Euro & Finance
Dombrovskis: EU’s fiscal rules are flexible for impact of coronavirus
The European Commission will be "flexible" with Italy and other member states affected by the coronavirus when assessing their efforts to balance their public accounts, European Commission vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis said in an interview.
Centeno: ‘I do see good reasons to support green investment under the fiscal rules’
Speaking to EURACTIV in Davos, Eurogroup President Mario Centeno remained hopeful about the eurozone's stalled reform process, saying there are “good reasons” to support ‘green’ investment as part of a broader review of EU fiscal rules due later this year.
EU Central Bank should step up its climate act, French MEP says
In an interview with EURACTIV France, socialist MEP Pierre Larrouturou deplored the meagre €7.5 billion proposed in the European Commission's Just Transition Fund. To finance EU climate action, he suggests some of the ECB's "easy money" could fuel the European Investment Bank (EIB) instead of going into private banks.
EU banking regulator: ‘No green economy if we encourage banks to be insolvent’
Europe wants to use all the tools available to transit toward a 'green' economy. But ‘green’ lending should not be incentivised by easing capital requirements for banks, the European Banking Authority chief, Jose Manuel Campa, told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.
König: I don’t believe in gender quotas
For many, the banking union represents the most ambitious step in EU integration since the creation of the euro. As the chairwoman of the new authority to resolve European systemic banks, Elke König, has been in the driving seat of the process.
Le Maire: ‘Capitalism is in a dead end, must reinvent itself’
French finance minister Bruno Le Maire is determined to chair an “efficient” meeting with his colleagues of the G7 countries on Wednesday and Thursday. His goal is no less than to refound capitalism. As a first step, he wants to reach an agreement on the main features of digital tax, to pave the way for an international compromise by early next year.
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.