About: economic reform
French train strikes resume as unions square off with Macron
Travellers grappled with another crippling wave of transport strikes in France on Sunday (8 April), as train workers protested President Emmanuel Macron's economic reforms and a stand-off between the government and rail unions hardened.
PM says time to end France’s addiction to spending
Prime Minister Édouard Philippe said on Tuesday (4 July) it was time to end France's addiction to easy public spending, promising to cut expenditures over the next five years and rein in debts he said were at an unacceptable level.
Spanish opposition clamours for reversal of labour reforms
Spanish opposition parties have stepped up their challenge to Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's minority government, passing a motion in parliament urging him to reverse a labour reform which cheapened the cost of hiring and firing.
Rasmussen: Ukraine ‘betrayed’ by EU over visa deal
Ukraine feels let down by the European Union for not keeping to a promise to give its citizens visa-free travel in the bloc, senior Ukrainian officials said.
Greece’s creditors demand further reforms
The European institutions and the IMF are increasing their demands on Greece, despite the recent reforms adopted by the Greek parliament. Athens can hardly afford to resist. Our partner La Tribune reports.
Europe needs a new economic reform agenda
Europe's governments must make tough reforms to bring back competitiveness and prosperity to EU economies, writes Gunnar Hökmark.
Global economic integration at all costs?
The political and economic implications of mega-regional free trade agreements deserves more open discussion by all stakeholders, argue Axel Berger and Dominique Bruhn.
Ukraine’s road to reform
The EU must support Ukraine’s efforts at political and economic reform and help the country on its way to prosperity, argue David Lidington and Konrad Pawlik.
Macron defends French economic reforms in Strasbourg
The French minister of the economy met MEPs in Strasbourg this week to defend his economic reform bill. He used the opportunity to call on the European Commission to maximise the Juncker Plan's support for digital projects. EURACTIV France reports.
Varoufakis steals the show at economic forum
Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis has called on the European Union to reform its institutions and use the EIB to boost investment in Greece. He believes the EU should address the structural inequalities that plague its weakest members. EURACTIV France reports.
What can economists say about the ‘Macron Law’?
Freeing up certain sectors and activities, encouraging investment and modifying some aspects of work legislation to increase employment, as proposed in the "Macron Law", provided for hot discussions in France, writes Anne Perrot.
Verheugen: Europe cannot do it without Turkey
The European Union needs Turkey if it is to succeed as a global player, former Commission vice-president Günter Verheugen tells EURACTIV.
Italy’s Monti to map out reform plans ahead of vote
Italy’s caretaker government led by Mario Monti is expected to outline new austerity measures aimed at restoring confidence in Italy's strained public finances today when the newly appointed prime minister goes before the Senate to seek a vote of confidence.
Merkel, Sarkozy in ‘protective Europe’ plea
The economic and financial crises call for a courageous response rather than technical, "pernickety rules", write French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a joint editorial published in the Sunday newspapers.
G20 not ready for world currency debate
The G20 summit, which starts the day after tomorrow (2 April), will demonstrate how fast the balance of power is shifting from the old US-led economic order towards emerging market nations, although it is much too early for a productive debate about a new world currency.EU leaders to back IMF shake-up
European leaders are set to consider handing over some of their seats at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in exchange for a bigger financial contribution to the fund by emerging economies. The aim is to double the IMF's overall resources to $500 billion to counter the global economic recession.
Russia reaches out to EU ahead of G20 summit
Reactions to Russian proposals on financial reform ahead of the G20 summit in London have generally been positive, a high-ranking Russian official told journalists after holding talks in Brussels yesterday (17 March).Economic crisis takes centre stage in citizens’ consultation
Following in the footsteps of the first transnational citizens' consultation, the King Baudouin Foundation and its partners yesterday (3 December) launched a new Europe-wide debate on the economic and social future of Europe.
Emerging economies seek stronger role at G20 summit
The build-up to this weekend's G20 international summit in Washington (November 15) continues to gather momentum as finance ministers and bank leaders from the world's 20 largest economies gathered on Saturday (November 8) in Brazil.Russia’s economic rebirth
Russian economic recovery is all the more remarkable given the doom and gloom surrounding the 1990s, but this resurgence needs to be upheld by further reforms, argues Lúcio Vinhas de Souza in a CEPS paperback published in May.Strategic aspects of EU-China commercial and monetary relations
China's emergence as the world's third economic power has changed the "global chessboard" by adding a new tactical dimension of the Sino-European relationship, says an April study led by associate researcher at London's Royal Institute of International Affairs Karine Lisbonne-de Vergeron for the Robert Schuman Foundation.
OECD to EU: ‘Stop protecting national champions’
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has hit out at European governments for protecting their markets from outside competition, saying that further reforms to spur competition and strengthen the single market are needed to guarantee the long-term prosperity of all its citizens.