Sustainability criteria are needed to make a clear distinction between “bad” biofuels like palm oil and “good” ones like some ethanol, MEP Bas Eickhout told EURACTIV in an interview.
Big member states are dividing the EU on digital agenda
Four countries - Germany, France, Italy and Spain - drafted a paper outlining their priorities ahead of last Friday’s (29 September) digital summit, where heads of state gathered in Estonia. Poland’s Digital Minister Krzysztof Szubert told EURACTIV.com their paper risks dividing EU member states on digital issues.