Economy & Jobs
Commission accuses Telefónica of breaking merger promise
Spanish telecoms operator Telefonica has failed to help rivals enter the German mobile market, breaking a promise made five years ago in return for the European Commission's approval of its acquisition of E-Plus, the institution said on Friday (22 February) in a landmark case.
Barcelona the battleground as Huawei set to face off against US
US officials are set to descend on Barcelona this weekend ahead of Monday's opening of the Mobile World Congress, where Chinese telecoms giant Huawei will look to substantiate its presence in the 5G European market despite rising global security concerns over its operation.
EU Commission wants to support health systems better through structural funds
Many regions of Europe for poor medical care because there is a lack of doctors, money or infrastrcture. The Commission is now considering how the structural funds can help in a targeted way. EURACTIV Germany reports.
German bill to tackle undeclared work and child benefit fraud
German finance minister Olaf Scholz has presented a bill for German customs to be given more employees and powers. EURACTIV Germany’s media partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.
Europeans confident about their future jobs… but not their education
A majority of young Europeans (77%) feel well prepared for the labour market of the digital era, but they are also very critical about how their national education systems prepare them, a survey published on Thursday (21 February) revealed.
Britain managing Huawei risks, has no evidence of spying: official
Britain is able to manage the security risks of using Huawei telecoms equipment and has not seen any evidence of malicious activity by the company, a senior official said on Wednesday (20 February), pushing back against U.S. allegations of Chinese state spying.
Trump threatens tariffs on EU cars if no trade deal reached
US President Donald Trump threatened Wednesday (20 February) to impose tariffs on European auto imports if he is unable to strike a trade deal with the EU.
Fitch warns of British debt downgrade on ‘hard’ Brexit risk
Ratings agency Fitch warned on Wednesday (20 February) that it could cut Britain's debt rating, citing the economic hit from a potential no-deal Brexit.
Germany needs a quarter of a million migrant workers a year
Germany is dependent on migrant workers but a decreasing number of them will be EU citizens in the future. In the long term, about 146,000 immigrants from outside of the EU will have to be integrated into the German labour market every year, according to a recent study. EURACTIV Germany reports.
French people make ‘social Europe’ proposals in workshops ahead of EU elections
When consulted at a workshop on the future of “social Europe” after the European elections, French people were ambitious on social issues. EURACTIV France reports.
Croats increasingly pull money from bank savings to avoid tax
Croatian citizens and entrepreneurs that keep their money in current and giro accounts, rather than in savings, are growing in number at historically high rates. Bundles of banknotes are more and more common in house vaults, socks and mattresses. EURACTIV Croatia reports.
EU countries back copyright reforms aimed at Google, Facebook
European Union countries on Wednesday (20 February) endorsed an overhaul of the bloc’s copyright rules which would force Google and Facebook Inc to pay publishers for news snippets and filter out copyright-protected content on YouTube or Instagram.
France, Germany call for a change of European regulatory rules
Less than two weeks after the European Commission blocked the merger of Siemens and Alstom, France and Germany published a joint industrial manifesto on Tuesday (19 February) calling for the EU merger rules to be changed.
Environmental organisations ‘very disappointed’ with new ERDF Regulation
The European regional development fund currently amounts to €200 billion. German environmental organisations have criticised the fact that its new version sets the wrong priorities. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Europe warns of ‘swift’ response to potential US car tariffs
The European Commission said on Monday (18 February) that the EU will respond in a “swift and adequate manner” to the possibility that the US may impose tariffs on European cars, following the submission of a US report on whether car imports represent a national security threat.
EU court rules against Commission on Belgium ‘excess profit’ tax scheme
The system of exception for the excess profit of Belgian entities that are part of multinational corporate groups does not constitute illegal state aid, contrary to the European Commission's previous assessment, the EU's top court ruled on Thursday (14 February).
Europe strengthens monitoring of foreign investment
The European Parliament approved on Thursday (14 February) the proposal to screen foreign investment at EU level, clearing the path for closer monitoring of third country companies willing to invest in EU’s critical sectors.
Europe creates labour watchdog to fight against abuses
The European Parliament and member states have reached an agreement to set up a new European Labour Authority (ELA) to protect workers’ rights and launch cross-border investigations in case of potential abuses.
Don’t link EU regional funds with budget deficit rules, Parliament insists
EU lawmakers rejected on Wednesday (13 February) a controversial proposal by the European Commission to make payments of cohesion funds conditional to the observation of country-specific recommendations on economic reforms.
Deal struck on copyright reform after ‘intense’ negotiations
The future of online copyright is set to be radically transformed as Parliament and Council negotiators struck an agreement on the controversial Copyright Directive on Wednesday (13 February) evening, over two years after the measures were first introduced by the Commission.
European Parliament endorses free trade agreement with Singapore
The European Parliament approved on Wednesday (13 February) the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (EUSTFA), the bloc's first bilateral trade agreement with a southeast Asian country.
German SPD retreat: Barley, Bullmann and Moscovici call for fairer taxation
After a meeting between the SPD executive committee and the EU’s Commissioner for Economic Affairs in Berlin on Monday (11 February), all called for fairer taxation in Europe. EURACTIV Germany reports.
France and Germany prepare plan to create European champions
Following the rejection of the Alstom-Siemens merger, France and Germany are working on a review of the EU’s competition rules to create European champions capable of competing with US and Chinese multinationals.