Insurance
Should the EU embrace artificial intelligence, or fear it?
Advances in machine learning are progressing rapidly, and governments are struggling to keep up. The EU has emerged as the world’s regulator in this space, but some fear it's stifling European innovation.
Leak: These are the five priorities for the next finance Commissioner
A new strategy for the capital markets union, fintech, financial stability, sustainable economy and Brexit are the priorities listed for the next financial services commissioner, according to the memo drafted by European Commission officials and seen by EURACTIV.com.
Risks to Europe: Identification, evaluation, mitigation
The EU defines risk management capability as ‘the ability of a Member State or its regions to reduce, adapt to or mitigate risks (impacts and likelihood of a disaster), identified in its risk assessments to levels that are acceptable in...
Finance for climate action is rising, but still a long way to go
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5ºC (SR15), an additional 1.5% in global investment is needed to limit the global average temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Yet, if already...
Europe needs urgent cybersecurity action
Election interference. Fake news. Hyper-partisanship. Ransomware. Denial of service attacks. Cyber-terrorism. Welcome to Europe’s new normal, writes Philippe Cotelle.
Europe’s silent shift to self-employment
Self-employment is becoming more diversified in Europe and covers an increasing number of activities. But this small revolution raises issues when it comes to social protection. EURACTIV.fr reports.
MEP on connected car fight: Commission should focus on safety standards, not technology
The European Commission wants future connected vehicles to be able to run both on 5G and Wifi networks, claiming its upcoming legal proposal will remain "technology neutral". But a leading lawmaker warns this will in effect give preference to one technology over another.
Commission’s bond-backed product gets lukewarm reception
Financial representatives poured cold water on Thursday (24 May) on the European Commission’s proposal to create sovereign bond-backed securities (SBBS), insisting that not all the elements exist yet for a successful market for the product.
Tech industry and consumer watchdogs at odds over robot liability
Tech industry groups and consumer watchdogs are at odds over whether the European Commission should overhaul the bloc’s legislation on product liability to cover robots and artificial intelligence.
Automated cars: Too much, too soon
Sunday’s fatal collision between an Uber autonomous car and a pedestrian in Arizona shows that the regulatory environment in the US, as well as in Europe, is not ready for fully autonomous vehicles, writes Antonio Avenoso.
Extreme weather events on the rise, European scientists warn
Extreme weather events are on the rise due to man-made climate change, according to a consensus report by Europe's scientific academies, which called for urgent action to make sure infrastructure and society itself is ready to adapt to the new climate.
Commission to introduce rules to clarify ‘green’ investment in May
Following the action plan on sustainable finance to be published early next month, the European Commission will present legislation in May to define what represents 'green' investment, EURACTIV has learned.
Ministers sign off on fast-track EU data flow deal
The EU took a step towards finalising a key piece of digital single market law on Wednesday (20 December) after EU diplomats agreed to scrap rules that require data to be stored only in a certain country.
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.
Commission wants bigger role for regulators in sustainable finance development
The European Commission has proposed giving the European Supervisory Authorities broader powers to determine what represents environmental, social and governance investment and to monitor banks’ activities in this field.
MEPs demand EU strategy to protect gig economy workers
The European Parliament is expected to adopt a draft report on Thursday (15 June) calling on EU and national authorities to ensure “fair working conditions and adequate legal and social protection for all workers” in the collaborative economy.
Commission struggles with tax exemptions in EU-wide pension proposal
European Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis admitted on Thursday (8 June) that full harmonisation across Europe, for the tax regime applied to the upcoming EU-wide personal pension insurance, was "unlikely".
EU cybersecurity agency seeks funds and power to police attacks
The EU cybersecurity agency ENISA will get a makeover in September when the European Commission renews its mandate and presents a batch of new cybersecurity measures. The director of the Athens-based agency has been asking for a bigger budget to deal with the rise in attacks on internet-connected devices.
Fifteen countries ask for EU legislation on data flows
Ministers from 15 EU countries have asked the European Commission to focus on removing barriers to digital trade one week before the executive presents a mid-term review of its flagship Digital Single Market policies.
Uber, France spar over whether company is a transport service
US ride-hailing app Uber told Europe's top court on Monday (24 April) that it was a digital service, not a transport service, and that a French law clearly targeted online taxi services, in its latest European legal battle with the taxi industry.
Brussels eyes EU-wide licence for FinTech startups
The European Commission wants to create a special regime to attract FinTech companies in Europe and help the old continent compete globally on this promising new market, EU sources told EURACTIV.com.
Parliament plenary rejects universal basic income
The European Parliament's plenary session voted today (16 February) against a universal basic income to compensate for the impact of robots on the labour market.
In a self-driving future we can’t let carmakers decide who lives and who dies
The EU needs independent oversight of self-driving technologies, argues Antonio Avenoso. The risk is of a kind of lawless Wild West for the early years of automated cars, not unlike the early years of motoring itself – before speed limits, traffic lights and driver license tests started to set the rules of the road.