Economy & Jobs
The Cohesion Policy to come
Cohesion policy will be one of the main driving forces to achieve an equitable recovery, and the EU’s digital and green aspirations. EURACTIV tries to demystify the present and future of European cohesion.
Don’t forget the 95% – why Europe needs to seize opportunities of labour migration
Migrant workers play a crucial role in the functioning of our society. It is time the EU shifted its narrative and policy approach from border management and control to investing in regular channels for migration, writes Damian Boeselager.
Portugal wins EU support for corporate tax transparency law
Portugal’s EU Presidency on Thursday (25 February) won broad support form EU countries to move forward with the European public country-by-country reporting directive, which aims to make multinationals publish information on where they make profits and pay taxes.
Global agreement on corporate tax rates needed, UN report states
The international community should agree on the establishment of a global minimum corporate tax rate, according to a new UN report published on Thursday. The proposal is part of a package of reforms to combat tax evasion and money laundering and ensure that cash strapped governments can boost their public finances in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Portuguese minister: EU countries should start receiving funds by June
Portugal's minister of planning, Nelson de Souza, said on Wednesday (26 February) that member states that have their recovery and resilience plans approved by April should receive the first funds by June.
Spain announces €11 billion direct aid package for SMEs
Spain’s socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced on Wednesday (24 February) an €11 billion direct aid package to help mitigate the difficult financial situation of Spain's small and medium-sized companies, and the self-employed badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic. EURACTIV’s partner EFE reports.
Mafia eye health, recovery projects in virus-hit Italy
In coronavirus-hit Italy, mafia groups are eyeing the health sector and EU-funded infrastructure projects as their next big money spinners, police warned in a report Wednesday (24 February).
EU and US should join hands to make global trading system sustainable
For four years, trade irritants mounted as we lived under the threat of a fully-fledged transatlantic trade war – never more than a late-night tweet away. A rare moment is here at last to rejuvenate the way global trade operates, writes Cathy Novelli.
NGOs call for stricter reporting requirements for European companies
By the end of March, the European Commission wants to present a revised version of the so-called non-financial reporting directive (NFRD). A coalition of European NGOs is calling for greater transparency and stricter reporting requirements for companies in sustainability matters. EURACTIV Germany reports.
EU advisors and Poland’s PGE increase pressure over gas in green finance rules
The European Commission came under new pressure on Monday (22 February) from Poland's biggest power producer, PGE, and its own advisors, over whether to include gas power in EU rules on sustainable finance.
EU Commission warns of disorderly recovery from 2020 crisis
Not all EU countries will recover from the economic losses of 2020 at the same pace, the European Commission said on Monday (22 February), calling for a “strong joint response” from all 27 EU member states.
Spanish Central Bank proposes robust EU deposit guarantee fund
Spain's central bank considers that the volatile economic environment in Europe requires a massive EU response through a "fully mutualised European deposit guarantee fund". EURACTIV's partner EuroEfe reports.OpinionPromoted content
Young people in Europe’s post-COVID transition – enabling them to be the solution, not the problem
Most people have never experienced anything like the current Covid-19 pandemic, its effect on societies and economies. Young people have been particularly hard-hit. Supporting them with quality education and sustainable jobs is essential, not only for this generation, but for...
A new, climate-innovation led industrial strategy for Europe
Europe is an undisputed global leader in clean technologies like offshore wind. But to ensure European companies and workers can compete in a global economy that will be increasingly fuelled by climate innovations, much more needs to be done, argue Peter Sweatman and Thomas Pellerin-Carlin.
Towards a ‘new normal’: What challenges for EU’s post-crisis Cohesion policy?
What effect will the COVID-19 pandemic have had on cohesion within the EU and what lessons can be learned from the crisis to strengthen the bloc in the future? These are some of the questions addressed in the European Policy Centre's report published on Thursday (18 February), a year after the start of the pandemic. EURACTIV France reports.
Cohesion Commissioner tells Bulgaria to make good use of EU’s unprecedented funding
The opportunities that the EU’s new long-term budget and the Recovery and Resilience Fund, totaling €1.8 trillion, offer a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the EU and Bulgaria, Elisa Ferreira, Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms told a mostly Bulgarian audience.
CETA and Ireland Explained
Before the vote in Ireland’s parliament, the Dáil, EURACTIV takes a closer look at the impacts of CETA on Ireland and Irish exports into Canada, such as Irish Whiskey.
Non-financial performance is too important a matter to be left to financiers
Europeans want companies to be accountable for their environmental impact. That is one of the reasons why revising the EU's non-financial reporting directive is as political as it is technical, write Olivia Grégoire and Pascal Durand.
Commission wants to ‘explore options’ for India trade, investment
The European Commission said on Thursday (18 February) that it wants to "explore options" for expanding the EU’s trade and investment with India, notably ahead of the summit scheduled for May in Porto as part of Portugal's presidency of the Council of the EU.
Spain’s debt reaches highest level in more than a century
Spain increased its debt in 2020 by €112,438 million – almost the equivalent of the annual cost of pensions in the country – due to the heavy impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. EURACTIV’s partner EFE reports.
From financial solidarity to a social and federal union
The creation of a federal bond will pave the way for a treasury and common EU taxation. However, this ad-hoc financial union agreed by the European Council is mostly an intergovernmental affair and a stronger role of the European Parliament...
EU regions’ advisory body to step up cooperation with Commission
Renovations, sustainable mobility, urban greening. These are just some areas in which the Committee of the Regions' (CoR) wants to work more closely with the European Commission. EURACTIV France reports.
Social dialogue must be stronger after the pandemic, trade union leader says
Nearly a year into the coronavirus crisis in Europe, the world of work has changed drastically with more transformation on the horizon. In an interview with EURACTIV, trade union leader Michael Vassiliadis discusses the EU policy agenda from economic recovery to the Democracy Action Plan and responsible supply chains.