Economy & Jobs

EU top court rejects ECB compensations for investors affected by Greek crisis

The EU's top court ruled on Thursday (23 May) against demands for the European Central Bank to compensate private investors affected by the restructuring of the Greek public debt in 2012.

EU elections 2019: This is what the parties want for our economy

A new industrial policy for Europe, more support for small-and-medium sized enterprises (SMEs), and improved tax policy are common priorities of the European political families for the next mandate, while a review of the ECB mandate is also included in the manifestos of many parties for the EU elections.

EU election 2019: What next for Social Europe?

In November 2017, the European Commission launched the European Pillar of Social Rights, which resulted in 25 legislative initiatives. Ahead of the EU elections this week, EURACTIV looks at what the main political parties have on offer for social Europe.

Jourova urges member states to respect ‘the spirit of the GDPR’

EU member states must "respect to the letter and the spirit of the GDPR," Justice Commissioner Vera Jourová said  on Wednesday (22 May), after it transpired that some member states are yet to adapt their national legislation to fall in line with EU rules.

Don’t let politics derail Greece’s economic recovery

With the Greek national elections on the horizon and the European parliamentary elections imminent, political controversy is driving inaccurate pronouncements on the state of the economy in Greece, writes Dimitris Papadimitriou.

EU puts hope in Kazakhstan in helping unlock the WTO knot

At the Astana Economic Forum, a representative of the EU hinted that the host country, Kazakhstan, could play a role in helping to bridge differences over the reform of the World Trade Organisation

Five clauses for a new European Social Contract

A group of Socialist employment ministers set out five requirements for a new European Social Contract, ranging from equal pay and social dialogue to reducing inequality.

EU elections 2019: What do parties propose for young people?

Only 28% of Europeans aged 16 to 24 voted in the last EU election in 2014 compared to a total turnout of 42%. Ahead of this week's vote, EURACTIV looked at the proposals for young people coming from the main European political parties.

Huawei: US founding fathers would be ‘alarmed’ with Trump administration

The US founding fathers would be ‘alarmed’ by the recent actions of the Trump administration to restrict access to the American market for Chinese businesses, Huawei’s EU chief, Abraham Liu, said on Tuesday (21 April).

How can EU members make good on new single-use plastics law?

The European Parliament and the Council gave their official green light to the Single-use Plastics Directive on Tuesday morning (21 May). Larissa Copello de Souza explains how the implementation period is a golden opportunity to raise the bar even further.

At Nur-Sultan forum, leaders advise focus on education

Kazakhstan is investing in human capital and plans to become one of the world’s 30 most advanced nations by 2050. At a recent conference in the capital Nur-Sultan, leaders and economists offered advice, valid also for other countries as well: to focus on education.

Google suspends some business with Huawei after Trump blacklist

Alphabet Inc’s Google has suspended business with Huawei that requires the transfer of hardware, software and technical services except those publicly available via open source licensing, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Sunday (19 May).

EU to use China as guinea pig to monitor bilateral summit deals

EU member states have decided to set up a new mechanism to monitor China's progress in implementing agreed commitments, with the aim of extending such controls to other bilateral relations, according to documents seen by EURACTIV.

Romania torpedoes EU deal on alcohol excise duties over moonshine

Member states clashed on the reform of the directive on alcohol excise duties during a meeting of EU financial ministers last Friday (17 May), as the Romanian Presidency of the EU tried to raise the maximum limit on home distillation, in pursuit of its own national interest.

No member state raised concerns about Greece’s relief measures

EU member states have not raised concerns about relief measures recently announced by the Greek government. Diplomatic sources close to the issue told EURACTIV.com that only the EU institutions have.

An Innovative and Responsible Europe: Empowering young people

According to the UN, quality education is the foundation to create sustainable development. Education and teachers’ empowerment are therefore considered as key factors in supporting youth as a globally connected engine for change.

EU fines five major banks €1bln for currency collusion

The EU's powerful antitrust authority fined five major banks, including Barclays and Citigroup, on Thursday (16 May) with more than a billion euros for collusion in the massive foreign exchange currency market.

Brussels transport gets overhaul, courtesy of teenagers

Brussels is well known for its chocolate, its variety of beers, its art-deco buildings… and its traffic jams. High school students from all around Europe have now presented their proposals to make the town's mobility system more sustainable, thanks to the Sci-tech challenge. 

Italy clouds Eurogroup discussion on public spending

Finance ministers from the 19 eurozone countries will review public spending in the region on Thursday (16 May), with Italy once again in the spotlight amid an ongoing economic slowdown.

Capital markets need to start making sustainability mainstream – report

We need to reboot the financial system and rethink old structures. This is what the OECD, the World Bank Group and the UN Environment Programme are calling for in their new joint report. Sustainable finance should become mainstream, but the market is still lagging far behind. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Champions grow through competition

Instead of letting governments picking ‘champions’, the EU should strengthen the single market, invest more in innovation and “assertively” pursue fair and equal trade policies, argue Dutch ministers Eric Wiebes, Sigrid Kaag and Mona Keijzer.

Netherlands ready to start taxing air travel

The Dutch government will introduce a €7 levy per air passenger in 2021 if the EU does not manage to set up a pan-European tax, as momentum builds behind calls to crack down on aviation’s environmental impact.