About: Margrethe Vestager
Lufthansa super-jumbos fall victim to virus as airline bailouts loom
German flag-carrier Lufthansa will send six of its 14 A380s - the world’s largest commercial airliner - into early retirement, due to massive disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak. The decision comes just as airlines gear up to request bailouts from governments.
EU countries use looser state aid rules to uphold troubled firms
Member states are making use of the new flexibility within EU state rules mainly to guarantee liquidity for all companies heavily affected by the economic fallout of the COVID-19 outbreak. EURACTIV has looked into the different schemes that have been approved so far.
France wins EU approval for airline virus aid
The European Commission will allow France to defer some aeronautical taxes up to two years in order to help embattled airlines, after Brussels decided on Tuesday (31 March) that the plan is in line with its new looser state aid rules.
COVID-19: France wants to activate EU bailout fund without conditions or delay
The financial crisis management tool of the eurozone countries must be activated without delay and without conditions, said French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire before the Eurogroup meeting on Tuesday (24 March). EURACTIV France reports.
Commission resists competition reform plans until 2021
The European Commission will not look into the possibility of revising the bloc's competition rules until at least 2021, despite recent pressure from a group of EU member states.
Online platform regulation: French economy ministry gets up and running
While the European Commission presented its digital strategy last week, France's economy and finance ministry brought together around a hundred experts on Monday (24 February) in an attempt to sketch out ways of regulating online platforms. EURACTIV's partner La Tribune reports.
High-risk Artificial Intelligence to be ‘certified, tested and controlled,’ Commission says
Artificial Intelligence technologies carrying a high-risk of abuse that could potentially lead to an erosion of fundamental rights will be subjected to a series of new requirements, the European Commission announced on Wednesday (19 February).
Vestager: Facial recognition tech breaches EU data protection rules
The European Commission will take some time before deciding on how to legislate facial recognition remotely, but will not prevent national initiatives from moving ahead on their own, Commission vice-president Margrethe Vestager has said.
LEAK: Commission outlines plan to create single EU data space by 2030
The EU wants to create by the end of the decade a genuine single market for data that corresponds to its economic power, prioritising nine "strategic sectors" including health, climate, agriculture and energy, and dedicating up to €6 billion to investment in data centres, according to the Commission’s data strategy seen by EURACTIV.com.
After Clearview AI scandal, Commission ‘in close contact’ with EU data authorities
The European Commission is in consultation with EU data protection authorities following the news that US technology firm Clearview AI has scraped more than three billion facial images from social media sites including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, without obtaining the permission of users.
Google vs EU: a decade-long saga goes to court
Google and the EU have a big day in court Wednesday (12 February) as the search engine giant enters a new phase of a legal saga that began a decade ago.
Google’s holiday rental service under fire as 40 rivals urge EU antitrust action
Alphabet unit Google faces the risk of more EU antitrust problems after 40 rivals on both sides of the Atlantic accused it of favouring its own vacation rental service on its search engine and urged European Union enforcers to take action.
LEAK: Digital services face EU competition crackdown
The European Commission is mulling over measures to bolster competition rules for digital services in order to rein in the dominance of global tech giants and foster "technologies that work for people", a draft communication obtained by EURACTIV reveals.
Bulgaria mulls re-opening Gazprom antitrust probe
Because of Bulgaria's discontent, Gazprom risks re-opening the antitrust case the European Commission had led against the Russian gas export monopoly over suspected abuse of its dominant position in the Eastern European gas market, EURACTIV.bg has learned.
Budget battle hampers EU in space
With the continuous militarisation of space, EU policymakers have started dropping their opposition to plans linking Europe's civilian space assets with defence elements. But as the political tide is slowly turning, cuts proposed in the EU’s draft budget threaten the new ambition.
Avoid heavy AI regulation, White House tells EU
The US administration has urged European lawmakers to avoid heavy regulation frameworks in the future rollout of Artificial Intelligence technologies on the continent. The call comes ahead of the European Commission's planned presentation of its AI strategy, set to be announced early this year.
Vestager takes aim at ‘biopower’ of tech giants
Global tech giants have been sowing the seeds of an economy predicated on 'biopower', amid the EU's attempts to rein in their dominance, the bloc's Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager has told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.
Time to intervene on behalf of innovation in Europe’s smart car market
After taking action to prevent anti-competitive practices by chipmakers, the European Commission should do the same in the smart car sector, writes Brian Scarpelli.
Commissioner hearings LIVE: Margrethe Vestager
The European Parliament is grilling the proposed members of Ursula von der Leyen’s Commission in a series of hearings between 30 September and 8 October. On Tuesday, Danish official Margrethe Vestager, nominated as Executive Vice President for Europe fit for the Digital Age, will be questioned by MEPs
CEOs reject watering down Commission’s antitrust powers
A group of European multinational chiefs proposed a modernization of the EU’s competition rules to face the rivalry of US and China’s companies in the digital age, but rejected France and Germany’s proposal to interfere in European Commission’s exclusive powers.
EU ready to act alone on digital tax if no global deal in 2020
European Union commissioners-designate said the bloc should agree on a digital tax if no deal on the matter was reached at a global level by the end of next year, ramping up pressure on multinationals accused of paying too little.
EU justice dismisses Starbucks tax ruling case, upholds Fiat
The EU general court rejected on Tuesday (24 September) the European Commission's decision that Starbucks had enjoyed a selective advantage in the Netherlands but confirmed assessment that Fiat had benefited from an unlawful tax ruling in Luxembourg.
A new team to defend Europe’s economic sovereignty
Achieving a “more assertive” Europe that can improve its competitiveness and sovereignty in an increasingly hostile world. These are the main guidelines of President-elect Ursula von der Leyen to the new College of Commissioners, unveiled on Tuesday (10 September).