Coronavirus
Lufthansa board gives green light to €9bn bailout
The supervisory board of German airline Lufthansa voted on Monday (1 June) in favour of the government's €9 billion aid package, after the European Commission compromised on its conditions for approving the bailout.
World COVID-19 cases top 6 million as leaders disagree on pandemic response
The number of coronavirus cases worldwide topped six million Sunday (31 May), with Brazil registering another record surge in daily infections as divisions deepened on how to deal with the pandemic.
Renault targets €2bn in savings, will cut 15,000 jobs
Carmaker Renault said Friday (29 May) that it would cut nearly 15,000 jobs, including 4,600 at its core French operations, as it seeks to steer out of a cash crunch exacerbated by the coronavirus crisis.
Vestager defends EU approach to Lufthansa mega bailout, as carrier agrees terms
EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager said on Friday (29 May) that the European Commission was not creating unnecessary obstacles to Lufthansa's €9 billion bailout, shortly before the carrier agreed to accept the Commission's set of conditions.
Italians least satisfied with EU’s coronavirus response
According to a survey carried out for the European Parliament, Italians are the least satisfied EU citizens when it comes to the EU's response to the coronavirus crisis. EURACTIV Italy reports.
Will the EU have a new ‘single market tax’ for multinationals?
The European Commission is working on a proposal for a new tax on multinationals operating on the single market to finance the recently proposed recovery fund, but the Commissioner for Internal Market, Thierry Breton, told EURACTIV he recommends being "very cautious" rather than too imaginative in picking new levies.
EU urged not to mess with UN aviation rules
Leading MEPs have asked the European Commission and Council not to seek changes to the UN's global aviation scheme, which is aimed at making the industry carbon neutral. Airlines have requested more leeway to ride out the coronavirus outbreak slump.
Denmark reopens borders for locked-out lovers
More than two months after closing its borders, Denmark has loosened restrictions to let couples separated by coronavirus lockdowns finally see each other again -- even if the easing applies just to partners from a few nearby countries for now.
Breton: With better information from China and WHO, we would have been better prepared
Commissioner for Internal Market, Thierry Breton, told EURACTIV.com in an interview that Europe could have been better prepared to face the COVID-19 if China and the World Health Organisation had offered “better and more reliable information earlier”.
The EU steps up for a more equal post-corona future
The EU's ambitious new budget proposal to drive recovery following the coronavirus pandemic is a good start. But long-term investment will also be needed in health, social protection, and human development, writes Emily Wigens.
Bulgaria pins hopes on BCG vaccine against coronavirus
In the worldwide battle against COVID-19, scientists are investigating whether a century-old tuberculosis vaccine might offer some additional protection against the novel coronavirus.
‘A quantum leap’: German MEPs welcome EU debt for recovery plan
Until recently, the German government resisted taking on joint EU debt. Now, Germans are heaping praise on the recovery plan presented today by the EU Commission. EURACTIV Germany reports.
How EU member states reacted to the Commission’s Recovery Fund proposal
Most EU member states have reacted positively to the European Commission’s €750 billion Recovery Fund proposal, which aims to help the bloc cope with the devastating economic implications of the pandemic.
All eyes on Germany’s ‘crisis’ presidency, expected to lead EU recovery
The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic has forced Germany to radically revise the priorities for its EU Council Presidency in the second half of the year. One thing is clear: the biggest EU country takes the helm in the midst of an unprecedented crisis, at a crucial time for the bloc's recovery efforts. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Lufthansa board baulks at EU bailout terms
The board of German airline Lufthansa refused to accept the conditions of a €9 billion aid package on Wednesday (27 May), citing the European Commission's reported requirement that the carrier give up some airport slots at two of its major hubs.
Spain holds minute’s silence for COVID-19 victims, begins 10-day mourning period
Spain held a minute’s silence yesterday (27 May) to pay tribute to the more than 27,000 people who have died from COVID-19 in the country as it begins a 10-day mourning period. EURACTIV's partner EFE reports.
Ships, planes could help EU pay for virus recovery
The European Commission’s €750 billion recovery fund could be covered financially by new sources of revenue, which include extending the EU’s carbon market to the aviation and shipping sectors, the bloc’s executive confirmed on Wednesday (27 May).
Von der Leyen proposes €750 billion stimulus under member states’ grip
European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, proposed on Wednesday (27 May) an unprecedented stimulus of €750 billion, mostly through non-refundable grants, with governments having a crucial role in deciding how the money will be spent.
Commission puts forward massive €750bn stimulus against corona-crisis
The European Commission will propose later on Wednesday (27 May) an unprecedented fiscal stimulus of €750 billion, mostly made up of grants that do not need to be reimbursed, to overcome the deepest recession in EU history.
COVID-19 lockdown: The EU leaders who didn’t lead by example
In the UK and in many countries in Central and Eastern Europe leaders have shown lack of respect for the lockdown measures – the EURACTIV network looked into how some prime ministers and presidents have conducted themselves through the pandemic so far.
Illegal football match sparks anxiety in French virus hotspot
An illegal football match played in France's eastern city of Strasbourg sparked fears on Tuesday the game could lead to a resurgence of the coronavirus virus in one of the worst-affected areas in the country.
MSD official: COVID-19 shows the way toward a new community care perspective
A lesson to be learned from the COVID-19 pandemic is that Europe should switch to a community-based healthcare model with the enhanced use of new technologies, a senior official of the Italian subsidiary of MSD, a multinational pharmaceutical company, told EURACTIV in an interview.
German states claim sole responsibility for coronavirus regulation, sidelining federal government
At the weekend, the leader of Thuringia announced plans to end coronavirus restrictions in the eastern German state and replace them with local measures. Saxony voiced its support for the idea, while other states quickly condemned the move, possibly heralding the end the country's relatively harmonious federal coronavirus cooperation. EURACTIV Germany reports.