Economy & Jobs Archives

An EU-funded Interreg project promoting microgrids technology has managed to help consumers produce renewable electricity on their own. But the ultimate objective to  enable reselling the power to their neighbour has been hindered by regulatory obstacles.

Poland's government on Wednesday (6 November) approved a transfer of all state-guaranteed private pension funds to individual retirement accounts, in a move that will add 19.3 billion zloty (€4.5 billion) to state coffers strained by hefty social handouts.

European decision makers welcomed on Wednesday (6 November) German finance minister Olaf Scholz’s attempt to unlock the European Deposit Insurance Scheme (EDIS) proposal, but warned of the long process still ahead to reach an agreement.

The Commission's proposal for the EU's new long-term budget has been caught in the crossfire as net contributors criticise the idea of having to pay more while a number of southern and eastern member states have joined forces to oppose planned cuts in traditional policies. 

Europe is ready to “prevent the development” of risky digital currencies including Libra until all concerns have been addressed, according to the latest proposal to be discussed by EU finance ministers and seen by EURACTIV.com.

America's withdrawal from the Paris climate accord might only be temporary if a Democrat wins the White House in 2020. The effect on trade policy could be significant in the meantime. EURACTIV France reports.

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Shanghai on Monday (4 November), accompanied by a European Commissioner and a German minister. Europeans finally feel they have a card to play against China, while Washington remains opposed to Beijing. EURACTIV's partner Ouest-France reports.

The eurozone's manufacturing sector contracted for the ninth consecutive month in October, based on the latest Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) calculated by the Markit firm. EURACTIV's partner La Tribune reports.

Chinese telecoms giant Huawei has released 2018 figures showing its presence in Europe provided a €12.8 billion stimulus to the EU's economy, backing the company's claim that it has become an essential element of Europe's digital ecosystem.

Interreg, a flagship EU cohesion policy programme, is an important engine of cooperation and trust among countries, but to address ongoing challenges such as migration or Brexit, it needs to be simplified and better coordinated and have less red tape, a high-ranking EU official told EURACTIV.com.

Bayer is now facing 42,700 compensation claims, mostly in US courts. CEO Werner Baumann is calling for an "economically-viable" settlement of these cases but has also announced that 12,000 jobs will be cut by the end of 2021. EURACTIV's partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.

The dispute between net contributors and the European Commission escalated on Wednesday (30 October) as Budget Commissioner Gunter Oettinger described as "misleading" Germany's EU budget figures reported by the media.

Faced with steadily declining fishing stocks, Mediterranean fishermen are exploring new ways to improve their income. An EU-funded Interreg MED projects vows to help fishermen to do so through tourism. EURACTIV.com reports from Athens.

The European Stability Mechanism, the euro area’s rescue fund, would have enough firepower to save large economies if necessary, including Italy, the fund’s chief Klaus Regling said on Tuesday (29 October).

The world of work is changing dramatically as a consequence of the digital transformation, while the social protection systems are often not added to the new realities of the labour market, experts warned during an event hosted by EURACTIV.

No one except Donald Trump himself benefits from the ongoing trade wars, which harm the global value chain, Bernd Lange, head of the European Parliament's International Trade Committee told EURACTIV Poland.

German businesses are nonplussed with the new Brexit extension, thanks to the uncertainty it preserves. But export forecasts are nonetheless seeing an increase, something which has more to do with Donald Trump than with the UK's pending EU exit. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Departing ECB president Mario Draghi tried to restore unity among eurozone central bankers  in his farewell speech on Monday (28 October) but he continued to defend his recent controversial monetary decisions.

An EU-funded project aims to push for green and circular economy policies in the Mediterranean in light of an alarming study, which recently pointed out that temperatures in the region are escalating much faster than the global average.

In this Special Report, we will look at how Interreg MED has contributed to the region’s sustainability but also at the programme's future in the EU's next seven-year budget, the Multiannual Financial Framework, considering the planned cuts.

In a note published on Friday (25 October), the Bank of France noted that the risks associated with climate change are taken into account in a "partial and heterogeneous" manner by France's financial institutions. EURACTIV's partner La Tribune reports. 

Rule of law should be a matter of respect everywhere, not only in the Cohesion Policy. But ordinary beneficiaries should not be held responsible for the action of the whole country infringing common EU standards, MEP Andrey Novakov told EURACTIV Slovakia in an interview.

UniCredit has uncovered a data breach involving the personal records of 3 million domestic clients, it said on Monday (28 October), the third security incident at Italy’s top bank in recent years.