Euro & Finance
Austrian chief economist: ‘A lot can still be done to complete the euro zone’
The Austrian national bank (OeNB) hosted its annual conference on 20 years of the euro on 2 and 3 May. In an interview with EURACTIV, the bank's chief economist explains how the euro zone debt crisis changed the economic "tool box" of the EU currency and spells out the challenges ahead.
Katainen on Brexit: We have to take Spain’s concerns very seriously
Member states share Spain's concerns over the future relationship with Gibraltar after Brexit, Vice-President of the European Commission for Jobs, Growth, Investment & Competitiveness Jyrki Katainen told EURACTIV.com in a long interview where he addressed all the pressing challenges the EU is currently facing.
Dijsselbloem: Greek government will gradually access markets more and more
The Greek government will be able to gradually have more and more access to markets as the end of the bailout, the current economic outlook and a sound budget allow Greece to regain its financial independence, former Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem said in an interview with EURACTIV's media partner Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA).
CDP boss: ‘Companies or sectors may face liability risks on climate change’
Private investors need to come clean and commit to science-based targets on climate change, says Paul Simpson. Unfortunately, “there is still money out there for the dirty investments in the short term,” he laments, calling on regulators to take action against opaque finance.
Pension fund chief: We are seeing a strong movement towards green financing
Investors increasingly have to take into account the legal risks associated with global warming and more and more of them are adopting a socially responsible approach, Phillippe Desfossé told EURACTIV France as Climate Week opens in New York.
Political scientist: Germans are used to V4’s strong “No” from time to time
The EU's stand on migration policy is moving towards the demands of the Visegrad group, one of the best functioning groups in the bloc, says Dr Kai-Olaf Lang, adding that in many respects, Germany and V4 are much closer to each other today than Germany and France.
OECD’s Gurría: ‘People are angry and frustrated’
OECD Secretary-General Ángel Gurría has blamed governments for the rise of populism and political fragmentation across Europe, claiming they also did not deliver benefits that were promised to citizens, he told EURACTIV in an interview.
MEP Rodrigues: Imposing eurozone ‘as it is’ on Italy is not the answer
Populist forces in Italy are “playing with fire” and exposing the country to market pressure, vice-president of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament Maria João Rodrigues warned in an interview.
Manfred Weber: We have to find consensus with France
While the debate about the future of Europe is gaining momentum, the leader of the European People's Party (EPP), Manfred Weber, calls on the German Christian Democrats to show more willingness to compromise in an interview with EURACTIV’s media partner Der Tagesspiegel.
Minister: EU cohesion policy served Greece well, should be upgraded in future
The EU's cohesion policy supported Greece in its most serious crisis, demonstrating the value of the bloc's second-biggest funding scheme, Greece’s Alternate Economy Minister Alexis Charitsis told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
Eurogroup chief: ‘I see enormous potential in Greece’
Greece has enormous potential and is getting ready to stand on its own feet when it exits its EU bailout in August, Eurogroup leader Mario Centeno told EURACTIV.com's media partner Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA) in an interview.
Moscovici: ‘The credibility of the EU tax haven black list is at stake’
The EU Commissioner for Economic Affairs Pierre Moscovici is determined to table a digital tax proposal at EU level, despite warnings from the OECD. In an exclusive interview with EURACTIV, he also warns EU countries for failing to publish the commitments made by tax havens to exit the EU’s ‘black list’.
Dastis: ‘Not all our bold ideas for eurozone reform will be fulfilled’
Spain's Foreign Affairs Minister Alfonso Dastis had to deal with a diplomatic crisis with Venezuela in the midst of an exclusive interview with EURACTIV in the margin of the World Economic Forum, where he said that concrete steps forward in the eurozone should be made by June.
PwC boss: Businesses ‘sceptical’ about Merkel-Macron EU reform push
Europe will be high on the agenda of the World Economic Forum on Wednesday (24 January), as French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel take the stage in Davos. But there is “a lot of scepticism” about what the two leaders can do to push forward EU integration, PwC’s chief Bob Moritz told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.
Membership in eurozone unlikely for Denmark, Sweden-adviser
The cooperation forum of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden is "in search of new relevance", Christian Opitz and Tobias Etzold explained in a recent analysis paper by the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP). EURACTIV Germany spoke with Tobias Etzold.
EIB president: Europe needs a paradigm shift in development policy
The Juncker Plan has been a "miraculous instrument", and Europe now needs the same paradigm change in development policy. That means moving from social policy to economic development, and from grants to loans. The EU will play a huge role in that shift, Werner Hoyer told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
Champion of ‘helicopter money’ questions universal basic income
As chair of Britain's Financial Services Authority, Adair Turner saw the collapse of the financial system from the very top. In the aftermath of the crisis, he became one of the main advocates of helicopter money - but today he doubts if universal basic income is the best way to address growing inequality.
Business chief: Greece is politically stable and now needs productive investment
Greece is politically and economically stable and now it’s the time for productive investment that will create jobs and increase the country’s GDP, Greek business leader Konstantinos Michalos told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
Tomáš Zdechovský: The EU begins in the stomach of a Czech citizen
The Czechs do not know anything about the EU’s global strategies or the interconnection of energy networks. But they know very well that they can buy cheaper and better food in Germany, says MEP Tomáš Zdechovský (EPP).
Johnson: ‘I was hired by Soros for ‘Black Wednesday”
It is now 25 years since George Soros and Robert Johnson speculated against the pound, costing £3.3 billion in losses, and forcing the UK out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) that paved the way for the euro currency.
Zurich boss: ‘We need to look at protection, savings and retirement together’
Amid growing social inequalities and the digital transformation of the economy, Zurich’s Gary Shaughnessy believes public officials, employers and insurers should all cooperate to provide protection to the most vulnerable groups.
European Parliament VP: ‘We must use the window of opportunity’ to deepen EU integration
Current conditions are ideal to push the EU towards becoming a European federal state, according to one of the vice-presidents of the European Parliament, Rainer Wieland. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Transparency International: German criticism of ECB ‘a tad dishonest’
As Germany prepares for general elections in September, Leo Hoffmann-Axthelm reminds about Berlin’s responsibility in the politicisation of the European Central Bank (ECB), saying it is largely due to German inaction during the Eurozone crisis.