Industrial Policy
Time to bust a few myths about innovation in the internet of things era
Small European tech companies might be about to lose out if the European Commission's new patent guidelines favour giants like Qualcomm and Ericsson, writes Morgan Reed.
Dawn of new EU emissions rules could sound death knell for coal power
New EU rules formally agreed on Monday (31 July) mean power plants will have to cut pollutants, with the cost of compliance estimated to be over €15bn. Environmental groups predict that the logical next step is widespread closures of the most polluting coal-powered plants.
MEPs push cyber security rules as ‘political message’ before EU overhaul
MEPs are pressuring the European Commission to propose new cyber crime rules on hacking vulnerabilities, encryption and information sharing between EU countries, ahead of a legal overhaul planned for September.
Europe needs an industrial strategy
Calls for the European Commission to develop a holistic EU industrial policy are a welcome development – and one that was long overdue, writes Adrian Harris. If Europe’s Industrial Renaissance is to succeed, a joined-up policy approach is a must, he argues.
How Paris can make European industry great again
For much of this century, Europe has been a pioneer and a role model for countries across the world – be it on industrial innovation, democratic and human rights principles, or on climate change. That leadership role is now needed more than ever, writes Jill Duggan.
EU telecoms watchdog: ‘We are independent and we bother powerful people’
Sébastien Soriano spoke to EURACTIV about what Yoda can teach us about EU telecoms law, accusations that he is lobbying to change draft rules, net neutrality and the likely new Digital Commissioner Mariya Gabriel.
Why Europe needs an industrial strategy
Global investment in energy efficiency now outstrips investment in conventional power generation. Europe is at the forefront and recognises that energy efficiency represents a vast energy resource that is one of the most cost-effective ways of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, writes Heinz Haller.
EU patent court to remain in London despite Brexit… for now
The new EU’s unified patent court will start functioning early next year and would remain in London despite UK’s decision to leave the union, although its future will depend on the outcome of the divorce talks.
Commission to mobilise €40 billion to beef up defence cooperation
The European Commission proposed today to mobilise €39 billion by 2027 to support the joint development of military capabilities and suggested a NATO-type solidarity clause to respond to cyber attacks.
Tata CEO: Europe should unleash the Jugaad mindset
To manage change and transform economies, affluent countries need to experiment fast and roll out new models that enable them to grow in a more innovative way, Amit Bajaj told EURACTIV.com in an interview, stressing the need for social innovation.
Thirteen member states double down on opposition to EU spectrum rules
A group of thirteen EU member states have doubled down on a pushback by national governments against the European Commission's proposed changes to radio spectrum policy, arguing it will sweep away their powers to auction off spectrum to telecoms operators.
UK manufacturers urge May to drop threat of no Brexit deal
Britain's manufacturers told Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday (27 March) to drop her threat that she might take the country out of the European Union without a new trade deal, saying they would bear the brunt of trade barriers with the EU.
EIB, WEF tell EU to embed social inclusion in economic policy
At a time of rising inequality across Europe, the European Investment Bank and the World Economic Forum have jointly sounded the alarm bell and called for social inclusion to become an organic part of EU economic policy.
Opinion leaders identify seven pillars for ‘better’ EU action
CIVICO-Europa, an informal group set up by opinion leaders and later supported by politicians, presented today (20 March) a manifesto for the future of Europe, based on “doing much better together”, rather than the traditional way of “doing more”.
Ansip insists automation won’t cause ‘mass unemployment’
Andrus Ansip, the European Commission Vice-President in charge of digital policy, said he cannot imagine a “mass unemployment scenario” stemming from automation, although he acknowledged technology will bring job losses over the coming years.
Czech MEP: Europe needs harmonised standards for smart cities
According to Dita Charanzová, smart cities are about bettering the lives of Europe's citizens. They'll not only improve urban life but the environment too, she told Euractiv.com
Steel chief: Brexit may help defend the EU from dumping
For every tonne of steel that we reduce from our production capacity, we find five imported tonnes at our border, Axel Eggert, the director general of the European Steel Association (EUROFER) told Euractiv Slovakia.
Top telecoms regulator takes aim at Commission plan for cybersecurity labels
The top EU telecoms regulator criticised the European Commission's plans to introduce this spring a labelling scheme to rank the cybersecurity of internet-connected devices, arguing it would only reinforce big tech companies' dominance.
Britain launches interventionist drive for post-Brexit industrial revival
The UK government yesterday (23 January) unveiled a new interventionist approach to rebalance its heavily services-based economy for the post-Brexit era, in a break with traditional Conservative laissez-faire economic policy.
MEPs want ‘free cash’ to address job-killer robots threat
EU legislators today (12 January) called for a universal basic income to combat the looming risk of job loss by the onward march of robots, as well as concerns about European welfare systems.
Commission wants to open up legal, architectural, and engineering professions
The European Commission proposed on Tuesday (10 January) a fine-tuning of the Services Directive in order to address the over-protection of certain professions in the member states.
Aviation exec: Research in electric aircraft ‘developing very rapidly’
Industry interest in electric propulsion for aircraft is growing fast but the first hybrid-electric jetliner is “at least a decade away”, according to one aviation R&D executive.
Companies face new data access rules under controversial Commission plans
Car manufacturers and other firms that increasingly rely on consumer data to make money could be subject to new EU rules that would force them to share that data with other firms, according to a leaked draft of the plans obtained by EURACTIV.com.
Not out yet, Britain backs EU patent court
Britain pleased and surprised some of its European Union partners on Monday by pledging to ratify a new, unified patent system for the bloc even though London is about to leave the EU.