Innovation & Industry Archives

Commissioner for Internal Market, Thierry Breton, told EURACTIV.com in an interview that Europe could have been better prepared to face the COVID-19 if China and the World Health Organisation had offered “better and more reliable information earlier”.

The EU should speed up plans to create a single European patents system because the current setup is "too expensive and fragmented," Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton has said.

The European Union should impose a temporary ban on Chinese takeovers of companies that are currently undervalued or have business problems because of the coronavirus crisis, the leader of the bloc's largest political alliance said on Sunday (17 May).

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) will mobilise €60 million to support European entrepreneurs and innovators. The EIT’s Crisis Pandemic Initiative, launched on Thursday (14 May), aims to support start-ups, expanding businesses, SMEs and new innovative projects based on a greener and more sustainable approach.

Protecting the EU's single market and Recovery Fund capable of delivering massive investment and promoting convergence are among the measures needed to ensure that EU countries recover from the coronavirus pandemic together, writes Elisa Ferreira.

In the innovation sector “reorientation” is a keyword, as different sectors of society try to adapt to the coronavirus pandemic.

As tourism is one of the hardest-hit sectors in the current health crisis in Europe, a special summit in September or October could be organised to deal with the fallout of the pandemic, Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton told MEPs on the European Parliament's Transport Committee on Tuesday.

A year ago, EU copyright law was reformed under strong protest and with a narrow majority in the EU Parliament. Germany is still working on implementation, but civil society is already preparing to fight the directive in court. EURACTIV Germany reports.

More than 400 founders and leaders of Belgian start-ups have launched a call on the country's federal and regional governments to support startups and scaleups with additional government aid to avoid their decline during and after the coronavirus pandemic.

The photonics industry is an emerging but already consolidating market, with more than 100 acquisitions per year. But does Europe lack a financial market for the technology? EPIC's Carlos Lee explores.

The creation of a "sandbox" - a safe environment where FinTech companies can test their products - is big news for Bulgaria and the entire tech community in Central and Eastern Europe, write Eduard Tsvetanov and Filip Genov.

With its new industrial strategy, the European Commission wants to promote climate-friendly innovations, unlocking billions in investment into clean technologies. However, it remains unclear how companies will be supported in the transition. EURACTIV Germany reports.

European Commission is “extremely mobilise” to ensure that big companies and SMEs survive the economic impact of coronavirus, commissioner for Industry Thierry Breton said on Monday (9 March).

The EU's Internal Market Commissioner, Thierry Breton, wants to put businesses back at the heart of the European Commission's industrial strategy, with less emphasis on reducing consumer prices. EURACTIV France reports.

Europe's top companies need to more than double their current level of spending on low-carbon projects to meet the European Commission's flagship goal of 'climate neutrality' by 2050, according to a report released on Tuesday (25 February).

A no-deal Brexit at the end of the year, or even a minimal, thin-deal Brexit, with no provision for cooperation on science, innovation and other crucial fields, would deliver a serious blow to economic competitiveness in the UK and the EU, writes Sir Michael Leigh.

Foreign competition and access to raw materials top the agenda for steelmakers and other basic industries as they await European Commission plans to accompany the EU Green Deal.

French President Emmanuel Macron attended on Thursday (30 January) the ground-breaking ceremony for a new battery factory in southwest France: the first real result of an EU-led policy aimed at boosting the industry and helping it withstand global competitors.

iPhone maker Apple on Thursday (23 January) pushed back against EU lawmakers’ call for a common charger, warning the move could hamper innovation, create a mountain of electronic waste and irk consumers.

The European Green Deal gives CEOs a major opportunity to lead their companies in ways that can build their brands while also cutting carbon. So what, exactly, should they do? Thomas Pellerin-Carlin and Peter Sweatman have three suggestions.