Industrial Policy
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.
MEP: ‘My main concern is that humans are not dominated by robots’
Mady Delvaux, a Socialist MEP from Luxembourg, has been tasked with drafting the first regulatory proposal worldwide to address the rise of advanced robotics and artificial intelligence.
Commission plans cybersecurity rules for internet-connected machines
The European Commission is getting ready to propose new legislation to protect machines from cybersecurity breaches, signalling the executive's growing interest in encouraging traditional European manufacturers to build more devices that are connected to the internet.
How Oettinger surprised Brussels
Günther Oettinger has faced ridicule for his handling of EU tech policy since he took the job two years ago. But the digital Commissioner is finally getting some credit, and winning praise from some corners for a major overhaul of telecoms law.
New telecoms rules mark ‘quiet revolution’ as Commission aims to boost internet speed
A set of EU telecoms laws will be remodelled when the European Commission proposes an overhaul today (14 September) of how the sector is governed.
Beijing pushes for innovation to boost global growth
China will host the G20 summit on 4-5 September in Hangzhou, in the midst of a joint public-private innovation effort to counter the economic crisis.
Universal basic income paid by a ‘robot tax’ is a bad idea
Although the digitalisation of industry is a top priority among EU decision makers, Europe should not be concerned about job losses caused by growing automation. Instead, member states should teach the new generations the skills required for a digital future, believes the VDMA chief, Thilo Brodtman.
Commission asked to fund cross-border tests of driverless cars
Telecoms operators and car manufacturers have asked the European Commission to put money into a major, four-year project running driverless cars between EU member states, in the first test of the new technology between more than one country.
Accenture digital chief: ‘Oettinger is doing a great job’
The completion of the Digital Single Market will play a crucial role in the transformation of European companies, Accenture's Bruno Berthon told EURACTIV.com. One of the main challenges, he believes, will be deciding how companies share data.
EU, Berlin oppose Chinese bid for ‘strategic’ German robotics maker
Top officials in Brussels and Berlin oppose a Chinese takeover bid of German industrial robotics supplier Kuka, a newspaper reported on Monday (30 May).
Putting innovation at the heart of the Energy Union
As the European Commission elaborates its Energy Union strategy, and as national and local governments plan their contribution to the union’s aims of energy security, decarbonisation and cost-efficiency, they need to create an environment that nurtures innovation in policy, technology and business models, write Pascal Lamy and Philip Lowe.