Economy & Jobs
Agreement on EU regional funding: Germany gets less
After a tough struggle, the three-way negotiations on EU structural funding rules have been concluded and white smoke rose from the co-legislators. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Italy’s port tax perks against EU rules, Vestager warns
Italy’s regime of offering corporate tax-exemption to its ports and harbours is a breach of EU competition rules, the European Commission announced on Friday (4 December), giving the government until 1 January 2022 to ditch the tax perks.
‘It’s not gonna work’, Orbán says about Polish veto retreat
Hungary and Poland have committed to supporting each other's position in the budget row, and attaching a declaration to the rule of law regulation does not work for Budapest, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in a weekly radio interview on Friday (4 December), following news that Poland may be softening its position on the veto.
Google’s last-ditch plea to Commission: Our EU services are at risk in Digital Markets Act
Google has warned that features used across the firm's Maps services are at risk of being dropped in the EU should the Commission introduce prohibitions against certain types of activity in the platform economy as part of the upcoming Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Why Europe must reskill workers to reach its climate goals
The large-scale social and economic shifts caused by the clean energy transition should be managed with care, write Magnus Tyreman and Hauke Engel. A broad training effort would enable Europe to create a labour force that will thrive during the pursuit of the net-zero emissions target, they argue.
Poland ready to drop EU budget veto for EU summit declaration on rule of law
Poland would be ready to drop its veto to the EU's €1.8 trillion financial package if EU leaders endorse an explanatory declaration on the link between EU funds and the rule of law, Poland's deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Gowin said.
Spanish parliament approves ‘historical’ state budget for 2021
The Spanish parliament on Thursday (3 December) approved by a large majority the new state budget bill for 2021, which gathered the support of 11 political parties, including Catalan and Basque separatists, EFE reports.
China edges past US as Europe’s top trade partner
China pushed past the United States in the third quarter to become the European Union's top trade partner, as the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the US while Chinese activity rebounded.
Lawmakers strike deal on cohesion rulebook amid looming payment cuts
EU lawmakers reached an eleventh hour deal on Tuesday (1 December) on the legislation laying out the rule book for the structural funds that make up almost a third of the future EU budget, after two years of negotiations.
Market investigation tool at risk in Commission’s digital clampdown
The European Commission's 'market investigation tool', expected to feature as part of the upcoming Digital Markets Act, will be scaled-down and its powers limited, after the EU executive's internal review panel raised concerns over its operation, two sources close to the matter have told EURACTIV.
Surviving the pandemic: Lessons from Germany’s mid-sized enterprises
In Germany's industrial heartland, engineering firms have come up with a recipe for surviving the coronavirus pandemic.
EU, ASEAN upgrade their relations to ‘strategic partnership’
After six years of talks, the European Union and the ASEAN group of ten Southeast Asian countries upgraded their relations from "dialogue" to "strategic partnership" at a meeting on Tuesday (1 December).
The Brief, powered by APPLiA – When a bailout fund needs a backstop
Hurriedly set up a decade ago as a special purpose vehicle domiciled in Luxembourg, the European Stability Mechanism looks and sounds like a relic of crises past. After being at the centre of attention for the bailouts of five eurozone...
The EU budget: A question of European solidarity
Europe stands at a crossroads in the fight against COVID-19. As on many occasions in the past, the leaders of the EU must choose a direction of travel. Will we move together to confront the virus while upholding the basic ideals which hold us together? Or will we choose to retreat, to retrench, into national siloes? Ludovic Orban explains what is at stake.
Ahead of EU presidency, Portuguese say reaching budget deal is ‘fundamental’
Reaching a solution for the deadlocked EU budget between all EU countries as soon as possible is a 'fundamental issue', the forthcoming Portuguese presidency of the EU has said, warning that failure to do so would further undermine citizens' trust in the bloc.
EU plans two summits with US next year, aiming to forge new alliance in face of China
The European Union has invited US President-elect Joe Biden for two summits – one virtual, and one in person – in the first half of next year to discuss "strategic" issues ranging from the COVID crisis to climate change, peace and security, an EU source has said.
Exploring discontent with the EU
EURACTIV takes a closer look a what the geography of EU discontent is, what a regional analysis of the citizens’ dissatisfaction can reveal about the places that are most anti-EU and what the EU can do.
Portugal: EU asked telecoms regulator to clarify controversial 5G auction terms
The European Commission in October asked Portugal’s communications regulator, Anacom, to clarify the terms of the auction of fifth-generation mobile telecommunications frequencies.
Poland, Hungary propose two-track way out of EU budget deadlock
Poland and Hungary reaffirmed on Thursday (26 October) their opposition to tying EU finds with the rule of law in member states and instead offered their own proposal for breaking the deadlock that is holding back the EU's €1.81 trillion seven-year budget and the recovery fund.
EU Commission backs global hydrogen market with euro as its key currency
Europe wants to install the euro as the reference currency for trading hydrogen, but a global market with harmonised standards needs to be put in place first in order to meet demand, the EU's energy commissioner said on Thursday (26 November). VideoPromoted content
#Renovate2Recover – Why prioritise Energy Renovation in the National Recovery Plans?
Energy renovation stands at the intersection of the EU’s green priorities and growth objectives and is the linchpin to the EU’s recovery. How are Member States prioritizing energy renovation in their National Recovery Plans? What expectations from the revision of the EPBD next year?
New EESC President: ‘Jobs do not fall from the sky’
Christa Schweng has served as the President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) since October. She has a vision, but first Europe must get through the coronavirus crisis, protecting both jobs and people.
Social Economy – a driver of cohesion
In the second part of EURACTIV’s series on cohesion policy, the European Union’s project to decrease the disparities between its regions, we look at social economy, its importance to the bloc’s economic and social health as well as its...