Aerospace

Space experts: Cheaper ‘real-time data’ needed for earth monitoring services

Satellites can help track things like extreme weather, forest stocks and methane emissions, but more and cheaper "near real-time data" is needed for next generation applications to emerge, say Miguel Bello and Ricardo Conde.

Airline exec: EU should incentivise production of green fuels

Airlines are at the forefront of changes made to the way the aviation industry does business. When it comes to what to fuel aircraft with, carriers are increasingly turning to greener options. EURACTIV spoke to an airline executive about that fuel shift.

EU’s Sefcovic: Europe must be ‘much more strategic’ on raw materials

The European Union “cannot achieve” climate neutrality without critical raw materials like lithium and rare earths, says Commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič. It now needs to be “much more strategic” in relations with supplier countries in order to ensure the bloc's “strategic autonomy,” he argues.

Air traffic control chief: Humans will always be in the loop

Air traffic management is the focus of some serious EU-funded research and development. The aim of much of the work is to improve its efficiency and win gains like improved safety and smaller carbon footprint. One of the main figures behind the project explained it to EURACTIV.

Eickhout: Next step for Europe is a ‘Green New Deal’ for industry

Europe must adopt an ambitious industrial policy aligned with its climate agenda by investing in clean technologies, and introducing a carbon tariff at the EU’s external border in order to protect industries against environmental dumping, says Bas Eickhout, the lead candidate for the Greens in the European elections.

Czech deputy PM: A ‘different’ migration is needed

We have to change NATO from a defence pact to tan offensive pact, Andrej Babiš, the Czech minister of finance, who also serves as deputy premier, told Euractiv Poland.

Saryusz-Wolski: Trump is not the end of the world

Europe’s military abilities are useless if there’s no political will to use them in the face of danger, Civic Platform MEP Jacek Saryusz-Wolski told Euractiv Poland.

Czech MEP: Europe needs harmonised standards for smart cities

According to Dita Charanzová, smart cities are about bettering the lives of Europe's citizens. They'll not only improve urban life but the environment too, she told Euractiv.com

Steel chief: Brexit may help defend the EU from dumping

For every tonne of steel that we reduce from our production capacity, we find five imported tonnes at our border, Axel Eggert, the director general of the European Steel Association (EUROFER) told Euractiv Slovakia.

Aviation exec: Research in electric aircraft ‘developing very rapidly’

Industry interest in electric propulsion for aircraft is growing fast but the first hybrid-electric jetliner is “at least a decade away”, according to one aviation R&D executive.

MEP: ‘My main concern is that humans are not dominated by robots’

Mady Delvaux, a Socialist MEP from Luxembourg, has been tasked with drafting the first regulatory proposal worldwide to address the rise of advanced robotics and artificial intelligence.

UNEP: Dieselgate will ‘push the electric revolution very quickly’

The ‘Dieselgate’ scandal will mark an important step towards phasing out the hundred-year-old internal combustion engine which doesn't have a place in a modern, low-carbon transport system, says Ulf Björnholm.

James Nix: Brexit could pave the way for EU-wide carbon tax

Originally, the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) only came into place because the UK was opposed to using taxation as a policy instrument to reduce global warming. With Brexit, there is now an opportunity to look again at an EU-wide carbon tax, according to James Nix.

Universal basic income paid by a ‘robot tax’ is a bad idea

Although the digitalisation of industry is a top priority among EU decision makers, Europe should not be concerned about job losses caused by growing automation. Instead, member states should teach the new generations the skills required for a digital future, believes the VDMA chief, Thilo Brodtman.

Boeing: ‘UK’s aviation policy is in question after Brexit’

US aircraft maker Boeing confirmed its commitment to the UK's aviation sector during the Farnborough Airshow. But in the long run, the uncertainty generated by the country's exit from the European Union will be hard for business, says its Vice-President, Randy Tinseth.

Airlines boss: ‘Passenger rights should be printed on the back of the ticket’

Negotiations over the gridlocked EU air passenger rights regulation need to be put back on track despite the UK-Spanish standoff over Gibraltar – otherwise both airlines and passengers will suffer, warns Laurent Donceel in an interview with EURACTIV.com.

Accenture digital chief: ‘Oettinger is doing a great job’

The completion of the Digital Single Market will play a crucial role in the transformation of European companies, Accenture's Bruno Berthon told EURACTIV.com. One of the main challenges, he believes, will be deciding how companies share data.

Ex-DARPA chief: ‘Innovation with no goals is not efficient’

Ken Gabriel has dedicated his life to innovation and entrepreneurship at Google, and the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). For Gabriel innovation boils down to “satisfying an unmet need”.

Navracsics: EIT must be ‘more visible, more transparent and more compact’

The beginnings of the European Institute of Technology (EIT), created in 2008, were “probably a little bit slow and complicated,” admits Tibor Navracsics, the Commissioner overseeing the EU’s flagship innovation agency. But things should be back on track soon, he told EURACTIV.

Solvay CEO: ‘We badly need a European energy policy’

Lack of access to affordable energy is the key driver behind the slow erosion of competitiveness in the European chemical sector, warns Jean-Pierre Clamadieu, who urges policymakers to reach agreement on a genuine European energy policy.