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.
Margrethe Vestager, a top candidate to lead the European Investment Bank (EIB), came to Paris on Wednesday (20 September) to speak at a flagship start-up conference – and pitch her candidacy for the EIB job with Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire.
Member states must look to financing options other than public debt and taxation to support the green transition and free themselves from debt repayments, French financial economist Jézabel Couppey-Soubeyran told EURACTIV France in an interview.
The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and the market turmoil of the past week must push EU policymakers to rethink their approach to banking regulation and keep regulatory standards high, MEP Jonás Fernández told EURACTIV.
With proper safeguards in place, both gas and nuclear power can be included in the "transition" category of the EU's green finance taxonomy, says Pascal Canfin, a leading lawmaker in the European Parliament.
Sven Giegold, a Green MEP who is one of the key negotiators in the German government coalition talks, told EURACTIV that Germany will need "small volumes" of additional gas capacity in order to "stabilise" renewable power on the electricity grid. However, he is opposed to the inclusion of gas in the EU's green finance taxonomy.
In a paper discussed by EU finance ministers on 11 September, Bruegel think tank made the case for protecting green investment as part of the upcoming Stability and Growth Pact review. Bruegel’s Zsolt Darvas, one of the report's authors, told EURACTIV that most of the investment needed to reduce CO2 emissions would come from private sources.
In all likelihood, the European Commission will table a proposal in the coming months to include nuclear energy in the EU’s green finance taxonomy, said Thomas Pellerin-Carlin, a researcher at the Jacques Delors Institute. But it is probably waiting for the outcome of the German elections before making a move, he suggested.
To join the Euro, Bulgaria needs to tidy up with financial crime, and the European Central Bank (ECB) should be doing its job and finally start “digging into this”, MEP Sven Giegold told EURACTIV in a telephone interview.
The hard line defended by France over the inclusion of nuclear power in the green finance taxonomy is a dead end because there is no majority in favour of it at the EU level, warns lawmaker Pascal Canfin. Instead, the French MEP argues for including nuclear energy in the 'transition' category.
As one of the most influential Eurogroup figures during the previous crisis, Thomas Wieser chaired the preparatory meetings of eurozone finance ministers between 2011 and 2018. In an interview with EURACTIV, the American-Austrian economist described the EU’s fiscal rules as “bad practical economics”, in particular for handling a crisis such as the current one.
Following the Eurogroup’s agreement on the economic response to the coronavirus, European Commission vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis on Friday (10 April) welcomed the €540 billion package in an exclusive interview with EURACTIV.com
The European Commission will be "flexible" with Italy and other member states affected by the coronavirus when assessing their efforts to balance their public accounts, European Commission vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis said in an interview.
Speaking to EURACTIV in Davos, Eurogroup President Mario Centeno remained hopeful about the eurozone's stalled reform process, saying there are “good reasons” to support ‘green’ investment as part of a broader review of EU fiscal rules due later this year.
Bermuda wants to leave behind its reputation as a tax haven to become a Fintech hub. In an interview with EURACTIV.com, the premier of the UK’s overseas territory, David Burt, said the island could come out of the EU’s 'grey list' of tax havens early next year. But he criticised a global minimum tax as he praised tax competition among countries.
Europe wants to use all the tools available to transit toward a 'green' economy. But ‘green’ lending should not be incentivised by easing capital requirements for banks, the European Banking Authority chief, Jose Manuel Campa, told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.
The Austrian national bank (OeNB) hosted its annual conference on 20 years of the euro on 2 and 3 May. In an interview with EURACTIV, the bank's chief economist explains how the euro zone debt crisis changed the economic "tool box" of the EU currency and spells out the challenges ahead.
Global trade tensions are scaring investors globally. In Asia, despite the huge needs to finance large projects, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is “concerned” about stagnant and even fall of private capital being attracted, its vice-president told EURACTIV.com.
Private investors need to come clean and commit to science-based targets on climate change, says Paul Simpson. Unfortunately, “there is still money out there for the dirty investments in the short term,” he laments, calling on regulators to take action against opaque finance.
Greece is politically and economically stable and now it’s the time for productive investment that will create jobs and increase the country’s GDP, Greek business leader Konstantinos Michalos told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
Pilar del Castillo, the Spanish centre-right MEP leading negotiations on the EU's new telecoms bill, defends in an interview the European Parliament’s agreement on telecoms competition.
The European Commission will propose a new pan-European personal pension today (29 June). In an interview with journalists, Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis argues that the new scheme would help save more money in an ageing society.
European Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis is wary of US moves to deregulate the banking sector, saying the main lesson from the 2008 financial crisis is that international finance needs international rules. But he was positive about Greece’s fiscal adjustment and called on Athens and its lenders to give a “final push” to break the stalemate on the country's bailout programme.
The European Parliament is voting today (16 February) on a landmark resolution on civil law, robotics and artificial intelligence. Ahead of the vote, Euractiv.com explored the ethical and legal implications of robotisation with a professor of international and European law.
