Economy & Jobs
Huawei eyes opportunity posed by EU semiconductor goals
Telecoms giant Huawei is keen to work alongside European companies to help the bloc achieve ambitious new benchmarks for semiconductors by 2030, as the firm continues to face challenges resulting from US trade restrictions.
Ireland: EU-Mercosur trade deal ‘unlikely’ during Portuguese presidency
Ireland considers it "unlikely" that the EU-Mercosur trade agreement will be concluded during the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the European Union and insists on guarantees that deforestation of the Amazon will be halted.
G20 agrees ‘final extension’ to $10 billion debt service suspension scheme
Developing countries stand to benefit from up to $10 billion in savings after the G20 group of wealthy nations announced on Wednesday (7 April) that it would extend its debt service suspension initiative (DSSI) which launched last May until the end of this year.
EU social summit offers prospect to move ‘from principles to action’, presidency says
Portugal's Secretary of State for European affairs, Ana Paula Zacarias, assured Lusa on Tuesday that there is a prospect of moving "from principles to action" at the planned Social Summit of the European Union to be held next month in Porto, which is to be a centrepiece of the country's six-month presidency of the Council of the EU.
EU auditing agencies should stand ready for 2022 budget, MEP says
Auditing and rule of law mechanisms should be ready to scrutinise how the first money from the Recovery Fund will be dispersed across the bloc in 2022, MEP Nicolae Ștefănuță told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
EU states set to benefit from multibillion IMF Special Drawing Rights programme
EU states are set to be among the main beneficiaries next week when international leaders are set to authorise up to $650bn of new ‘Special Drawing Rights’ to help countries badly hit by the Covid pandemic.at the International Monetary Fund’s spring meeting on 5 April.
Regulators maintain call for prudence in bonuses and dividends payout
Regulators are urging banks and insurance companies to exercise caution in handing out dividend payments to shareholders and bonuses to employees, as Europe continues to struggle to cement its recovery from the Covid pandemic.
Spain’s central bank urges extension of temporary lay-off schemes
Spain's Central Bank has recommended the extension of temporary lay-off schemes known as ERTEs for employees in economic sectors worst-hit by the pandemic, in particular tourism. EURACTIV's partner EFE reports.
Women at a breaking point: gender equality in the workplace
Stakeholders have urged the EU to continue with efforts on achieving gender equality in the workplace and pay special attention to women, who have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic and have seen the existing gender inequalities exacerbated by the ongoing crisis.
EU nations scold Commission on plans to exclude UK from research groups
A contingent of EU nations has locked horns with the European Commission over plans to exclude third-countries from involvement in quantum and space research projects, in a move that could see the UK's involvement significantly downgraded due to concerns over intellectual property.
UK calls for end to ‘pernicious’ trade practices, in apparent swipe at China
Britain said it will push G7 allies to do more to ban "pernicious practices" in trade, such as forced labour and intellectual property theft, in an apparent call for a tougher line towards China at the World Trade Organization.
Europe looks for investment to spur its ailing recovery
Difficulties never come alone in the EU. The German Constitutional court’s decision to halt the ratification of the EU’s recovery fund on 26 March is the latest challenge faced by the EU in the battle against the Covid-19 pandemic.
MEPs grill Commission about growing expenditure in consultancy firms
A group of 73 MEPs have sent a letter to the European Commission expressing concerns about hundreds of millions of euros spent on consultancy firms and their involvement in policymaking in the wake of an exclusive report by EURACTIV.com.
EU SMEs in bid for greater interoperability in Digital Markets Act
Forty pan-European tech companies have penned a letter to MEPs calling for support for bolstered interoperability requirements in the Digital Markets Act (DMA) while stressing the importance of keeping the rules aligned to developments in the area across EU nations.
Pandemic upsurge hits Europe recovery hopes
An upsurge in new coronavirus cases is forcing governments across Europe into new, damaging lockdowns that threaten to delay a much hoped-for return to growth, economists say.
Tourism debate reaches fever pitch in Spain as Easter break begins
With some of Europe’s most relaxed COVID-19 restrictions, Spain is awaiting a modest influx of foreign tourists over the Easter holidays, but the topic has sparked debate in a country where locals are not permitted to travel outside their regions, EURACTIV’s partner EFE reports.
EU leaders cautiously back vaccine export controls, claim to be world’s main exporter
EU leaders have unanimously endorsed the European Commission's mechanism to authorise the export of vaccine doses outside Europe before shipment, taking credit for being the main world vaccine exporters so far.
Minister: Spain has absorbed 50% of current EU structural funds
Spain has absorbed 50% of its allocated European Union structural and investment funds for the 2014-20 period, the country's finance minister, María Jesús Montero, has said. EURACTIV’s partner EFE reports.
Commission seeks ‘fairness’ while tweaking vaccine export rules
The European Commission has adjusted its mechanism to control exports of COVID-19 vaccines to seek 'fairness' in the global supply chain, dismissing claims of vaccine protectionism.
Transatlantic economic ties face ‘rare opportunity’ for reset
US-EU economic relations are poised to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic and the tensions caused by the Trump administration, according to a new report by the American Chambers of Commerce.
Netherlands, Spain lead the way for more EU strategic autonomy
Spain and the Netherlands in a joint call on Wednesday (24 March) urged the EU to ditch unanimity decisions and keep its economy open, as it tries to become more independent of global powers like the US and Asia in...
German legal dispute over Facebook data use sent to European Court of Justice
The European Court of Justice has been asked to clarify whether Germany's competition authority was right to order Facebook to halt its data collection practices, due to concerns over alleged abuse of its dominant market position and violations of EU data protection law.
Changing environment: the green future of European regions
The European Regional Development and Cohesion funds, the classical tools of the EU’s cohesion policy, will disburse €242.9 billion euros during the 2021-2027 period, 30% of which will go to greening. In this episode we discuss how the cohesion...