As the EU economy reels from the pandemic, forecasts suggest that unemployment rates across the bloc may hit their peak this year. At the same time, some 20% of firms foresee a permanent reduction in employment, according to the European Investment Bank's (EIB) investment report published last Thursday (21 January).
Since housing is a fundamental right guaranteed at EU level, the bloc has to play its part and support cities and countries in tackling the housing crisis, providing affordable, adequate and sustainable housing, writes Kim van Sparrentak. Kim van Sparrentak...
Europe's local politicians want a bigger role in establishing the future relationship between the EU and the UK. This was the overwhelming feeling among members of the Committee of the Regions (CoR) at Monday's meeting of the CoR-UK contact group. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Respect for the EU charter of fundamental rights could be used to withhold EU money going to projects that trample over democracy or discriminate against gay and lesbian people, an EU official has said.
Having undergone a significant transformation that raised its public profile, the European Investment Bank (EIB) is set to occupy an increasing role in bridging development gaps between the EU’s regions while raising funds for greening, but public finance watchers warn ...
One of the consequences of the development processes in the EU is the growing disparity in cities and urban areas. In Poland, EU projects utilising financial instruments aim to narrow disparities but experts fear that there is still little appetite to use repayable assistance when grants are available.
European regional policy has a special role to play in overcoming the coronavirus crisis, with one of the main new instruments being REACT-EU, a fund which represents an increase of €47.5 billion in structural funds. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Equity projects remain an under-explored form of EU financing to jump-start innovation in developing capital markets, but Fil Rouge Capital, a Croatian project, shows they can be a fruitful avenue to stimulate the domestic business ecosystem while raising the country's profile internationally.
Faced with tight deadlines to programme recovery and new cohesion funds while still implementing projects from the previous budgetary period, EU countries may be tempted to forget about repayable Union assistance, warned Portuguese MEP José Manuel Fernandes, in which case a lot of cheap money would be left on the table.
With increased pressure on the core cohesion budget, financial instruments utilised as a means of delivering EU structural fund support are touted as a way to do “more with less” by leveraging EU and public money to generate private investment...
Increasing the role of loans and guarantees utilised to narrow the disparities between European regions may help combat the misuse of EU funds but cannot replace the role of accountability, transparency and sound domestic institutions.
EU lawmakers have struck a deal on a new structural aid fund and are approaching a compromise on supporting regions transitioning from coal, with the final white smoke from co-legislators on total regional support from the EU's next seven-year budget expected on Wednesday. (9 December).
After a tough struggle, the three-way negotiations on EU structural funding rules have been concluded and white smoke rose from the co-legislators. EURACTIV Germany reports.
The large-scale social and economic shifts caused by the clean energy transition should be managed with care, write Magnus Tyreman and Hauke Engel. A broad training effort would enable Europe to create a labour force that will thrive during the pursuit of the net-zero emissions target, they argue.
EU lawmakers reached an eleventh hour deal on Tuesday (1 December) on the legislation laying out the rule book for the structural funds that make up almost a third of the future EU budget, after two years of negotiations.
EURACTIV takes a closer look a what the geography of EU discontent is, what a regional analysis of the citizens’ dissatisfaction can reveal about the places that are most anti-EU and what the EU can do.
In the second part of EURACTIV’s series on cohesion policy, the European Union’s project to decrease the disparities between its regions, we look at social economy, its importance to the bloc’s economic and social health as well as its...
Regional governments across the EU are bracing for difficult times ahead as they lack technical means and have scarce financial resources, according to a joint survey conducted by the European Committee of the Regions and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. EURACTIV France reports.
EU lawmakers on Wednesday (18 November) reached a political agreement on REACT-EU, the €47.5 billion fund that will channel European money to prop up the bloc's economy by supporting health services and small businesses.
The latest report on the state of the rural areas in Poland indicates these areas face a number of demographic, economic and social challenges. Is migration to cities one of them? EURACTIV Poland had a closer look.
There is a backlog of demand in rural Germany, particularly in the area of digitalisation, according to a new report on the development of rural areas presented on Wednesday morning (11 November) by agriculture minister Julia Klöckner and interior minister Horst Seehofer. EURACTIV Germany reports.
EU lawmakers want to ensure there is no financing gap between the next budgetary period for the policy that aims to reduce disparities between European regions, even if talks on the new regulation laying out the ground rules for the use of EU funds gets delayed.
With the EU’s New Pact on Asylum and Migration presented recently, the issue of migration remains on the top of the agenda for decision-makers across the bloc. Though most often thought of as the competence of national governments, local and...
Countries are “doomed to work together and find common solutions” as partners, particularly in the face of the growing climate emergency in the region, Nasser Kamel, secretary-general of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), told EURACTIV in an interview. Kamel...
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
By continuing to browse the website, you are agreeing to our use of cookies
Do you value our reporting? We need you!
Your financial support helps build the future of our network of newsrooms across Europe.
The need for fast, accurate and balanced information is always important. We value EURACTIV's good, independent journalism and support this initiative
Mella Frewen, Director General of FoodDrinkEurope
EURACTIV plays a vital role in bringing Europe closer to its citizens. EURACTIV has long recognised that the story of Europe has to be told across the continent, and not just in Brussels. We need to support a truly European and informed debate.