About: digital economy

‘Trust is a must’ for the future of the EU’s Digital Single Market

The future for digitisation in European business is pivotal at the moment for the EU.

The EU’s digital tax is dead, long live the OECD’s plans

Ireland, Sweden and Denmark are set to maintain their opposition to the EU’s digital tax next Tuesday, forcing finance ministers to kill the European solution and focus instead on the OECD’s ongoing work to levy digital companies.

Dirty money risks encroach on Estonia’s digital utopia

Estonia’s push to become a digital society has left it vulnerable to dirty money and sanction breaches, the country’s top banking regulator has warned.

Minister: Digitisation of agriculture at the core of post-bailout Greece

The digitisation of the agricultural sector will be at the heart of Greece’s growth following the exit from austerity-driven bailouts, Greek minister Nikos Pappas told EURACTIV.com in a recent interview.

An African solution to the global tech talent shortage

‘Eat, sleep, code, repeat,’ is the mantra in Andela’s Nairobi campus, home to a network of Africa's brightest coders. Taking the inspiration for its name from the late South African President Nelson Mandela, Andela invests in Africa’s software engineers.

Europe should lead in greening digitalisation and AI

Greenhouse gas emissions linked to digitalisation are rapidly increasing, despite efforts by tech groups to get more of their energy from renewables. The negative environmental effects need to be addressed more clearly than today, argues Mats Engström.

Minister: Developing digital economy is matter of national security for Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is developing its digital technologies in many fields, such as the economy, agriculture or administration, and the Central Asian country also wants to become a pioneer in digital innovation, with the creation of technology hubs and parks.

Why we need to stabilise the Western Balkans

As Europe is confronted by different visions about its future, the question remains how these different visions will affect the developments in the Western Balkans. The Balkans remain fragile, and the external pressures and internal divisions could deliver fresh instability in the region.

EU ready to hit big US tech firms with 3% turnover tax

Large digital companies with significant revenues in the European Union such as Google and Facebook could face a 3% tax on their turnover under a draft proposal by the European Commission.

Access to car data – the new battleground that risks consumer choice

Ahead of the 20 February vote in the TRAN Committee on the draft report on a European strategy on Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems access to vehicle data, Laurianne Krid takes a look at the issues facing motorists with regard to the automotive digital economy.  

Taxing the digital economy could slow progress on tax harmonisation

The issue of taxing the digital economy could undermine efforts for harmonising fiscal rules in Europe. Unless member states kill two birds with one stone. EURACTIV France reports.

Data protection and digital single market struggle to combine in Europe

Given the extraordinary boom of the digital economy, Europeans’ data protection should be a priority, according to Director General for Justice and Consumers Tiina Astola. EURACTIV Spain reports.

Commission orders Amazon to pay €250 million in back taxes

The European Commission ordered Luxembourg on Wednesday (4 October) to recover unpaid taxes worth around €250 million from the online sales giant Amazon, saying the country had granted Amazon's European arm "undue tax benefit" by allowing it to shift profits to a tax-exempt shell company.

Ansip: In digital, we are equal partners with Africa

Commission Vice President for the Digital Single Market Andrus Ansip debriefed EURACTIV.com following a recent meeting of the EU ministers responsible for development in Tallinn, where “Digital for development” was one of the agenda items.

Smart farming hinges on e-skills and rural internet access

The digitisation of agriculture could help Europe address food security and environmental issues at the same time. But realising this vision will require e-skills, proper broadband infrastructure and big data management, experts warn.

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.

EIT Digital boss: Europe needs ‘global mentality’ in innovation

Europe lacks a "global mentality" when it comes to innovation in the digital technology sector, Director of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT Digital) Willem Jonker told EURACTIV Spain.

MEPs call for EU law requiring minimum wage in every country

MEPs are asking the European Commission to require member states to introduce national minimum wages in a move that will unnerve politicians across Europe, business lobby groups and even some trade unions.

Commission ups the pressure on Bulgaria to nominate new Commissioner

Brussels today (19 December) increased the pressure on Bulgaria to nominate a Commissioner to replace Kristalina Georgieva, by saying that the digital economy portfolio will only be available until the end of this week.

Lisbon dreams of ‘Europe’s Silicon Valley’ tag

Lisbon is betting that hosting the Web Summit, Europe's largest tech event, will spur the growth of startups and draw foreign investors, helping it compete with the continent's main innovation hubs.

Juncker restarts dialogue with Putin on the eve of sanctions renewal

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, will try to narrow the gap between the two sides against the backdrop of the numerous challenges both leaders face.

A bright outlook for the cloud

If data is the oil of the 21st century digital economy, then cloud computing is its engine. Europe needs to make sure that its digital motor is running properly to reap the benefits from future data driven innovation, big data and the internet of things, writes Elena Zvarici.