Interviews

Development 12-06-2024

EU must not neglect development aid over defence, Commissioner Urpilainen warns

Est. 4min

The EU's increased defence spending priorities must not come at the expense of development aid, as this could risk isolating the continent geopolitically, the Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen warned in an interview.

Special ReportAdvocacy Lab Content

Candidate countries must sync and blend with the EU, argues EESC’s Dimitris Dimitriadis

Est. 7min

To catch the enlargement train, EU candidate countries must run simultaneously with the European Union, argues the EESC’s Dimitris Dimitriadis. He says responsibility for an increasing Western Balkans' disillusionment with the EU is shared.

Economy 04-06-2024

Europe Ahead: Socialists’ Schmit on why over-regulation isn’t Europe’s main problem

Est. 5min

Europe’s economic problems primarily result from insufficient investment rather than excessively burdensome regulations, the Socialists’ lead candidate for the Commission presidency, Nicolas Schmit, told Euractiv in an interview.

In an interview with Euractiv, MEP Pascal Canfin calls for German Greens to be "realistic and pragmatic" and to "stop clinging to the battles of the past" on nuclear energy

Pascal Canfin on the Green Deal: ‘Job done’

Est. 4min

Just a few days to go before the elections on 6 and 9 June, the centre-left electorate has not yet made up its mind, according to Renaissance MEP Pascal Canfin. Designated as the 'green joker' or the 'green deposit' of Macron, Canfin defends his own record. Interview.

Politics 03-06-2024

Facing headwinds, the Greens push for new audiences

Est. 5min

In a push to counter an expected drop in seats in the new European Parliament, the Greens are banking on extending their demographic and geographical base, their lead candidate Terry Reintke told Euractiv.

Economy 31-05-2024

High prices, high rates will be new normal in post-COVID world, BNP economists warn

Est. 4min

Europe is facing a “generational shift” in its economic architecture that will cause inflation to be structurally higher than at any period since the early 1980s, two leading BNP Paribas economists told Euractiv, warning that high price pressures and high interest rates will be the new normal.

NATO must look at containment strategy towards Russia, beyond ad hoc solutions, Czech FM Lipavský says

Est. 4min

Europe should have a containment strategy towards Russia, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský told Euractiv as his country prepares to host NATO foreign ministers on Thursday (30 May) to work on a new kind of support package for Ukraine.

Transport 29-05-2024

German Minister Wissing: Tariffs on Chinese cars ‘wrong approach’

Est. 5min

Putting up tariffs on Chinese electric cars to protect the European industry was the wrong approach, German liberal Transport Minister Volker Wissing told Euractiv in an interview, promoting international competition.

Global Europe 29-05-2024

UN High Representative: Bosnia and Herzegovina not ready for EU, but no other option

Est. 5min

While Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is not ready for EU accession, the United Nations High Representative for Bosnia, Christian Schmidt, told Euractiv that EU leaders must be aware the country could be at great risk if the accession process is further delayed.

Economy 28-05-2024

Europe Ahead: Greens/EFA’s Andresen on the false climate vs economy dilemma

Est. 5min

Right-wing arguments that Europe would need to sacrifice its climate ambitions in order to boost its competitiveness are groundless and increasingly rejected by business leaders, the head of the German members of the Greens/EFA group at the European Parliament told Euractiv.

Definition of ‘low-carbon’ hydrogen will be ‘tough’ says key EU lawmaker

Est. 4min

Senior socialist EU lawmaker Jens Geier says the EU’s newest set of low-carbon hydrogen standards will be challenging, and Brussels will need to prepare industry-specific support programmes. 

Economy 21-05-2024

Europe Ahead: EPP’s Poptcheva on taking the edge off private investment

Est. 6min

In an interview with Euractiv, Eva Poptcheva also stressed that public investments should aim to “take the edge” of private investments that might otherwise be too risky to undertake.

Europe's East 17-05-2024

‘Foreign agent’ bill fundamentally alters relationship with West, Georgia’s president warns

Est. 7min

Georgia's controversial 'foreign agent' law profoundly changes the country's relationship with its Western partners and the EU should take the outcome of the upcoming elections as a basis to reassess its ties with Tbilisi, the country's President Salome Zourabishvili told Euractiv.

Economy 14-05-2024

Europe Ahead: ECR’s Hoogeveen on why EU needs ‘deregulation’

Est. 5min

Europe should deregulate its economy and “develop a culture of private investment” similar to the US, the vice chair of the European Parliament's Committee of Economic and Monetary Affairs told Euractiv in an interview.

Politics 13-05-2024

Manon Aubry slams French left division in the face of rising far-right in EU elections

Est. 4min

In an exclusive interview with Euractiv, French top candidate of La France insoumise (LFI, The Left) for the 2024 EU elections Manon Aubry, strongly critised a divided left in the face of a far-right at the top of the polls.

Key EU lawmaker Peter Liese already eyeing next CO2 price revamp

Est. 5min

German EU lawmaker Peter Liese is already eyeing the next revamp of the EU’s emissions trading scheme, wants a CO2 Central Bank and is campaigning for his party to stay the course on EU climate targets, he told Euractiv in an interview. 

Europe's East 09-05-2024

Ukraine looks to tap into EU funds to boost domestic arms industry

Est. 5min

Kyiv is looking for European Union funds to boost support for its domestic arms industry and tap into additional non-contracted capacities,  Ukraine's Minister of Strategic Industries, Oleksandr Kamyshin, told Euractiv. "[Our] objective is to find more funds to procure from Ukrainian …

Economy 08-05-2024

Collapse of EU-China political ties more dangerous than trade decoupling, top think tank chief warns

Est. 5min

The main danger facing EU-China relations is the deterioration of political ties that would hamper the global effort to combat climate change, the head of a leading European think-tank told Euractiv in an interview on Tuesday (7 May).

Economy 07-05-2024

Europe Ahead: Left’s Gusmão on following US, China path

Est. 5min

The EU must overcome its “ideological prejudice” against government spending and adopt state-led industrial policies similar to those in the US and China to boost its faltering economy, according to the vice-chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs José Gusmão.

Special ReportAdvocacy Lab Content

Consolidate communications, or inertia will mean decline, says Letta

Est. 9min

The much-anticipated Letta Report on the Single Market contained many strong recommendations. Jennifer Baker spoke with Enrico Letta to discuss what he hopes for in practice, with a deep dive into telecommunications.

Politics 03-05-2024

Greek left boss ‘grateful’ for EU prosecutor seeking justice at home

Est. 6min

The EU Prosecutor is doing a good job in investigating cases related to the rule of law as Greek citizens mistrust domestic justice and the conservative New Democracy government (EPP), Greece’s main opposition Syriza party (EU Left) leader Stefanos Kasselakis told Euractiv.com in an interview.

Malta’s energy minister warns: The energy crisis isn’t over

Est. 4min

In an interview with Euractiv, the Maltese energy minister warned against considering the European energy crisis over and laid out a vision of her island nation becoming the power connection between Europe and North Africa.

Possible to enlarge and deepen EU at the same time, Barroso says

Est. 6min

Contrary to the current European Union reform debate, it is possible to have the enlargement process and deeper EU integration run parallel, former European Commission president José Manuel Barroso told Euractiv. "A very important lesson learned from then is that it's …

Economy 15-04-2024

Bulgarian commissioner: To adequately finance R&D, the EU needs private capital

Est. 6min

Iliana Ivanova, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth shared with Euractiv in an interview her views on how to fill the gap in financing of science and innovation in the member states which stands at €100 billion per year.